quotation N4 essential casualpolitewritten
〜と思う — to think that ~
〜と思う ・ とおもう
Builds on 〜と
Meaning
- I think (that) ~ / I believe ~ — marks the preceding clause as the speaker's opinion or guess
Key sentence
明日は晴れると思う。
I think it'll be sunny tomorrow.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-form clause | [clause (plain)] + と思う | 高いと思う / 来ないと思う / 学生だと思う |
Examples
この映画は面白いと思います。
I think this movie is interesting.
彼はもう帰ったと思う。
I think he's already gone home.
そうは思わない。
I don't think so.
When you can't use it
- Plain 〜と思う states the speaker's own present opinion. To report what someone else thinks, use the continuous 〜と思っている: 彼は正しいと思っている ('he believes he's right').
Easily confused with
See 〜と思う in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜と思う the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.