How to say "imagine" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 思い描くおもいえがくgodan verb, transitive verbCovers the core sense of deliberately forming a mental picture: envisioning how something looks or might be. Use it when you picture a scene, plan, or possibility in your mind.
- 描き出すえがきだすgodan verb, transitive verbPrimarily means to draw, delineate, or depict something; the 'imagine' sense is secondary. It is seldom the word you want for imagining — choose it when the focus is drawing or expressing an image.
- 思い浮かべるおもいうかべるichidan verb, transitive verbMeans to picture something in one's mind or visualize it: calling up an image of a face, a scene, or a memory. Use it when a specific image comes to mind.
- godan verb, transitive verbHere it means to imagine in the sense of surmising: guessing or inferring something not directly known. It is not for vivid mental imagery, and it is usually written in kana alone.
Use 「思い描く」 for forming a mental picture of something, 「思い浮かべる」 for calling a specific image to mind, 「描き出す」 chiefly for drawing or depicting, and 「しのぶ」 for surmising or inferring.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
