What is the difference between "感じる", "気がする", "気軽に", "身につまされる", "悪びれる"?

"感じる" means "to feel, to sense", "気がする" means "to feel; to have a hunch; to have a premonition", "気軽に" means "feel free to; without hesitation; casually; readily", "身につまされる" means "to feel for someone, to sympathize deeply, to be touched to the quick (because one's own situation is similar)", "悪びれる" means "to feel ashamed, to be timid, to be abashed".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "感じる", "気がする", "気軽に", "身につまされる", "悪びれる"

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

気軽に

きがるに (kigaruni)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

身につまされる

みにつまされる (mi ni tsumasareru)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

悪びれる

わるびれる (warubireru)

N2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "feel" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "感じる", "気がする", "気軽に", "身につまされる", "悪びれる" 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..."..
気軽に (きがるに (kigaruni) - Level: N3): Maps to "feel free to; without hesitation; casually; readily" and is used when 遠慮したり、かしこまったりせず、軽やかで自由な様子を表す副詞。.
身につまされる (みにつまされる (mi ni tsumasareru) - Level: N2): Maps to "to feel for someone, to sympathize deeply, to be touched to the quick (because one's own situation is similar)" and is used when Expresses deep empathy where one feels another's suffering or situation as if it were their own, often due to similar past experiences or current circumstances..
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.

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 "気軽に"

困ったことがあったら、気軽に相談してください。

If you have any problems, please feel free to consult me.

Context for "身につまされる"

彼の苦労話を聞いて、私自身の経験と重なり身につまされた。

Hearing about his hardships, I was deeply sympathetic as it overlapped with my own experiences.

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.

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.".