1.
spiritual sensitivity; psychic ability; sixth sense for the supernatural
The ability to sense or perceive spirits, ghosts, or supernatural phenomena.
彼女は霊感が強い。
She has a strong spiritual sensitivity.
霊感のある人には幽霊が見えるらしい。
Apparently, people with psychic ability can see ghosts.
あの古い屋敷に行ったら、霊感がなくても何か感じるだろう。
If you go to that old mansion, you'd probably feel something even without psychic sensitivity.
2.
inspiration; divine inspiration; creative flash
A sudden flash of insight or creative inspiration, as if coming from a higher source.
芸術家にとって霊感は大切だ。
Inspiration is important for artists.
散歩をしているときに霊感を得た。
I received inspiration while taking a walk.
ベートーヴェンは自然の中から音楽の霊感を受けたと言われている。
It is said that Beethoven received musical inspiration from nature.
Composed of 霊 (spirit, soul) + 感 (feeling, sense). The two senses — supernatural sensitivity and creative inspiration — both carry the idea of perceiving something beyond ordinary awareness.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 霊感が強い — to have strong spiritual sensitivity
- 霊感がある — to have psychic ability
- 霊感を受ける — to receive inspiration
- 霊感を得る — to gain inspiration
- 霊感商法 — spiritualist fraud (a scam exploiting belief in spirits)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- インスピレーション — inspiration (loanword; neutral, no supernatural connotation)
- 直感 — intuition (rational/instinctive, not supernatural)
- 第六感 — sixth sense (can be supernatural or just strong intuition)
- 超能力 — supernatural powers (broader; includes telekinesis, telepathy, etc.)
CULTURAL NOTE:
Belief in 霊感 is common in Japanese popular culture. TV shows about haunted places and people with spiritual abilities are popular. 霊感商法 (spiritual fraud) — where scammers claim psychic powers to sell expensive items — is a recognized social problem.