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/ → /kanɡafu/ → /kanɡaferu/ (regular change for lower bigrade verbs) → */kangaweru/ (semi-regular sound shift for the /f/ phoneme: ハ行転呼 (ha-gyō tenko)) → /kanɡajeru/ (semi-regular sound shift, collapsing /we/ into /je/) → /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, such as 変える (kaeru, “to change”) all have to do with ideas of changing or turning, suggesting a possible original meaning of to change one's perception. In addition, there are also obsolete readings of かうがふ (kaugafu) and かがふ (kagafu), giving further support for this etymology.

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): [kã̠ŋɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「考える」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
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))

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.
meditate
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.
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.
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.
make up one's mind
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.
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.
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.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	考え	かんがえ	kangae
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	考え	かんがえ	kangae
Shūshikei ("terminal")	考える	かんがえる	kangaeru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	考える	かんがえる	kangaeru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	考えれ	かんがえれ	kangaere
Meireikei ("imperative")	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

^ “考・勘”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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