思う · godan verb (-u)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 思う | 思わない |
| Polite | 思います | 思いません |
| Past polite | 思いました | 思いませんでした |
| Past | 思った | 思わなかった |
| Te-form | 思って | 思わないで |
| Desire | 思いたい | 思いたくない |
| Potential | 思える | 思えない |
| Passive | 思われる | 思われない |
| Causative | 思わせる | 思わせない |
| Causative passive | 思わせられるalso 思わされる | 思わせられないalso 思わされない |
| Volitional | 思おう | |
| Polite volitional | 思いましょう | |
| Imperative | 思え | 思うな |
| Conditional | 思えば | 思わなければ |
| Tara conditional | 思ったら | 思わなかったら |
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
General mental activity: holding an opinion, considering something, or believing something to be true. Often used with 〜と思う to state one's thoughts.
彼は正しいと思う。
I think he is right.
I think I'll give my opinion after thinking it over more carefully.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
plan to do; intend to do
Expresses intention or a plan to do something, often in the volitional form 〜しようと思う or 〜するつもりだと思う.
I'm thinking of going to Japan next year.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
Making a judgment or evaluation about something; regarding something in a certain way. Often used with 〜を〜と思う or 〜と見なすような文脈.
I judge his proposal to be unrealistic.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
Imagining a situation, supposing something hypothetically, or dreaming of something. Often used with 〜としたら or 〜と想像する.
I sometimes imagine what I would do if I won the lottery.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
Expecting something to happen or looking forward to something. Often used with 〜だろうと思う or 〜を楽しみに思う.
I expect it will be sunny tomorrow.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
feel; be in a state of mind; desire
Expressing an emotional state, desire, or feeling. Often used with adjectives like 嬉しい, 悲しい, or 〜たいと思う. 想う is sometimes used for deeper emotional nuance.
I feel happy about his words.
I feel like starting a new job.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
care deeply for; yearn for; love
Deep emotional attachment, longing, or love. Often used for people, places, or ideals. 想う is especially common here, and 念う can appear in poetic or prayer-like contexts.
My feelings of longing for my hometown never change.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
Recalling or remembering something. 憶う is a rare kanji for this sense, but 思い出す is far more common in modern Japanese.
Looking at old photos, I recall my childhood.
I think it will rain tomorrow.
I'm thinking of studying abroad next year.
I consider him a close friend.
I get the feeling this shop is more crowded than before.
I wish he would come earlier.
The mother thinks lovingly of her son who lives far away.
I wonder if he'll really come.
信じる expresses firm belief or trust, while 思う can express a much weaker, more tentative opinion.
見なす is a more formal, deliberate judgment of how something should be regarded, while 思う can express a casual, everyday assessment.
想像する specifically means to imagine or picture something, while 思う in this sense is a lighter, more general way of supposing.
思い出す is the standard modern verb for 'remember/recall'; 思う alone in this sense is rare and mostly literary.
思う is the plain verb 'to think/feel', while 思える is its potential form used to express that something seems or appears a certain way based on impression.
思う is the plain active verb 'to think,' whereas 思われる is its spontaneous/passive form used to say something 'seems' or 'is thought' without naming who thinks it.
thought; thinking · imagination; mind; heart · desire; wish; hope; expectation · love; affection · feelings; emotion; sentiment
memory; recollection; reminiscence
recall; remember; recollect
with all one's might; to one's heart's content; as much as possible; really hard · resolve; decisiveness; determination; resignation
consideration; thoughtfulness; compassion
assumption; preconception; jumping to conclusions
idea; thought; whim; impulse
as one wants; as one likes; to one's satisfaction
Rare kanji for remembering or recalling; mostly seen in older texts.
Rare kanji associated with heartfelt wishes or prayers; not common in modern writing.
think of; come up with; hit upon · remember; recall
emotional attachment; deep feeling; passion · expressive attitude; meditative pose; posing for effect
to one's heart's content; with all one's might; hard · resolution; determination; resignation
unrequited love; one-sided love
come to mind; recall; realize
remember; recall; call to mind · imagine; picture in one's mind; visualize
unexpected; surprising; by chance
unexpectedly; surprisingly; contrary to expectations
be convinced; be under the impression; assume · make up one's mind; set one's heart on; be determined · be obsessed with an idea; fixate on; think about obsessively
rethink; think back on; change one's mind
sympathize with; be considerate of; feel for · think of (a distant person/place); cast one's mind to · worry about; feel anxious about; be concerned about
realize; come to know; become aware of
misunderstanding; misconception; wrong idea
imagine; picture in one's mind; envision
worry about; fret over; be at a loss
each in one's own way; as one pleases; just as one likes
conceit; hubris; vanity; presumption
recall; remember; bring to mind
deep thought; pensiveness; reverie
leave with regret; have unfinished feelings
reflect carefully; ponder deeply
just as one planned; right where one wants; just as expected