想 — to imagine / thought

Grade 3そう, そ

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

想 (readings: そう, そ; Japanese kanji) means “to imagine / thought”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 想像 (imagination).

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What does 想 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	想
Meaning	to imagine / thought
Readings	そう, そ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	想像 (imagination)

How to read 想

想 is read そう or そ depending on the word.

Words with 想

予想よそうdự báo
感想かんそうcảm tưởng
想像そうぞうtưởng tượng
幻想ảo tưởng
妄想vọng tưởng

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Updated: 2026-08-09