気にします（きにします、kinishimasu）
- to care about

The Japanese verb 気にします means "to be concerned about," "to worry about," "to mind," "to care about," or "to pay attention to." It expresses a state of being bothered or affected by something. It can relate to various situations, from feeling anxious about a problem to simply being mindful of something. The specific nuance depends heavily on the context. 気にします implies a certain degree of emotional investment or consideration. 気にします can indicate both a positive and negative feeling, but it generally leans towards a negative sentiment, such as worry or anxiety.

⚫︎ 人目を気にします。 Translation: I care about what other people think. ⚫︎ 値段を気にしますか？ Translation: Do you mind the price? ⚫︎ 失敗することを気にします。 Translation: I worry about failing.

You use 気にします when you want to express that something is bothering you, that you're worried about something, or that something is important to you. It's often used in negative contexts, to convey a feeling of worry or concern. You can use it in questions to inquire about someone's feelings regarding a certain matter. The subject of the verb can be a person, an object, or a situation. Common sentence structures include: ⚫︎ Subject + は + Object + を + 気にします (Focus on a specific thing). ⚫︎ Subject + が + Object + を + 気にします (Focus on an action or general thing). ⚫︎ Question word + が + 気にしますか (used to ask if something bothers the listener)

気にします is typically written in hiragana as きにします. The kanji form is 気にします. The verb itself is a combination of the kanji 気 (ki, meaning "mind," "spirit," "feeling") and the verb する (suru, meaning "to do"). The okurigana (the hiragana that follows the kanji) is に and ます, which indicates the verb conjugation. 気 can also be written in hiragana if there is no kanji support in certain circumstances such as online messaging or if the sender wants the message to look cute.

⚫︎ 心配します (shinpai shimasu): to worry ⚫︎ 不安に思います (fuan ni omoimasu): to be anxious ⚫︎ 気遣います (kidzukaimasu): to be concerned about, to care about ⚫︎ 気にかける (ki ni kakeru): to be concerned about, to worry about

⚫︎ 気にしない (ki ni shinai): to not care, to not mind ⚫︎ 平気です (heiki desu): to be okay, to not mind ⚫︎ 無頓着です (mutonchakudesu): to be indifferent

周りの目を気にしないで、自分のやりたいことをやりなさい。 ・Translation: Don't worry about what others think; do what you want to do. ・Explanation: This sentence encourages someone to not let the opinions of others influence their actions. The focus is on the action and not on what people think.

そんなに気にしなくてもいいよ。 ・Translation: You don't have to worry so much about it. ・Explanation: This sentence is used to reassure someone who is overly concerned about something, in other words, to reassure someone not to [気にします].

The word 気にします comes from the combination of 気 (ki), which refers to "mind," "spirit," or "feeling," and the verb する (suru), meaning "to do". Therefore, 気にします literally means "to do with one's mind" or "to be mindful of." The "ni" particle adds the element of focus or concern.