話がピンとこない (hanashi ga pin to konai - the story/talk doesn't make sense)
Grammar & Usage
How it works
This expression literally means 'the story doesn't come with a 'pin' sound,' where 'pin' represents the feeling of something clicking or making sense. It is typically used when one fails to grasp the meaning or point of a conversation, explanation, or idea. が (ga) marks the subject 話 (hanashi, talk/story), and とこない (to konai) is the negative form of とくる (to kuru), meaning 'to come to/with something' (in this case, 'pin').
Sample sentences
彼の話は長すぎて、結局何が言いたいのかピンとこなかった。
His talk was too long, and in the end, I couldn't grasp what he was trying to say.
この複雑な理論は何度聞いても、なかなかピンとこない。
No matter how many times I hear it, this complex theory just doesn't click for me.
上司の指示が抽象的で、具体的に何をすればいいのかピンとこない。
My boss's instructions were too abstract, and I don't really get what I'm supposed to do specifically.
Quick facts
Often used with
Mnemonic
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Example
彼の話は長すぎて、結局何が言いたいのかピンとこなかった。
His talk was too long, and in the end, I couldn't grasp what he was trying to say.
この複雑な理論は何度聞いても、なかなかピンとこない。
No matter how many times I hear it, this complex theory just doesn't click for me.
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