考える

考える

Japanese

Kanji in this term
考
かんが Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
勘える (less common)

Etymology

*/kamukapu/ → /kamuɡapu/ → /kanɡaɸu/ → /kanɡaɸeru/ (regular change for lower bigrade verbs) → /kanɡaweru/ → /kanɡajeru/ → /kanɡaeru/

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Nihon Shoki of 720.[1]

Ultimate derivation uncertain. Theories include:

• Given the ancient kamugapu spelling, may be ka + mukau, where the ka is an unidentified prefixing element, or possibly 処 (ka), cognate with the こ (ko) in location determiners like ここ (koko, “here”), どこ (doko, “where”), and the mukau is 向かう (mukau, “to face something, to face a direction”, pronounced as mukapu in ancient times), from the sense of facing a thing or issue to thoroughly inspect it and think it over.[2] The shift from mukapu to mugapu may be an example of assimilation and lenition, where the preceding /m/ softens the following /k/.

• Alternatively, may be derived from the on'yomi of kan for the character 勘 (kan, “intuition, perception”, prior to the development of the kana ん, this would have been spelled as kamu),[2] plus some unknown element that was probably originally kapu, changing to gapu due to rendaku. The semantically relevant verbs with ancient readings of kapu all have to do with ideas of changing or turning, suggesting a possible original meaning of to change one's perception.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かんがえ​る [kàńgáéꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [4])[3][4][5]
• (Tokyo) かんが​える [kàńgáꜜèrù] (Nakadaka – [3])[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [kã̠ŋɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

• Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "考える"

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	考える	かんがえ​る かんが​える	[kàńgáéꜜrù] [kàńgáꜜèrù]
Imperative (命令形)	考えろ	かんがえ​ろ かんが​えろ	[kàńgáéꜜrò] [kàńgáꜜèrò]
Key constructions
Passive	考えられる	かんがえられ​る	[kàńgáéráréꜜrù]
Causative	考えさせる	かんがえさせ​る	[kàńgáésáséꜜrù]
Potential	考えられる	かんがえられ​る	[kàńgáéráréꜜrù]
Volitional	考えよう	かんがえよ​ー	[kàńgáéyóꜜò]
Negative	考えない	かんがえ​ない	[kàńgáéꜜnàì]
Negative perfective	考えなかった	かんがえ​なかった	[kàńgáéꜜnàkàttà]
Formal	考えます	かんがえま​す	[kàńgáémáꜜsù]
Perfective	考えた	かんが​えた	[kàńgáꜜètà]
Conjunctive	考えて	かんが​えて	[kàńgáꜜètè]
Hypothetical conditional	考えれば	かんがえ​れば かんが​えれば	[kàńgáéꜜrèbà] [kàńgáꜜèrèbà]

Verb

考(かんが)える • (kangaeru) ^{←かんがへる (kangaferu)?} transitive ichidan (stem 考(かんが)え (kangae), past 考(かんが)えた (kangaeta))

1. think

   これについて考(かんが)える必(ひつ)要(よう)があるんだ。

   Kore ni tsuite kangaeru hitsuyō ga aru n da.

   I need to think about this.

2. meditate
3. consider

   ここに住(す)む人(ひと)のことも考(かんが)えて、引(ひ)っ越(こ)しの時(とき)は綺(き)麗(れい)に掃(そう)除(じ)をする。

   Koko ni sumu hito no koto mo kangaete, hikkoshi no toki wa kirei ni sōji o suru.

   Out of consideration for the people who will live here next, I will clean thoroughly when I move.

4. reflect

   私(わたし)がしたことについて考(かんが)えなければならない。

   Watashi ga shita koto ni tsuite kangaenakereba naranai.

   I must reflect on what I have done.

5. prepare

   停(てい)電(でん)の時(とき)のことも考(かんが)えてある。

   Teiden no toki no koto mo kangaete aru.

   I am prepared for electric power failures.

6. make up one's mind
7. expect

   考(かんが)えられないような失(しっ)敗(ぱい)が起(お)きた。

   Kangaerarenai yō na shippai ga okita.

   A failure that I had not expected has happened.

8. imagine

   死(し)んだ後(あと)のことは誰(だれ)にも考(かんが)えられない。

   Shinda ato no koto wa dare ni mo kangaerarenai.

   It cannot be imagined what will happen after death.

9. contrive

Usage notes

While both 考える (kangaeru) and 思う (omou) can be used to mean to think, kangaeru implies more analytic and objective thought, whereas omou may include more emotional and subjective overtones.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "考える" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	考え	かんがえ	kangae
Continuative (連用形)	考え	かんがえ	kangae
Terminal (終止形)	考える	かんがえる	kangaeru
Attributive (連体形)	考える	かんがえる	kangaeru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	考えれ	かんがえれ	kangaere
Imperative (命令形)	考えよ¹ 考えろ²	かんがえよ¹ かんがえろ²	kangaeyo¹ kangaero²
Key constructions
Passive	考えられる	かんがえられる	kangaerareru
Causative	考えさせる 考えさす	かんがえさせる かんがえさす	kangaesaseru kangaesasu
Potential	考えられる 考えれる³	かんがえられる かんがえれる³	kangaerareru kangaereru³
Volitional	考えよう	かんがえよう	kangaeyō
Negative	考えない 考えぬ 考えん	かんがえない かんがえぬ かんがえん	kangaenai kangaenu kangaen
Negative continuative	考えず	かんがえず	kangaezu
Formal	考えます	かんがえます	kangaemasu
Perfective	考えた	かんがえた	kangaeta
Conjunctive	考えて	かんがえて	kangaete
Hypothetical conditional	考えれば	かんがえれば	kangaereba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ³ Colloquial potential

Synonyms

• (to think): 思(おも)う (omou)

Derived terms

• 考(かんが)え (kangae): thought

References

1. “考・勘”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
2. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
4. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
5. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Further reading

• Entry in the Gogen Yurai Jiten ("Etymology Derivation Dictionary", in Japanese)