Kanji 想

音読おんよみ: ソウ

訓読くんよみ: おも

画数かくすう: 13

部首ぶしゅ: こころ(心)

Meaning

Think / Idea / Imagine / Feeling

  • Basic forms
  • 想う — to think; to feel; to hold in one’s heart / base form
  • 想います — (I) think; feel / masu form
  • 想った — thought; felt / ta form
  • 想って — think/feel and … / te-form
  • 想わない — do not think / do not feel / negative form
  • 想えば — if (you) think / feel / conditional
  • 想え — think!; feel! / imperative
  • Other common forms
  • 想いたい — want to think / want to feel / 〜たい form
  • 想える — can think; can feel / potential
  • 想えた — was able to think / realize / past potential
  • 想えない — cannot think; cannot feel / negative potential
  • More
  • あなたを想う — to think of you; to hold you in my thoughts
  • 深く想っている — thinking deeply; holding strong feelings
  • 想われている — to be thought of / cherished / passive

想う(おもう) is a godan verb. It often carries a more emotional or reflective nuance than 思う — used for heartfelt thoughts, memories, and personal feelings.

  • 想像そうぞう — imagination
  • 理想りそう — ideal
  • 発想はっそう — idea, conception
  • 感想かんそう — impression, thought
  • 空想くうそう — daydream, fantasy
More examples - tap to expand
  • 思想しそう — thought, ideology
  • 追想ついそう — recollection, reminiscence
  • 瞑想めいそう — meditation
  • 妄想もうそう — delusion, wild idea
  • 想起そうき — recall, evocation
Compound Verbs - tap to expand
  • おもす — to recall; to remember
  • おもかべる — to call to mind; to visualize

想 is made of 相 (appearance, mutual) and 心 (heart). It conveys the act of thinking with the heart — imagining, feeling, or remembering something deeply.

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