What is と思う?
と思う is used to express thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, meaning "I think," "I believe," or "I feel." It's one of the most common ways to state personal opinions in Japanese.
いいと思う
"I think it's good"
彼は来ると思います
"I think he'll come"
難しいと思った
"I thought it was difficult"
Formation
Pattern: [Statement] + と思う
With verbs:
Dictionary form: 行く + と思う → 行くと思う
"I think (someone) will go"
Negative: 行かない + と思う → 行かないと思う
"I don't think (someone) will go"
With adjectives:
い-adjectives: 高い + と思う → 高いと思う
"I think it's expensive"
な-adjectives: 便利だ + と思う → 便利だと思う
"I think it's convenient"
With nouns:
Noun + だ + と思う
学生だと思う
"I think (he's) a student"
雨だと思う
"I think it's rain"
Basic Usage
Stating opinions
これはいいと思います
"I think this is good"
日本語は難しいと思う
"I think Japanese is difficult"
彼は優しいと思います
"I think he's kind"
Predicting future
明日は晴れると思う
"I think it will be sunny tomorrow"
彼は来ないと思います
"I don't think he'll come"
試験に合格すると思う
"I think I'll pass the exam"
Recalling past thoughts
いいと思った
"I thought it was good"
できると思っていた
"I thought I could do it"
間違いだと思いました
"I thought it was a mistake"
Key Characteristics
Softens statements
Direct: これは高い
"This is expensive" (stating fact)
Softer: これは高いと思う
"I think this is expensive" (opinion)
と思う makes statements less direct
Shows uncertainty
たぶん来ると思う
"I think he'll probably come"
Shows you're not 100% certain
Common Conversations
Example 1: Giving Opinion
A: この映画、どう思う？
"What do you think of this movie?"
B: 面白いと思うよ
"I think it's interesting"
A: そうなんだ
"I see"
Example 2: Making Predictions
A: 明日、雨降るかな
"I wonder if it'll rain tomorrow"
B: 降らないと思う。天気予報は晴れだよ
"I don't think it will. The forecast is sunny"
A: そっか、よかった
"I see, that's good"
Example 3: Discussing Plans
A: 彼、来る？
"Is he coming?"
B: 来ると思うけど、確認してみる
"I think he is, but I'll check"
A: お願い
"Please do"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Forgetting と
Wrong: いい思う ❌
Right: いいと思う ✓
"I think it's good"
Must use と to connect!
Mistake 2: Using だ incorrectly
Wrong: 学生と思う ❌
Right: 学生だと思う ✓
"I think (he's) a student"
Nouns need だ before と
Mistake 3: Double negative confusion
Correct: 来ないと思う
"I don't think he'll come"
NOT: 来ると思わない (less natural)
Use negative BEFORE と思う
と思う vs と思っている
と思う - Current/momentary thought
いいと思う
"I think it's good" (right now)
Momentary opinion
と思っている - Ongoing belief
いいと思っている
"I think it's good" (ongoing belief)
持続している opinion
More about next article
Negative Forms
～ないと思う (I don't think)
来ないと思う
"I don't think he'll come"
難しくないと思う
"I don't think it's difficult"
雨じゃないと思う
"I don't think it's rain"
Negative comes BEFORE と思う
と思わない (Less common)
そうは思わない
"I don't think so"
Used in specific contexts
Past Tense
と思った (I thought)
いいと思った
"I thought it was good"
できると思った
"I thought I could do it"
彼は来ると思っていた
"I thought he would come"
Politeness Levels
Casual: と思う
面白いと思う
"I think it's interesting"
With friends
Polite: と思います
面白いと思います
"I think it's interesting"
Standard polite form
Very polite: と存じます
良いご提案だと存じます
"I think it's a good proposal"
Very formal, humble
Common Patterns
～と思うんだけど (I think, but...)
いいと思うんだけど、どう？
"I think it's good, but what do you think?"
Softens opinion
～と思うよ (I think, you know)
大丈夫だと思うよ
"I think it's okay"
Casual, friendly
～と思います (Polite conclusion)
これが一番いいと思います
"I think this is the best"
Concluding opinion
どう思う? (What do you think?)
Asking for opinions
この案について、どう思いますか
"What do you think about this plan?"
これ、どう思う？
"What do you think of this?"
映画、どうだった？
"What did you think of the movie?"
そう思う (I think so)
Agreeing
A: これ、いいよね
"This is good, right?"
B: うん、そう思う
"Yeah, I think so"
A: よかった
"Good"
そうは思わない (I don't think so)
A: 簡単だよね
"It's easy, right?"
B: そうは思わない。結構難しいよ
"I don't think so. It's quite difficult"
Embedded Thoughts
Quoting yourself
「できる」と思った
"I thought 'I can do it'"
「無理だ」と思いました
"I thought 'It's impossible'"
With Question Words
いつ～と思う
いつ来ると思う？
"When do you think he'll come?"
いつがいいと思いますか
"When do you think is good?"
どこ～と思う
どこがいいと思う？
"Where do you think is good?"
どこに行くと思う？
"Where do you think he'll go?"
誰～と思う
誰が来ると思う？
"Who do you think will come?"
誰だと思う？
"Who do you think it is?"
Expressing Uncertainty
たぶん～と思う
たぶん来ると思う
"I think he'll probably come"
たぶん大丈夫だと思います
"I think it's probably okay"
～かもしれないと思う
雨かもしれないと思う
"I think it might rain"
Combines uncertainty markers
About Yourself
First person thoughts
私は～と思う
"I think..."
僕は行くと思う
"I think I'll go"
Can state your own intentions
Formal Alternatives
と考える (I think/consider - formal)
重要だと考えます
"I think/consider it important"
More formal than 思う
と感じる (I feel)
難しいと感じました
"I felt it was difficult"
Emphasizes feeling
In Questions
Rising intonation
いいと思う？
"Do you think it's good?"
来ると思います？
"Do you think he'll come?"
Asking for opinion
Common Expressions
と思って (Thinking that...)
いいと思って、買った
"Thinking it was good, I bought it"
Explains reasoning
～と思ったら (Just when I thought)
終わったと思ったら、また始まった
"Just when I thought it ended, it started again"
Unexpected turn
Practice Sentences
Basic
いいと思う
"I think it's good"
彼は来ると思います
"I think he'll come"
難しかったと思う
"I think it was difficult"
Intermediate
この映画は面白いと思うけど、
ちょっと長すぎるかな
"I think this movie is interesting, but
maybe it's a bit too long"
明日は雨が降らないと思うから、
ピクニックに行けると思う
"I don't think it will rain tomorrow, so
I think we can go on a picnic"
彼女は今忙しいと思うから、
来週連絡したほうがいいと思います
"I think she's busy now, so
I think it's better to contact her next week"
Advanced
この問題を解決するためには、
まず根本的な原因を理解する必要があると思います。
そして、長期的な視点で対策を考えるべきだと思います。
"To solve this problem, I think we first need to
understand the fundamental cause.
And I think we should consider countermeasures from a long-term perspective."
日本語の勉強は確かに難しいと思いますが、
毎日少しずつ続ければ、必ず上達すると信じています。
諦めないことが一番大切だと思います。
"I certainly think studying Japanese is difficult, but
I believe if you continue little by little every day, you'll definitely improve.
I think not giving up is the most important thing."
Related Grammar Points
- と思っている - I've been thinking (ongoing)
- と思った - I thought (past)
- と考える - I think/consider (formal)
- と感じる - I feel
- 〜ように思う - It seems to me
- Opinion expressions - Expressing thoughts