1.
empathy, emotional involvement, identification
The act of projecting one's emotions onto someone or something, such as a fictional character, or becoming emotionally invested in a story or situation. Originally a psychological term (Einfühlung), now widely used in everyday contexts.
主人公に感情移入した。
I identified emotionally with the protagonist.
この映画は感情移入しやすい。
It's easy to get emotionally invested in this movie.
登場人物に感情移入しすぎて、読み終わった後もしばらく気持ちが戻らなかった。
I got so emotionally invested in the characters that it took a while to recover after finishing the book.
USAGE:
Most commonly used with する as 感情移入する. The typical pattern is [person/character]に感情移入する (to empathize/identify with). Frequently used when discussing fiction — novels, films, manga, and games.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 感情移入する: to empathize, to get emotionally involved
- 感情移入しやすい: easy to empathize with
- 感情移入できない: unable to empathize with
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 共感: empathy, sympathy (broader, more everyday)
- 同情: sympathy, pity