胸騒ぎ

• Reading: むなさわぎ
• Romaji: munasawagi
• Kanji breakdown: 胸 (mune/muna) — chest, heart; 騒 (sawa) — commotion, stir
• Pronunciation: /mɯ.na.sa.wa.gi/

Meaning

A vague sense of unease or foreboding; an unsettled fluttering in the chest that something is wrong.

A noun describing the anxious, restless feeling in one's chest before something bad or uncertain occurs. Related to but distinct from 虫の知らせ (which is more clearly predictive), 胸騒ぎ emphasises the physical sensation of anxiety. 胸騒ぎがする (to have a bad feeling) and 胸騒ぎを覚える (to experience a foreboding) are common expressions.

Examples

1. 電話が鳴った瞬間に胸騒ぎがして、受話器を取る手が震えた。 The moment the phone rang, a sense of foreboding struck her, and her hand trembled as she reached for the receiver.
2. 待ち合わせの時間になっても連絡がなく、胸騒ぎが止まらなかった。 When there was no word even after the meeting time had passed, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her chest.
3. 理由はわからないが、朝から胸騒ぎを覚えていた。 She couldn't explain why, but she had felt a vague sense of unease since morning.

Usage Guide

Context: anxiety, premonition, suspense, daily life

Tone: uneasy

Origin & History

Compound of 胸 (chest, heart) and 騒ぎ (commotion, disturbance). The image is of a disturbance arising within the chest — as if one's heart is stirred by an invisible force signalling approaching danger.

Cultural Context

Era: Pre-modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal