感 (gǎn) · sense of; feeling of (suffix)

Meanings

1 sense of; feeling of (suffix)
2 -ness (forms abstract feeling nouns)

Characters

感

gǎn

feeling; sense; emotion

Examples

HSK 4

他有很强的责任感。

Tā yǒu hěn qiáng de zérèngǎn.

He has a very strong sense of responsibility.

HSK 4

这首歌给人一种幸福感。

Zhè shǒu gē gěi rén yī zhǒng xìngfúgǎn.

This song gives people a sense of happiness.

HSK 5

安全感对孩子的成长很重要。

Ānquángǎn duì háizi de chéngzhǎng hěn zhòngyào.

A sense of security is very important for children's growth.

Tips

usage

As a suffix, 感 turns nouns into 'sense of X': 责任感 (sense of responsibility), 幸福感 (sense of happiness), 安全感 (sense of security), 成就感 (sense of achievement), 紧迫感 (sense of urgency).

grammar

The X感 pattern is very productive in formal and written Chinese. Common structure: 有/没有 + X感 (have/lack a sense of X). Unlike 度 (measurable degree), 感 focuses on subjective emotional perception.

Components

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

Bottom 心 (heart) - the indexing radical, in its full sitting-on-the-bottom form (not the 忄 left-side variant). Anchors 感 in the family of feeling-and-thought verbs: 想 (think/miss), 念 (think of), 恭 (respect). The heart is where the feeling lands - 感动 (be moved), 感觉 (feel), 感谢 (be grateful).

phonetic

咸 xián

all; salty; complete

Top 咸 supplies the sound - xián → gǎn, a heavy drift, but the link is established (also seen in 减 jiǎn, 喊 hǎn). 咸 originally meant 'all, completely,' which fits the meaning faintly: a feeling that pervades the whole heart. Phonetic family: 减, 喊, 撼, 憾 - all built on 咸.