(さいかく)

さいかく
noun
resourcefulness; quick wit; shrewdness
1. resourcefulness; quick wit; talent for practical problem-solving
The ability to think quickly and find clever solutions, especially in practical or business matters. Implies a combination of intelligence and pragmatic adaptability.
商売(しょうばい)才覚(さいかく)がある。
To have a talent for business.
彼女(かのじょ)才覚(さいかく)のある(ひと)で、どんな困難(こんなん)()()えてきた。
She is a resourceful person who has overcome every difficulty.
()(まえ)才覚(さいかく)(ちい)さな(みせ)大企業(だいきぎょう)(そだ)()げた。
With his innate resourcefulness, he grew a small shop into a large corporation.
2. means of raising money; financial resourcefulness
The ability to procure money or resources when needed, often through clever or industrious means.
資金(しきん)才覚(さいかく)がつかない。
I can't find a way to raise the funds.
どこからか(かね)才覚(さいかく)をつけてくる。
To find a way to come up with money from somewhere.
開業(かいぎょう)必要(ひつよう)資金(しきん)才覚(さいかく)苦労(くろう)した。
I struggled to find ways to raise the funds needed to open the business.

Combines (さい) (talent) with (かく) (perception/awareness). Emphasizes practical, street-smart intelligence rather than academic brilliance. Historically associated with merchant culture in the Edo period.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 才覚(さいかく)がある: to be resourceful
  • 才覚(さいかく)のある(ひと): a resourceful person
  • 商売(しょうばい)才覚(さいかく): business acumen
  • (かね)才覚(さいかく)をつける: to find a way to raise money
  • 資金(しきん)才覚(さいかく): means of procuring funds

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 才能(さいのう): talent; ability — more general, can refer to any kind of talent including artistic or academic. 才覚(さいかく) specifically implies practical cleverness.
  • 機転(きてん): quick thinking; tact — focuses on responding well in the moment, while 才覚(さいかく) implies a broader, enduring quality.
  • 知恵(ちえ): wisdom; resourcefulness — warmer and more everyday; 才覚(さいかく) has a slightly more formal, literary tone.