感觉
gǎnjué · HSK 2
feeling
感 = feel + 觉 = perceive; together: sense-perception
感 carries the heart radical 心 (feeling), and 觉 contains 见 (see/perceive). The compound literally stacks 'feel' onto 'perceive', giving the broad sense of feeling or noticing something.
感 — heart 心 + 咸 (xián, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning of feeling or emotion, while 咸 supplies the sound. Together 感 conveys being moved in the heart, hence 'to feel,' 'sense,' or 'be affected by' something.
觉 — see 见 + simplified 學 top 𭕄
觉 (traditional 覺) combines 學 (to learn, simplified to 𭕄) on top with 見 (to see) below, suggesting 'to perceive through learning.' Originally meaning 'to wake up' or 'become aware,' it extended to 'feel,' 'sense,' and 'sleep' (as in 睡觉). Read jué for awareness, jiào for sleep.