The Meaning of kan [勘] In Japanese

勘
かん
Romaji: kan N4

What does 勘 mean?

Translation and Meaning

instinct, intuition, hunch, sense

Definition

勘 means an instinctive sense or intuitive judgment about people or situations, often guiding choices without deliberate reasoning.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Instinctive perception or intuition about people, events, or situations
  • A sense or feel for something without explicit evidence
  • A hunch used in decision-making

Composition

  • 勘 is a single-kanji word whose core meaning is perception and discernment; its use in compounds centers on intuitive judgment and detection.

Usage

Used as a noun to express intuition or gut feeling in both everyday conversation and formal writing; it appears in contexts of assessing people, risks, or outcomes, and is often paired with verbs or phrases that indicate applying one’s sense.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a small radar inside you that lights up at a gut feeling, helping you spot truth beyond the obvious.

Variations

  • 直感 (chokkan) – intuition
  • 直観 (chokkan) – insight, intuition
  • 疑念 (ginen) – doubt
  • 推測 (suisoku) – guess, speculation

Example Phrases

  • 勘が働いたので、道に迷わず着いた。
    kan ga hataraita node, michi ni mayowazu tsuita.
    My intuition kicked in, so I arrived without getting lost.
    Lista:
    • 勘 (kan) – intuition
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 働いた (hataraita) – worked
    • ので (node) – because/so
    • 道に (michi ni) – to the road
    • 迷わず (mayowazu) – without getting lost
    • 着いた (tsuita) – arrived
    In this sentence, 「勘」 means intuition; 勘が働く literally means one’s intuition works/kicks in, and ので links cause and result.
  • 今日は 提出 が 遅れた ので、 勘弁して ください。
    Kyou wa teishutsu ga okureta node, kanben shite kudasai.
    Today the submission was delayed, so please cut me some slack.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 提出 (teishutsu) – submission
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 遅れた (okureta) – was delayed
    • ので (node) – so
    • 勘弁して (kanben shite) – spare me
    • ください。 (kudasai) – please
    Neste contexto, 「勘弁」 significa indulgência; 勘弁して ください é uma forma educada de pedir indulgência, isto é, please spare me.
勘