doujou-vs-doukan

2021年2月10日2026年4月21日

同情 (doujou) and 同感 (doukan) both come from the idea of sharing a feeling with someone, but they are not the same. 同情 means sympathy — you feel sorry for someone in a difficult situation, looking at them from a position of understanding. 同感 means agreement or “I feel the same way” — you are expressing that your own feelings match theirs. Using the wrong word can accidentally imply you are looking down on someone instead of agreeing with them. This guide makes the difference clear.

Yuka

Quick question, Rei — when should I use 同情 versus 同感?

Rei

Ah, a classic mix-up! They’re related but definitely not interchangeable. I’ll explain with examples and it’ll make perfect sense.

TOC

At a Glance: 同情 vs. 同感

Feature	同情 (doujou)	同感 (doukan)
Core meaning	Sympathy / Feel sorry for	Agreement / I feel the same way
Word type	Noun / する-verb	Noun / する-verb
Kanji breakdown	同 (same) + 情 (emotion/feeling)	同 (same) + 感 (feeling/sense)
Direction	You → someone in a hard situation	Your feeling matches theirs
Pattern	〜に同情する	同感です / 〜に同感する
Risk of misuse	Can sound patronizing if overused	Generally positive and affirming
JLPT level	N3	N3

同情 (doujou) — Sympathy: Feeling Sorry for Someone

同情 expresses sympathy — a feeling of compassion toward someone who is suffering, struggling, or in an unfortunate situation. The key pattern is 〜に同情する: you direct your sympathy toward (に) the person. It is genuine and kind, but be aware that if overused or used in the wrong context, it can carry a slight patronizing tone — as if you are looking down from a more comfortable position.

同情 also appears in the expression 同情の余地がない (no room for sympathy) — used when someone brought trouble on themselves.

Example 1 — direct sympathy:

あなたの状況に同情します。
Anata no joukyou ni doujou shimasu.
I feel sorry for your situation. / I sympathize with your situation.

Example 2 — sympathizing with a friend:

友達のことを聞いて、思わず同情してしまった。
Tomodachi no koto wo kiite, omowazu doujou shite shimatta.
When I heard about my friend’s situation, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

Example 3 — no sympathy warranted:

自分でやったことなのだから、同情の余地はない。
Jibun de yatta koto na no dakara, doujou no yochi wa nai.
Since it was something he did himself, there is no room for sympathy.

Yuka

Oh interesting! So 同情 can mean that too? I only knew the basic meaning.

Rei

Yes! 同情 is more versatile than most learners realize. Native speakers use it in all sorts of situations — not just the obvious ones.

同感 (doukan) — Agreement: “I Feel the Same Way”

同感 expresses that the speaker’s feelings, opinions, or reactions are the same as someone else’s — “I agree,” “I feel the same way,” “That’s exactly how I feel.” It is often used as a standalone response: 同感です (I agree / Same here). Unlike 同情, 同感 does not imply any disparity in situation — it is mutual agreement between equals.

同感 pairs naturally with expressions of opinion: 〜という意見に同感です (I agree with that opinion).

Example 1 — agreeing with someone:

まったく同感です。
Mattaku doukan desu.
I completely agree. / I feel exactly the same way.

Example 2 — agreeing with an opinion:

その考えにはとても同感します。
Sono kangae ni wa totemo doukan shimasu.
I strongly agree with that idea.

Example 3 — sharing a feeling:

「日本語は面白い」「同感！」
“Nihongo wa omoshiroi.” “Doukan!”
“Japanese is interesting.” “I feel the same way! / Same here!”

Yuka

What about 同感? Is it used as often as 同情 in daily conversation?

Rei

同感 is super common too! The two words actually complement each other really well once you understand both.

The Core Difference: Compassion vs. Agreement

Situation	同情	同感
Your friend lost their job	友達に同情する (I feel sorry for them)	—
Both of you dislike early mornings	—	同感です！ (Same here!)
Hearing about someone’s illness	ご病気に同情します (I sympathize)	—
Agreeing with a point in a discussion	—	その意見に同感です
Someone has difficult circumstances	その状況に同情する	—
Responding “I feel the same way”	—	まったく同感です

Decision Flowchart: 同情 or 同感?

What are you expressing?
              |
              v
Are you feeling SORRY for someone
in a difficult situation?
       |                |
      YES               NO
       |                |
       v                v
    同情する         Are you AGREEING or saying
  (〜に同情する)     "I feel the same way"?
                        |              |
                       YES             NO
                        |              |
                        v              v
                    同感です /       Consider
                    〜に同感する     共感する
                                  (empathy)

Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Yuka

Alright, I think I understand both now. Time for a quiz to check!

Rei

That’s the spirit! Testing yourself is one of the best study techniques. Ready?

Choose 同情 or 同感 for each sentence.

Q1. I feel sorry for her — she has been through so much.
彼女にはとても＿＿＿する。彼女はつらい経験をしてきた。
Kanojo ni wa totemo ___ suru. Kanojo wa tsurai keiken wo shite kita.

Answer: 同情 (doujou)
Reason: Feeling sorry for someone in a hard situation — the compassion / sympathy meaning.

Q2. “This job is really stressful.” “I completely agree!”
「この仕事、本当にストレスが多い」「まったく＿＿＿です！」
“Kono shigoto, hontou ni sutoresu ga ooi.” “Mattaku ___ desu!”

Answer: 同感 (doukan)
Reason: Expressing agreement / “I feel the same way” — 同感です is perfect here.

Q3. I agree with your opinion about this.
この件についてのあなたの意見に＿＿＿します。
Kono ken ni tsuite no anata no iken ni ___ shimasu.

Answer: 同感 (doukan)
Reason: Agreeing with an opinion — 意見に同感する is the natural pattern.

Q4. Everyone sympathized with his unfortunate situation.
みんなが彼の不幸な状況に＿＿＿した。
Minna ga kare no fukou na joukyou ni ___ shita.

Answer: 同情 (doujou)
Reason: Feeling sympathy for someone’s difficult circumstances — 同情する.

Q5. “I wish there were more holidays.” “Same here!”
「もっと休日があればいいのに」「＿＿＿！」
“Motto kyuujitsu ga areba ii no ni.” “___ !”

Answer: 同感 (doukan) — 同感！
Reason: Casual agreement — 同感！ works perfectly as a standalone response meaning “Same here!”

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