LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N4Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Heart in Japanese: 心こころ (こころ), 心臓しんぞう, ハート, and the kanji hiding in every feeling

"Heart" in Japanese is 心こころ (こころ, kokoro) when you mean feelings, mind or spirit, 心臓しんぞう (しんぞう) when you mean the organ that beats, and ハート (haato) when you mean the shape ♡.

English packs all three into one word. "My heart is broken", "heart surgery" and "draw a heart" are three different words in Japanese. Learners usually meet 心こころ first, through song lyrics and anime titles, then reach for it in a doctor's office and get a puzzled look. This post sorts the three apart, adds a fourth word, 胸むね (むね), that does a lot of the emotional work in real speech, and then shows the kanji trick that makes 心こころ one of the most useful characters you can learn.

How do you say "heart" in Japanese?

What does 心こころ mean?

心こころ (こころ) is the heart as the place where feelings and thoughts live: heart, mind and spirit at once. It is the word in poems, songs, and serious conversations.

心こころが温あたたかい人ひとです。 — She's a warm-hearted person. (polite, praising character) 心こころから感謝かんしゃしています。 — I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart. (polite, sincere thanks)

心こころから (こころから), "from the heart", is a phrase worth learning early. It turns any thanks or apology into a deeply sincere one, and it fits in a speech or a heartfelt email.

What is the word for the organ?

The organ that pumps blood is 心臓しんぞう (しんぞう). Doctors, news and biology lessons use this word, never 心こころ alone.

心臓しんぞうがドキドキしている。 — My heart is pounding. (casual, nervous or excited) この病院びょういんは心臓しんぞうの手術しゅじゅつで有名ゆうめいです。 — This hospital is famous for heart surgery. (polite, medical)

The 心こころ in 心臓しんぞう is read しん, and 臓ぞう means "internal organ". You may also see 心臓しんぞう used figuratively: 心臓しんぞうが強つよい, "a strong heart", describes someone bold and thick-skinned who is not easily embarrassed, sometimes a little brazen. In the literal sense, the heart pumps 血ち (ち), blood, and blood in Japanese has the check-up phrase 血圧けつあつが高たかい, "my blood pressure is high", alongside 血ちが出でる for bleeding.

When do you say ハート?

ハート is the loanword for the heart shape and the heart symbol: ♡, heart emoji, heart-shaped chocolates, heart containers in games.

ハートの形かたちのクッキーを作つくった。 — I made heart-shaped cookies. (casual) 写真しゃしんにハートを押おした。 — I tapped the heart on the photo. (casual, social media "like")

ハート rarely means the emotional heart in normal speech — ハートが強つよい ("strong-hearted", i.e. brave) is the one common exception. You will see it in song titles and ads, but in conversation, feelings mostly belong to 心こころ and 胸むね.

Beyond the basics

Why do people say 胸むね for heart feelings?

胸むね (むね) means "chest", and Japanese very often places strong feelings there, where English would say "heart".

胸むねが痛いたい。 — My heart aches. (neutral, emotional pain, or literal chest pain) 胸むねがいっぱいです。 — My heart is full. (polite, too moved to speak) 胸むねがドキドキする。 — My heart is racing. (casual, nerves or a crush)

胸むねがいっぱい is a lovely phrase for graduations, weddings and goodbyes: so much emotion that there is no room left. Note that 胸むねが痛いたい can also mean real chest pain, so at a doctor's office it is a physical symptom.

What is 胸むねキュン?

胸むねキュン (むねキュン) is the "heart-squeeze" feeling of romance: the moment a scene makes your chest tighten. キュン is the sound of that squeeze.

このシーン、胸むねキュンだね。 — This scene makes my heart skip. (casual, watching a romance)

It is a fan word, very common in reviews of romance anime, manga and dramas. Its louder cousin is キュンキュンする.

Which everyday words are built on 心こころ?

Many feeling words contain 心こころ, read しん, and you probably know some already.

Word Reading Meaning Literally
心配しんぱい しんぱい worry heart + distribute
安心あんしん あんしん relief, peace of mind calm + heart
本心ほんしん ほんしん true feelings real + heart
中心ちゅうしん ちゅうしん center middle + heart
熱心ねっしん ねっしん eager, enthusiastic hot + heart

合格ごうかくして安心あんしんしました。 — I passed, so I'm relieved. (polite) 彼かれは勉強べんきょうに熱心ねっしんです。 — He is very eager about his studies. (polite)

中心ちゅうしん is a nice reminder that 心こころ also means "core" or "middle". If you want more on the worry side, our post on worried in Japanese goes deep on 心配しんぱい.

What is the kanji trick with 心こころ?

Look inside emotion kanji and you will often find 心こころ, either whole at the bottom or squeezed into 忄on the left.

  • At the bottom: 思おもい (think), 想そう (imagine), 感かん (feel), 恋こい (romantic love), 急きゅう (hurry), 忘ぼう (forget)
  • In the middle: 愛あい (love)
  • As 忄on the left: 情じょう (emotion), 性せい (nature), 快かい (pleasant), 忙ぼう (busy)

彼かれのことを思おもう。 — I think of him. (neutral, 思おもい has 心こころ under a field) 愛あいと恋こいはどう違ちがいますか。 — What is the difference between 愛あい and 恋こい? (polite, a classic learner question)

忄is called りっしんべん, "the standing heart", and it is just 心こころ written narrow. Once you notice this, a lot of N4 and N3 kanji stop looking random: the heart is the hint that the word is about the mind. Our post on think in Japanese covers 思おもう.

How does anime use 心こころ and 心臓しんぞう?

Two famous lines show the two words side by side.

心臓しんぞうを捧ささげよ! — Dedicate your hearts! (the military salute of 進撃しんげきの巨人きょじん, Attack on Titan) 心こころが叫さけびたがってるんだ。 — My heart wants to shout. (the title of the film known as The Anthem of the Heart)

The Attack on Titan salute uses 心臓しんぞう, the physical organ, because soldiers are offering their actual lives. The film title uses 心こころ, the inner heart, because it is about feelings someone cannot say aloud. Same English word, two Japanese words, and the choice carries the meaning.

How is 心こころ different from 気持きもち?

気持きもち (きもち) is the feeling you have right now; 心こころ is the heart that has the feelings.

今いまの気持きもちを教おしえてください。 — Tell me how you feel right now. (polite, interview style) 心こころの優やさしい人ひと。 — A kind-hearted person. (neutral, character)

You change your 気持きもち many times a day, but your 心こころ is closer to your character. That is why 心こころが広ひろい (generous, open-minded) describes a person, not a mood.

Common mistakes

  • Saying 心こころ at the doctor. The organ is 心臓しんぞう. 心こころが痛いたい sounds like heartbreak, not chest pain.
  • Using ハート for feelings. It is rare outside set phrases like ハートが強つよい ("brave"); ハートが痛いたい sounds like a song lyric, so use 胸むねが痛いたい or 心こころが痛いたい instead.
  • Reading 心こころ as こころ inside compounds. In 心配しんぱい, 安心あんしん and 心臓しんぞう it is しん.
  • Treating 胸むね as only "chest" or "breasts". In feelings, 胸むね is the heart: 胸むねがいっぱい.
  • Using 心こころ for a passing mood. "How do you feel?" is 気持きもち, not 心こころ.

Quick comparison

Word Reading Meaning Use
心こころ こころ heart, mind, spirit feelings, character
心臓しんぞう しんぞう heart (organ) medical, physical
ハート ハート heart shape ♡ symbols, games, social media
胸むね むね chest; where feelings are felt 胸むねが痛いたい, 胸むねがいっぱい
気持きもち きもち feeling right now moods, reactions
心こころから こころから from the heart sincere thanks or apology

Practice

Try each answer yourself before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: same English sentence, two Japanese words.

1. Say "I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart" politely.

Show answer

心こころから感謝かんしゃしています — 心こころから makes thanks deeply sincere.

2. Which word does a doctor use for the heart as an organ?

Show answer

心臓しんぞう (しんぞう) — 心こころ alone means the emotional heart.

3. After a breakup, you want to say "My heart hurts." Which is natural?

Show answer

胸むねが痛いたい (or 心こころが痛いたい) — emotional pain lives in 胸むね or 心こころ.

4. At the doctor, you want to say your heart (the organ) hurts. Which word?

Show answer

心臓しんぞうが痛いたい / 胸むねが痛いたい — 心臓しんぞう is the organ, and 胸むね can be the physical chest. 心こころが痛いたい would sound emotional. This is the pair to question 3.

5. What do you call the ♡ shape?

Show answer

ハート — the loanword is for shapes and symbols, not feelings.

6. At a graduation you are too moved to speak. Which phrase fits?

Show answer

胸むねがいっぱいです — "my chest is full", too much emotion to say more.

7. How is 心こころ read in 心配しんぱい and 安心あんしん?

Show answer

しん — inside compounds, 心こころ usually takes the reading しん.

8. Which part of the kanji 思おもい is the "heart"?

Show answer

The bottom part, 心こころ — 田た on top, 心こころ underneath. Many feeling kanji have 心こころ at the bottom.

9. What is 忄called, and what is it?

Show answer

りっしんべん, a narrow form of 心こころ — it appears on the left of 情じょう, 性せい and 忙ぼう.

10. An interviewer asks how you feel right now. Which word fits better: 心こころ or 気持きもち?

Show answer

気持きもち — 今いまの気持きもち is your feeling at this moment. 心こころ is the deeper heart behind it.

During a trial lesson, describe a moment when your 胸むね was full and your 心臓しんぞう was racing, and feel how 心こころ, 胸むね and 心臓しんぞう differ.

FAQ

What is the hiragana for heart? こころ for 心こころ. The organ 心臓しんぞう is しんぞう.

Is "kokoro" used as a name? Yes. こころ, written 心こころ or in hiragana, is a popular girls' name, and 心こころ also appears in longer names.

What does 心こころが広ひろい mean? "Generous, open-minded", literally "a wide heart". The opposite, 心こころが狭せまい, means petty or narrow-minded.

How do you say "heartbroken" in Japanese? 失恋しつれんした (しつれんした) means "I had my heart broken" in love. 心こころが折おれる, "my heart breaks", is used when someone gives up after too much pressure.

What does 心臓しんぞうが強つよい mean? It describes someone bold and hard to embarrass. It is a figurative use: a "strong heart" for nerve, not health.

Is ドキドキ about love or fear? Both. It is the sound of a pounding heart, from a crush, nerves before a test, or a scary moment.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

心	こころ — heart, mind, spirit
心臓	しんぞう — heart (organ)
ハート	ハート — heart shape, heart symbol
胸	むね — chest; where feelings are felt
心から	こころから — from the bottom of my heart
胸がいっぱい	むねがいっぱい — too moved for words
胸キュン	むねキュン — heart-squeeze feeling (romance)
ドキドキ	ドキドキ — heart pounding
心配	しんぱい — worry
安心	あんしん — relief, peace of mind
本心	ほんしん — true feelings
中心	ちゅうしん — center
熱心	ねっしん — eager, enthusiastic
気持ち	きもち — feeling, mood
心が広い	こころがひろい — generous, open-minded
りっしんべん	りっしんべん — the radical 忄
失恋	しつれん — heartbreak in love
感謝	かんしゃ — gratitude

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about. Learners often know こころ from songs long before they can use it, so this is a word we spend time untangling. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard Japanese dictionaries and kanji references.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

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