寒気（さむけ、samuke）
- chill/shivers

The Japanese word 寒気 (さむけ) primarily refers to a feeling of chilliness or shivers, often accompanied by goosebumps. It can be a symptom of a cold, flu, or other illness, but it can also be triggered by environmental factors like cold weather or a draft. In a broader sense, 寒気 can also describe a feeling of dread, fear, or a sense of foreboding. The degree of 寒気 can vary, from a slight feeling of coolness to intense shaking and shivering.

⚫︎ 風邪をひいて、寒気がする。 Translation: I have a cold and I feel chills. ⚫︎ 真冬の海に入ったら、すぐに寒気がした。 Translation: When I entered the sea in the middle of winter, I immediately felt cold. ⚫︎ その映画を見た後、変な寒気がした。 Translation: I got a weird feeling of dread after watching that movie.

You use 寒気 when describing the sensation of feeling cold, shivering, or feeling a sense of foreboding. It's commonly used when discussing physical symptoms of illness or when describing the impact of cold weather. The degree of 寒気 can sometimes be emphasized by adding words like "すごく" (sugoku - very) or "少し" (sukoshi - a little) to indicate the intensity of the feeling.

寒気 is typically written using the kanji 寒 (samu - cold) and 気 (ki - feeling, spirit). The reading is さむけ (samuke) in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always written as "け"

⚫︎ 震え (furue): Shivering, trembling ⚫︎ 冷え (hie): Coldness, chill ⚫︎ 身震い (miburui): Shivering, shudder ⚫︎ 悪寒 (okan): Chills (a medical term for feeling cold)

⚫︎ 熱 (netsu): Heat, fever ⚫︎ 暑さ (atsusa): Heat ⚫︎ 暖かさ (atatakasa): Warmth

熱が出て、寒気がするので、毛布にくるまりました。 ・Translation: I have a fever and I have chills, so I wrapped myself in a blanket. ・Explanation: The sentence describes the feeling of chills as a symptom of a fever, and the reaction to the feeling.

怖い話を聞いたら、急に寒気がしてきた。 ・Translation: I suddenly got chills after hearing a scary story. ・Explanation: This sentence explains how feeling the dread that can be considered to be 寒気.

The word 寒気 is a compound word. 寒 (samu) refers to "cold" and 気 (ki) refers to "feeling" or "atmosphere." The combination of these kanji directly reflects the meaning of feeling cold or the sensation of chills.