Japanese: The use of 「きもち」の使い方

Let’s take a look into the word 気持ち(kimochi). For example, there are many meanings of the word きもち such as a feeling of a mental state in 「今のきもちはどうですか」 and the feeling concerning the state of one’s mood or body in 「きもちのいい天気だ」. However, what about きもち in the following situations, 「きもち、ウエストはきつい」 and 「きもち、右に寄ってくれない」? In these cases, きもち is being used to mean 少し、ほんのわずか (a little). Originally during the Edo period, 「こころもち、前へ出る」 was used like 「こころもち（心持）」 to mean ほんの少し、わずか(a little). Later during the Meiji period, the expression 「きもち、前へ出る」 came about as a more colloquial expression than 「こころもち」. Today the word 「きもち」 is probably used more than 「こころもち」. However, words such as 「もう少し」(a little more) and 「ちょっと」(a little) are more commonly used. When a street interview was conducted, the responses among youths indicated that the use of 「ちょっと」 and 「きもち」 was different. 「ちょっと」 is used for people close to oneself for example, friends and family but 「きもち」 is used as a polite word for people who are older and further away from oneself.