思(おも)いやり

思(おも)いやり is the disposition to imagine what another person is feeling and to act on it before being asked. It is a quality a person has, not an act performed, so it pairs with ある and 持(も)つ rather than with する.

Common expressions

• 思(おも)いやりのある人(ひと) (a considerate/thoughtful person)
• 思(おも)いやりを持(も)つ (to have consideration)
• 思(おも)いやりに欠(か)ける (to lack consideration)
• 思(おも)いやりの心(こころ) (a caring heart)

Cultural note

思(おも)いやり is treated as a core social value in Japan and appears constantly in school mottoes and public messaging. What it emphasizes is anticipating what someone needs without their having to ask — asking outright can itself be seen as putting the other person on the spot.

Etymology

The masu-stem of 思(おも)いやる (to sympathize with, to be considerate of) — literally 'to send one's thoughts' out to another person.

Related words

• 気配(きくば)り (attentiveness — noticing and acting on small practical needs)
• 心遣(こころづか)い (consideration shown in a specific gesture)
• 優(やさ)しさ (kindness, gentleness — a broader trait)