胸を打つ

• Reading: むねをうつ
• Romaji: mune wo utsu
• Kanji breakdown: 胸 (mune) — chest, heart; 打 (u) — strike, hit
• Pronunciation: /mɯ.ne o ɯ.tsɯ/

Meaning

To strike one's heart; to be deeply moving or emotionally touching.

A set expression where the subject is typically a thing — a story, speech, or performance — that affects the listener or viewer at a deep level. 胸を打つ話 (a touching story) and 胸を打たれる (to be moved, passive form) are standard collocations. The expression carries a positive, elevated tone and is used to describe what resonates powerfully with the emotions.

Examples

1. 被爆者の体験談は、聴衆の胸を打つ力強い証言だった。 The atomic bomb survivor's testimony was a powerful account that struck the hearts of the audience.
2. あの映画のラストシーンは何度見ても胸を打つものがある。 No matter how many times I watch it, the final scene of that movie is deeply moving.
3. 師の最後の言葉が胸を打ち、彼は涙を抑えることができなかった。 His teacher's last words struck his heart so deeply that he couldn't hold back his tears.

Usage Guide

Context: emotion, art, literature, performance

Tone: warm

Origin & History

胸 (chest, heart) and 打つ (to strike, to hit). The metaphor of something striking the emotional centre of the body to produce a wave of feeling has been part of Japanese literary expression since classical times.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal