Proverb / Kotowaza
腑に落ちない
To be unable to fully accept or understand something because it doesn't feel right or logical.
not falling into the internal organs
Quick Answer
To be unable to fully accept or understand something because it doesn't feel right or logical.
- Literal Image
- not falling into the internal organs
- Closest Equivalent
- Does not make sense
- How to Use It
- Used when an explanation, the resolution of a story, or someone's behavior feels 'off' or hard to accept.
Meaning
Describes a state where you remain unconvincing despite hearing an explanation. Even if a situation or statement seems logical on the surface, you feel a lingering sense of doubt or dissatisfaction that prevents you from being truly satisfied with the conclusion.
Literal Image
not falling into the internal organs
Equivalent Proverbs
Does not make sense
Refers to something being illogical.
Hard to swallow
Refers to something difficult to accept.
How to Use It
Used when an explanation, the resolution of a story, or someone's behavior feels 'off' or hard to accept.
Tone
Neutral. It can be used to express a reflective sense of doubt or suspicion.
Examples
彼の説明は論理的だったが、どうも腑に落ちない点がある。
His explanation was logical, but there are some points that still don't sit right with me.
その結末は、観客にとって腑に落ちないものだった。
The ending was something that didn't sit right with the audience.
何度考えても、あの時の彼の態度が腑に落ちない。
No matter how much I think about it, his attitude at that time doesn't make sense to me.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the specific kanji 腑 (viscera) and is a very idiomatic phrase in Japanese literature and daily speech.
腑
ふ / fu
viscera; internal organs; heart
落ちる
おちる / ochiru
to fall; to drop
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
The word 'fu' literally means internal organs, but in this context, it refers to the core of one's understanding or heart.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
The term 'fu' (腑) refers to internal organs or the heart. The positive form 'fu ni ochiru' (to fall into the viscera) means to be thoroughly convinced or to understand something from the bottom of one's heart. 'Fu ni ochinai' is the negative form, describing the state where an explanation does not 'settle' into one's core.
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