1.
to resonate deeply; to be deeply moving; to touch one's heart
For words, music, a scene, or an experience to produce a strong, lingering emotional response. The image is of sound reverberating in the chest.
胸に響くスピーチだった。
It was a deeply moving speech.
その歌は聴く人の胸に響く。
That song resonates with everyone who hears it.
被災者の言葉が胸に響いて、涙が出た。
The words of the disaster victims resonated so deeply that tears came to my eyes.
Literally "to reverberate in one's chest." 胸 (chest) represents the seat of emotions in Japanese, similar to "heart" in English. 響く (to echo, to resonate) adds the sense of sound waves spreading and lingering.
USAGE:
Always positive or at least emotionally powerful — describes something that moves a person deeply. Very common in reviews, speeches, and descriptions of art and music. Often interchangeable with 心に響く (to resonate in one's heart).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 胸に響く言葉 — words that resonate deeply
- 胸に響く音楽 — deeply moving music
- 胸に響くスピーチ — a moving speech
- 深く胸に響く — to resonate profoundly
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 心に響く — to resonate with one's heart (nearly identical; interchangeable)
- 心に刺さる — to pierce one's heart (sharper, more sudden impact)
- 感動する — to be moved, to be touched (more general; standard word for being emotionally moved)