‘既视感’ (jì shì gǎn) is a Chinese term borrowed from Japanese (seshikan) and ultimately from French ‘déjà vu’, meaning the uncanny feeling that you’ve experienced a current situation before—even though you know it’s objectively new. Literally, 既 means ‘already’ or ‘since’, 视 means ‘to see’ or ‘vision’, and 感 means ‘feeling’ or ‘sensation’. Together, they evoke the sense of ‘already-seen feeling’, capturing the psychological phenomenon where perception clashes with memory.

This word is widely used in informal spoken and written Chinese—especially among young people discussing movies, dreams, or everyday moments. It carries a slightly literary or reflective tone and is often used to express mild surprise, nostalgia, or existential curiosity. Unlike clinical terms like ‘记忆错觉’ (memory illusion), 既视感 is accessible, conversational, and emotionally resonant, making it popular in social media, novels, and casual conversation about subjective experience.