空想 (くうそう, kuusou) Japanese meaning: daydream | Kotomora

空くう想そう

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Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

空想する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	空くう想そうする	空くう想そうしない
Polite	空くう想そうします	空くう想そうしません
Past polite	空くう想そうしました	空くう想そうしませんでした
Past	空くう想そうした	空くう想そうしなかった
Te-form	空くう想そうして	空くう想そうしないで
Desire	空くう想そうしたい	空くう想そうしたくない
Potential	空くう想そうできる	空くう想そうできない
Passive	空くう想そうされる	空くう想そうされない
Causative	空くう想そうさせる	空くう想そうさせない
Causative passive	空くう想そうさせられる	空くう想そうさせられない
Volitional	空くう想そうしよう
Polite volitional	空くう想そうしましょう
Imperative	空くう想そうしろ	空くう想そうするな
Conditional	空くう想そうすれば	空くう想そうしなければ
Tara conditional	空くう想そうしたら	空くう想そうしなかったら

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

daydream; fantasy; fancy; vision

Refers to imagining things that are not real, often pleasant or creative, either as a noun or as a suru-verb.

Kanji

空empty, sky, void
想idea, thought, conception

Related words· 7

想そう像ぞうN3
想像 covers both realistic supposition and fanciful imagining, while 空想 is specifically about unrealistic, dreamy fancies.
幻げん想そうN1
幻想 leans toward illusion or a mystical, literary vision, whereas 空想 is more everyday personal daydreaming.
夢む想そうN1
夢想 is a slightly more literary word for idle, dreamlike musing, close in feel to 空想 but less commonly used in casual speech.
ファンタジー
空想 is a native Japanese word for daydreaming or unrealistic imagining, while ファンタジー is a loanword tied to the literary/film genre of fantasy.

Show 3 more

思おもい描えがく
空想する implies fanciful or unrealistic daydreaming, whereas 思い描く can be used for realistic plans or goals as well.
妄もう想そう
空想 is a harmless, playful daydream or flight of fancy, while 妄想 implies a more irrational or obsessive belief that can verge on delusion.
仮か想そう
空想 is a fanciful daydream detached from reality, while 仮想 is a deliberately constructed hypothetical or virtual model used for analysis or simulation.

Opposites

現げん実じつN3
現実 means reality, the concrete opposite of the imagined, unreal world of 空想.

Don't confuse with

妄もう想そう
妄想 suggests a delusional or obsessive fantasy that can feel unhealthy or paranoid, while 空想 is a harmless, often pleasant daydream.
回かい想そうN1
回想 means looking back on real past events, while 空想 means imagining things that are not real, such as fantasies; the two are easily confused because of their similar kanji and sound.
架か空くうN2
空想 shares the kanji 空 with 架空 but means 'fantasy' or 'daydream' (an act of imagining), while 架空 describes something that is itself fictitious or not real.

Word family

空くう想そう力りょく
imagination; imaginative power
空くう想そう家か
dreamer; daydreamer; visionary
空くう想そう的てき
imaginary; fantastical; fanciful; utopian; visionary
空くう想そう科か学がく小しょう説

Etymology

Compound of 空 (kuu, 'empty, sky') and 想 (sou, 'thought, idea'), literally 'empty thought'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination naturally conveys fanciful or unrealistic imagining.

Meanings

Usage patterns