# 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.
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. 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), 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 –)
* (Tokyo) かんがえる [kàńgáꜜèrù] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [kã̠ŋɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「考える」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| 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) 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

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]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 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
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 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.

### Further reading

* Entry in the Gogen Yurai Jiten ("Etymology Derivation Dictionary", in Japanese)