N4 grammar

気がする

Having a feeling

Formation

気がする reports a hunch rather than a conclusion, and it is one of the softest ways to say something in Japanese. It admits the feeling might be nothing. Add ような in front for an even lighter touch.

Examples

気がする is marked in each sentence. Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

  1. I had a hunch something pleasant was going to happen.

  2. I feel sorry for her.

  3. The driver felt like taking a rest.

  4. The bath was not hot enough and I was unable to enjoy it.

  5. I fancy he is a doctor.

The explanation is ours, written for this site. Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR), each machine-checked to actually contain the pattern. Furigana is generated automatically, so a rare reading may be imperfect.