jausti

Jausti is a Lithuanian verb meaning to feel or sense. It encompasses physical sensations, emotional states, and perceptual impressions. In everyday use it can describe concrete experiences such as pain or cold, as well as more abstract states like happiness, fear, or the atmosphere of a place.

In grammatical use jausti typically takes a direct object in the accusative to name the sensation or perception: jausti skausmą (to feel pain), jausti šaltį (to feel cold), jausti malonumą (to feel pleasure), jausti baimę (to feel fear). It can also express awareness of changes or environments: jausti pavojų (to sense danger), jausti pokyčius (to feel changes), jausti nuotaiką (to sense the mood). The verb can be used reflexively to describe one’s state, jaustis: aš jaučiuosi pavargęs (I feel tired), tu jaustis laimingas (you feel happy).

Conjugation in the present tense follows a regular pattern for a -ti verb: aš jaučiu, tu jauti, jis/ji jaučia, mes jaučiame, jūs jaučiate, jie jaučia. The related noun jausmas denotes a feeling or sense, and jausmingas is an adjective describing sensitivity or perceptiveness.

Etymology and related forms place jausti within Baltic languages. It has cognates in Latvian, such as just- or jūt-, reflecting a shared semantic field around perception and sensation. In Lithuanian literature and discourse, jausti appears across everyday speech, psychology, medicine, and philosophy to express the experience of feeling, sensing, and becoming aware.

Overall, jausti is a common, versatile term for describing how one experiences the world, whether through the body, the emotions, or the environment.