Gefühl

Gefühl is a German noun meaning sense or feeling, including both physical sensation and emotional experience. It is a neuter noun (das Gefühl) and forms the plural Gefühle. In everyday language it appears in a wide range of expressions, from concrete bodily states to subjective emotional attitudes.

Usage and senses can be broad. As a general term for subjective experience, one can say ein Gefühl haben (to have a feeling) or ein ungutes/gutes Gefühl (a uneasy/good feeling). Colloquial phrases include Bauchgefühl (gut instinct). More specific compounds include Körpergefühl (bodily self-awareness) and Mitgefühl (empathy or compassion). The verb equivalents are fühlen (to feel) and Empfinden (to perceive or sense).

Linguistic notes show a close connection to the verb fühlen; Gefühl is formed as an abstract noun related to feeling. The word is used across contexts, from everyday speech to philosophy and psychology, where it often contrasts inner experience with cognition or reason (Gehalt vs. Gefühl; Verstand vs. Gefühl).

In philosophy and psychology, Gefühl denotes subjective experience that may be analyzed independently of objective measurement. It can refer to immediate perceptual input as well as more enduring emotional states, moods, or attitudes. Common caution in usage is to distinguish Gefühl from knowledge or fact, since feelings are inherently personal and variable.

See also: Bauchgefühl, Körpergefühl, Mitgefühl, Empfinden, Emotion, Stimmung.