Translation guide
The English phrase "think of" covers several distinct mental actions: having an idea come to mind, considering or remembering someone/something, forming an opinion, and imagining or creating. This guide breaks down these meanings and provides natural Japanese expressions for each.
When a thought, idea, or memory suddenly occurs to you.
The most common way to say an idea 'comes to mind' or you 'hit upon' something. Often used for spontaneous ideas.
I thought of a good idea.
Did you think of something?
Literally 'float into one's head'. Emphasizes the image or thought appearing naturally.
His name came to mind.
To call to mind, visualize, or recall an image or memory intentionally.
I thought of the scenery of my hometown.
To have someone or something in your thoughts, often with concern or affection.
To have a particular opinion about someone or something.
Pattern for 'think of A as B'. Insert the person/thing and your opinion.
I think of him as a good person.
I think of this book as interesting.
Asking 'What do you think of ~?'.
To invent, devise, or conceive something new.
思いつく is for sudden ideas, while 考える is for deliberate thinking. Use 思いつく when an idea pops into your head, and 考える when you are actively thinking about something.
Suddenly I thought of a good idea.
I thought about the problem carefully.
The English phrase 'think of' cannot be directly translated as 思うの. Use the patterns above depending on the meaning.
I can't think of his name.
Think of a number between 1 and 10.
What do you think of this plan?
She thought of the old days.
What do you think of this movie?