connective N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
思えば — thinking back
思えば ・ おもえば
Builds on ば形
Meaning
- looking back / now that I think of it — frames a reflection on the past
Key sentence
思えば、あの時の決断が人生を変えた。
Looking back, the decision I made then changed my life.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (思う) in ば-form, sentence-initial | 思えば (= 思う + ば) + clause | 今思えば〜 |
When: Opens a sentence with a reflective look back over past events; 今思えば 'looking back now' is the most common form.
Examples
今思えば、もっと勉強しておけばよかった。
Looking back now, I wish I had studied more.
思えば、彼とはもう十年の付き合いだ。
Come to think of it, I've known him for ten years now.
Notes
- Literally the conditional of 思う, but it functions as a fixed retrospective opener rather than a real 'if'.
See 思えば in real sentences
Jengo shows 思えば the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.