疎外感(そがいかん)

Composition: 疎外(そがい) (alienation) + 感(かん) (a productive suffix meaning "a feeling of ~", as in 孤独感(こどくかん) and 孤立感(こりつかん)).

疎外(そがい) ON ITS OWN: alienation as a concept (philosophical or sociological), or the act of shutting someone out. 疎外感(そがいかん) is always the subjective feeling on the receiving end.

Common collocations

• 疎外感(そがいかん)を感(かん)じる - to feel alienated (the everyday choice)
• 疎外感(そがいかん)を覚(おぼ)える - to sense alienation (slightly more written)
• 疎外感(そがいかん)を抱(いだ)く - to harbor such feelings over time
• 疎外感(そがいかん)に苛(さいな)まれる - to be tormented by it (strong, literary)

Contexts: workplace exclusion, isolation at school, cultural and language barriers, social media, and counseling or mental-health discussion.

Similar words

• 孤独感(こどくかん) - loneliness; can be felt entirely alone, with no group involved
• 孤立感(こりつかん) - feeling cut off, with the emphasis on the objective situation
• 仲間外(なかまはず)れ - being left out; the concrete act rather than the feeling
• 居場所(いばしょ)がない - to have nowhere one belongs

The distinguishing feature of 疎外感(そがいかん) is that other people are present: it is the feeling of being among a group and still outside it.

Register: Neutral to somewhat formal. At home in psychology and counseling, workplace discussion, social commentary, and personal reflection.