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KanjiGrade 3 › 想
Kyōiku Kanji

想 — to imagine / thought

Grade 3そう, そ

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).

What does 想 mean?

Kanji
Meaningto imagine / thought
Readingsそう, そ
GradeGrade 3 (Medium)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 想

想 is read そう or depending on the word.

Example words with 想

Example想像 (imagination)
Practice writing 想 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14