想

xiǎng

心 + 相

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

xiǎng (verb) to think; to believe; to suppose

xiǎng (verb) to want; to wish

xiǎng (verb) to miss (someone or something)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 相 represents the sound.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 相

About

The character 想 is a phono-semantic compound with 相 at the top, serving as the phonetic element while suggesting observation or interaction, and the heart radical 心 at the bottom. The placement of 心 categorizes the character within cognitive and emotional domains. Originally, it denoted the process of forming mental images or pondering a subject. This cognitive foundation supports multiple meanings: thinking about a problem, desiring to perform an action, or experiencing the feeling of missing someone or something.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我真的很想你。

Wǒ zhēn de hěn xiǎng nǐ.

I really miss you.

我想去北京。

Wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng.

I want to go to Beijing.

他在想一个问题。

Tā zài xiǎng yī gè wèntí.

He is thinking about a problem.

你想不想看电影？

Nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng kàn diànyǐng?

Do you want to watch a movie?

我妈妈想让我学中文。

Wǒ māma xiǎng ràng wǒ xué Zhōngwén.

My mother wants me to learn Chinese.

如果你想去，就得早点出发。

Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng qù, jiù déi zǎo diǎn chūfā.

If you want to go, you have to leave early.

她一直在想昨天发生的事情。

Tā yìzhí zài xiǎng zuótiān fāshēng de shìqíng.

She has been thinking about what happened yesterday.

尽管他想了很多办法，但还是没有解决问题。

Jǐnguǎn tā xiǎngle hěnduō bànfǎ, dàn háishì méiyǒu jiějué wèntí.

Although he thought of many methods, he still didn't solve the problem.

Related Characters

Component: 心

Component: 相

想