才覚(さいかく)

さいかく
noun
resourcefulness; quick wit; shrewdness
cognition
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)の才覚(さいかく)がある。
To have a talent for business.
彼女(かのじょ)は才覚(さいかく)のある人(ひと)で、どんな困難(こんなん)も乗(の)り越(こ)えてきた。
She is a resourceful person who has overcome every difficulty.
持(も)ち前(まえ)の才覚(さいかく)で小(ちい)さな店(みせ)を大企業(だいきぎょう)に育(そだ)て上(あ)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)の才覚(さいかく)がつかない。
I can't find a way to raise the funds.
どこからか金(かね)の才覚(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)に必要(ひつよう)な資金(しきん)の才覚(さいかく)に苦労(くろう)した。
I struggled to find ways to raise the funds needed to open the business.

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

Common collocations

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.

Related Words

Compare: 才能(さいのう) (talent)
Compare: 機転(きてん) (quick thinking)
Compare: 知恵(ちえ) (wisdom)
general
Added 2026.5.7 20:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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