Japanese symbol for “think”
思う
おもう
Romaji: omou
to think; to consider; to believe; to reckon
In Japanese, think is 思う, read おもう (omou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5u, vt to think; to consider; to believe; to reckon
- v5u, vt to think (of doing); to plan (to do)
- v5u, vt to judge; to assess; to regard
- v5u, vt to imagine; to suppose; to dream
- v5u, vt to expect; to look forward to
- v5u, vt to feel; to be (in a state of mind); to desire; to want
Written forms: 思う、想う、憶う、念う. Readings: おもう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “think”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 考える | かんがえる kangaeru | to think (about, of); to think over; to ponder |
| 覚える | おぼえる oboeru | to think; to regard |
| がる | がる garu | to show signs of being; to feel; to think |
| シンク | シンク shinku | think |
| 思し召す | おぼしめす oboshimesu | to think (only used to speak of others) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 思い | おもい omoi | thought |
| 思想 | しそう shisou | thought; idea; ideology |
| 思い出 | おもいで omoide | memories; recollections; reminiscence |
| 不思議 | ふしぎ fushigi | wonderful; marvelous; strange |
| 思わず | おもわず omowazu | unconsciously; involuntarily; instinctively |
See also: Chinese symbol for “think”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.