Composed of 觉 (jué, "to sense / to awaken / to perceive") + 得 (de/de, a resultative complement particle that here marks the completion of perception). 觉 traces back to the Oracle Bone script, depicting a person waking and becoming aware. The compound 觉得 crystallised in vernacular Mandarin (白话) during the late imperial period and is now one of the most frequent verbs in modern standard Chinese.

In Chinese communication, 觉得 (juéde) is the go-to softener for opinions — using it signals humility and avoids sounding overly assertive, which aligns with cultural norms around indirect expression. Compare with 认为 (rènwéi), which is more formal and assertive ("I hold the view that…"). In casual speech, 觉得 is preferred; in academic writing or debate, 认为 is more appropriate. English speakers sometimes mistakenly translate "I feel" as 感觉 (gǎnjué) in all contexts, but 觉得 is far more natural for expressing opinions.