心中(しんちゅう)

Read as しんちゅう, this word means "one's inner feelings" or "what is in one's heart." It is a literary or formal expression often used when empathizing with someone's unspoken emotions. Not to be confused with the same kanji read as しんじゅう, which means "double suicide" or "lovers' suicide."

Common collocations

• 心中(しんちゅう)を察(さっ)する: imagine someone's feelings
• 心中(しんちゅう)を思(おも)う: think about someone's inner feelings
• 心中(しんちゅう)穏(おだ)やかでない: one's feelings are not calm (uneasy)
• 心中(しんちゅう)複雑(ふくざつ): having complicated feelings
• お心中(しんちゅう)お察(さっ)しします: I can imagine how you must feel (formal sympathy)

Similar words

• 胸(むね)の内(うち): what's inside one's chest (similar meaning, less formal)
• 本心(ほんしん): true feelings, real intention
• 内心(ないしん): inwardly, in one's heart

Watch out

心中(しんじゅう) (different reading) means "double suicide" or "lovers' suicide pact." Context and reading are critical to distinguish the two.