The Meaning of kokoroatari [心当たり] In Japanese

心当たり
こころあたり
Romaji: kokoroatari N4

What does 心当たり mean?

Translation and Meaning

heart/mind, coming to mind, awareness

Definition

心当たり means having knowledge or awareness about a person or matter, often implying memory, recognition, or a usable basis for a response.

Type

Noun (名詞) with Japanese usage: used with ある/ない

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • awareness or recollection about a person, event, or matter; a sense that something is familiar
  • a subtle impression that something is true or plausible based on partial information
  • an intuition about what happened or what is being referred to

Composition

  • 心: heart, mind
  • 当たり: hitting, coming to mind, being applicable

Usage

  • Used with ある or ない to express that you have or do not have knowledge, memory, or awareness about something
  • The polite form is 心当たりがございます / 心当たりがありません (kokoroatari ga gozaimasu / arimasen) for formal contexts
  • Common in casual conversations, journalism, and everyday speech to explain memory or likelihood
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine your heart being struck by a clue; when something suddenly comes to mind, 心当たり is at work.

Variations

  • 覚えがある (obo e ga aru) – memory or recall
  • 覚えがない (obo e ga nai) – no memory or recall
  • 連想する (rensou suru) – to recall by association

Example Phrases

  • この前の請求書に心当たりはありますか。
    Kono mae no seikyūsho ni kokoroatari wa arimasu ka
    Do you have any recollection about the previous invoice?
    Lista:
    • この前の (kono mae no) – the previous
    • 請求書 (seikyūsho) – invoice
    • に (ni) – to
    • 心当たり (kokoroatari) – recollection
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • あります (arimasu) – have
    • か (ka) – question marker
    Core: 「心当たり」 means ‘to have any idea or recollection (about something)’; here it asks if you have any recollection about the previous invoice.
心当たり