1.
to not make sense; to not sit right; to not be convincing; to not feel right
Describes a feeling of not being fully convinced or satisfied with an explanation, decision, or situation. Something about it feels off or unreasonable, even if one cannot pinpoint exactly why.
彼の説明は腑に落ちない。
His explanation doesn't make sense to me.
腑に落ちない点がいくつかある。
There are several points that don't sit right with me.
理由は分かったが、どうも腑に落ちない部分が残る。
I understand the reason, but somehow there's a part that just doesn't feel right.
腑 refers to the internal organs (especially the gut), reflecting the Japanese cultural idea that understanding and intuition are felt in the belly. When something 腑に落ちない, it literally "doesn't fall into the gut" — the explanation hasn't been digested or internalized.
The affirmative form 腑に落ちる (to make sense, to click) is also used but less common than the negative.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 腑に落ちない説明: an unconvincing explanation
- 腑に落ちない点: a point that doesn't add up
- どうも腑に落ちない: something just doesn't sit right
- 腑に落ちる: to make sense; to click (affirmative)
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 納得がいかない: to not be satisfied; to not accept — more about refusing to accept than gut feeling
- ぴんとこない: to not click; to not resonate — more casual; implies lack of intuitive understanding
- 合点がいかない: to not be convinced — similar but more literary
Related Words
Related:
首を傾げる (to wonder)