想
想 — Idea
idea, thought, conception, think
On’yomiソウ (sou)
On’yomiソ (so)
Kun’yomiおもう (omou)
Stroke order (13 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 想
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 構想 | こうそう kousou | plan; plot; idea |
| 予想 | よそう yosou | expectation; anticipation; prediction |
| 思想 | しそう shisou | thought; idea; ideology |
| 感想 | かんそう kansou | impressions; thoughts; feelings |
| 発想 | はっそう hassou | idea; conception; way of thinking |
| 理想 | りそう risou | ideal; ideals |
Study notes
想 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 13 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #381 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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