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Kotomora

想

idea, thought, conception, think

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 500Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • ソウ
  • ソ

Kun'yomi

  • おも.う

Meaning

想 centers on mental activity: forming ideas, thoughts, and conceptions, or the act of thinking itself.

Most common words using 想

23 of 271
  • 想像そうぞう
    N3

    imagination; supposition; guess

  • 予想よそう
    N2

    expectation; anticipation; prediction; forecast; conjecture

  • 感想かんそう
    N3

    impressions; thoughts; feelings; reactions

  • 妄想もうそう

    delusion; wild idea; (wild) fancy; (ridiculous) fantasy

  • 理想りそう
    N3

    ideal; ideals

  • 思想しそう
    N3

    thought; idea; ideology

  • 想定そうてい
    N1

    hypothesis; supposition; assumption; expectation; anticipation

  • 可哀想かわいそう
    N3

    poor; pitiable; pathetic; pitiful

  • 発想はっそう
    N2

    idea; conception

  • 仮想かそう

    imagination; supposition; virtual; potential (enemy)

  • 幻想げんそう
    N1

    fantasy; illusion; vision; dream

  • 構想こうそう
    N1

    plan; plot; idea; conception; vision; scheme

  • 連想れんそう
    N3

    association (of ideas); being reminded (of something); suggestion

  • 想そう

    conception; idea; thought

  • 瞑想めいそう

    meditation; contemplation

  • 空想くうそう
    N2

    daydream; fantasy; fancy; vision

  • 愛想あいそ
    N1

    amiability; friendliness; affability; sociability

  • 回想かいそう
    N1

    recollection; retrospection; reflection; reminiscence

  • 夢想むそう
    N1

    dream; vision; reverie

  • 予想外よそうがい

    unexpected; unforeseen; strange

  • 理想的りそうてき
    N3

    ideal

  • 想像力そうぞうりょく
    N3

    (power of) imagination

  • 予想以上よそういじょう

    more than expected

Explore all words using 想 →

Study

Etymology

想 combines 相 (mutual, aspect) with 心 (heart/mind), suggesting the mind forming images or ideas. The exact historical development is well established as a phono-semantic compound where 相 contributes the sound and the idea of mutual interaction.

Meaning mnemonic

The top part 相 looks like a tree 木 beside an eye 目, and the bottom is the heart 心. Picture your mind's eye looking at a tree and your heart forming an idea about it: that mental image is a thought.

Reading mnemonic

For ソウ, imagine a thought so profound it makes you say 'so...' out loud: so -> ソウ, as your mind forms a deep idea.