1.
sense of physical distance; spatial awareness
The ability to perceive or judge physical distance accurately.
2.
sense of interpersonal distance; emotional closeness or distance
The perceived emotional or social distance between people in a relationship.
Composed of 距離 (distance) + 感 (sense, feeling). Used both for physical spatial awareness and for the emotional/social spacing between people.
Common collocations
- 距離感をつかむ: to get a sense of distance
- 距離感を保つ: to maintain distance
- 距離感がある: to feel a sense of distance (emotional)
- 適度な距離感: appropriate distance
- 距離感が近い: to be emotionally close
Usage
The interpersonal sense (sense 2) is very common in everyday Japanese. Japanese culture places particular importance on maintaining appropriate social distance, so this word appears frequently in discussions about workplace relationships, friendships, and family dynamics.