敏感な（びんかんな、binkaんna）
- sensitive

The Japanese word 敏感な （びんかんな） means "sensitive," "susceptible," or "responsive." It describes something or someone that is easily affected by external stimuli, whether physical, emotional, or intellectual. It can refer to a wide range of sensitivities, from physical touch to subtle emotional cues. The meaning depends heavily on the context. 敏感な implies a heightened level of awareness or reaction.

⚫︎ 彼女は敏感な肌を持っています。 Translation: She has sensitive skin. ⚫︎ 彼はとても敏感な性格です。 Translation: He has a very sensitive personality. ⚫︎ その問題について、国民は敏感な反応を示した。 Translation: The public showed a sensitive reaction to the issue.

You use 敏感な when you want to describe something or someone that is easily affected by something else. This can be used to describe people, objects, situations, or even abstract concepts. It is an adjective and modifies nouns. Remember that the nuance of 敏感なis that the sensitivity can be easily triggered or easily influenced.

敏感な is typically written with the kanji 敏感 and the hiragana な. ⚫︎ 敏感 （びんかん） is the word's stem, while な is the adjectival ending. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ デリケート (derikēto) - delicate, sensitive (loanword) ⚫︎ 繊細な (sensai na) - delicate, subtle ⚫︎ 感じやすい (kanjiyasui) - easily feels, sensitive to ⚫︎ 鋭い (surudoi) - sharp, keen (can be used for "sensitive" in certain contexts like hearing or intuition) ⚫︎ 弱い (yowai) - weak, vulnerable (can be used to describe sensitivity in terms of being easily affected or harmed)

⚫︎ 鈍感な (donkan na) - insensitive, thick-skinned ⚫︎ 無神経な (mushinkei na) - insensitive, callous ⚫︎ 強靭な (kyōjin na) - strong, resilient ⚫︎ 頑丈な (ganjō na) - sturdy, robust

彼は批判に敏感なので、言葉を選ぶ必要があります。 ・Translation: Because he is sensitive to criticism, we need to choose our words carefully. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the person is easily affected by criticism, so the speaker needs to be careful with their words to avoid hurting their feelings.

この薬は光に敏感なので、直射日光を避けてください。 ・Translation: This medicine is sensitive to light, so please avoid direct sunlight. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the medicine's effectiveness can be affected by light. Therefore, it has to be kept away from direct sunlight.

The word 敏感 (binkan) is composed of two kanji: 敏 (bin) meaning "agile," "quick," or "sharp" and 感 (kan) meaning "feeling," "sense," or "sensation." The combination of these characters creates the meaning of being quickly or keenly aware of something.