What is the difference between "感じる", "気がする", "しゅんとする", "悪びれる", "落ち込む"?

"感じる" means "to feel, to sense", "気がする" means "to feel; to have a hunch; to have a premonition", "しゅんとする" means "to feel dejected, to look crestfallen, to droop", "悪びれる" means "to feel ashamed, to be timid, to be abashed", "落ち込む" means "to feel down, be depressed".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "感じる", "気がする", "しゅんとする", "悪びれる", "落ち込む"

All represent the core concept "feel", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

感じる

かんじる (kanjiru)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

気がする

きがする (ki ga suru)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

しゅんとする

しゅんとする (shun to suru)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

悪びれる

わるびれる (warubireru)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

落ち込む

おちこむ (ochikomu)

B2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "feel" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "感じる", "気がする", "しゅんとする", "悪びれる", "落ち込む" based on context.

感じる (かんじる (kanjiru) - Level: N4): Maps to "to feel, to sense" and is used when 感情や感覚、ある印象などを心や体でとらえること。他動詞。/ To perceive emotions, sensations, or impressions with one's mind or body. Transitive verb..
気がする (きがする (ki ga suru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to feel; to have a hunch; to have a premonition" and is used when Used to express a feeling or intuition about something, often without concrete evidence. Can be translated as "I feel like...", "I have a feeling that...", or "I have a hunch..."..
しゅんとする (しゅんとする (shun to suru) - Level: N2): Maps to "to feel dejected, to look crestfallen, to droop" and is used when An onomatopoeic expression describing a sudden feeling of sadness, disappointment, or dejection, often visible in one's posture, expression, or mood. It can also describe plants drooping..
悪びれる (わるびれる (warubireru) - Level: N2): Maps to "to feel ashamed, to be timid, to be abashed" and is used when Often used in the negative form.
落ち込む (おちこむ (ochikomu) - Level: B2): Maps to "to feel down, be depressed" and is used when Essential structural term in CEFR B2 vocabulary syllabus..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "感じる"

寒さを感じます。

I feel cold.

Context for "気がする"

雨が降るような気がします。

I have a feeling it's going to rain.

Context for "しゅんとする"

先生に叱られて、子供はしゅんとしてしまった。

The child became crestfallen after being scolded by the teacher.

Context for "悪びれる"

彼は自分が間違っていると分かっていても、全く悪びれる様子がなかった。

He showed no sign of shame, even though he knew he was wrong.

Context for "落ち込む"

毎日、日本語を練習するために落ち込む。

Every day, I feel down, be depressed to practice Japanese.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "寒さを感じます。" (Meaning: "I feel cold.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "感じる" is correct here because it represents "to feel, to sense" in the context: "I feel cold.".