想 (xiǎng): to think, to want
想 (xiǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “to think, to want.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 相 (phonetic) and 心 (semantic). It ranks #99 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 想 mind. Its radical form 心 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忘 (wàng, to forget), 爱 (ài, to love), 心 (xīn, heart, mind).
Definitions
- to think, to want
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 想 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 想
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 想法noun | xiǎng fǎ | way of thinking | 4 |
| 想象verb | xiǎng xiàng | to imagine | 5 |
| 梦想verb/noun | mèng xiǎng | (fig.) to dream of | 4 |
| 想念verb | xiǎng niàn | to miss | 5 |
| 幻想verb/noun | huàn xiǎng | to fantasize | 6 |
| 思想noun | sī xiǎng | thought | 5 |
| 理想noun/adjective | lǐ xiǎng | an ideal | 4 |
| 设想verb | shè xiǎng | to imagine | 6 |
| 感想noun | gǎn xiǎng | impressions | 6 |
| 联想verb | lián xiǎng | to associate (cognitively) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 想到 | xiǎng dào | to think of |
| 想起 | xiǎng qǐ | to recall |
| 想见 | xiǎng jiàn | to infer |
| 想像 | xiǎng xiàng | to imagine |
| 妄想 | wàng xiǎng | to attempt vainly |
| 回想 | huí xiǎng | to recall |
| 着想 | zhuó xiǎng | to give thought (to others) |
| 想不到 | xiǎng bu dào | unexpected |
| 猜想 | cāi xiǎng | to guess |
| 休想 | xiū xiǎng | don't think (that) |
| 想象力 | xiǎng xiàng lì | imagination |
| 预想 | yù xiǎng | to anticipate |
| 心想 | xīn xiǎng | to think to oneself |
| 想必 | xiǎng bì | presumably |
| 冥想 | míng xiǎng | to meditate |
想 appears in 100 compound words: 28 as the first character, 52 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 想 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
to suddenly come up with an ingenious idea; to suddenly be inspired to do something
Example Sentences
我想请一周的假，回老家处理一些家庭事务。
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng yì zhōu de jià, huí lǎojiā chǔlǐ yìxiē jiātíng shìwù.
I'd like to request a week off to go back to my hometown to handle some family matters.
默茨访华前警告不要抱有“幻想”
mò 茨 fǎng huá qián jǐng gào bù yāo bào yǒu huàn xiǎng
Mertz warned against "illusions" before visiting China
没有你想的那么光鲜 有些冬奥选手已私下在做一事
méi yǒu nǐ xiǎng de nà má guāng xiān yǒu xiē dōng ào xuǎn shǒu yǐ sī xià zài zuò yī shì
Not as glamorous as you think Some Winter Olympians are already doing something in private
马年“识局”6 | 不想当“跛脚鸭”,特朗普能否守..
mǎ nián shí jú 6 bù xiǎng dāng 跛 jiǎo yā , tè lǎng pǔ néng fǒu shǒu . .
Year of the Horse "Knowing the Situation" 6 | If you don't want to be a "lame duck", can Trump keep it?
机器人春晚PK赛:热闹之余,多想三个问题 | 视频
jī qì rén chūn wǎn sài rè nào zhī yú , duō xiǎng sān gě wèn tí shì pín
Robot Spring Festival PK Match: Three Questions to Ask While You're Watching | VIDEO
你想要什么喝的吗？
Nǐ xiǎngyào shénme hē de ma?
Do you want something to drink?
我这样想是对的吗？
Wǒ zhèyàng xiǎng shì duì de ma?
Am I correct in thinking thus?
想再要一点蛋糕吗？
Xiǎng zài yào yīdiǎn dàngāo ma?
Would you care for some more cake?
你们为什么想今天走？
Nǐmen wèishénme xiǎng jīntiān zǒu?
Why do you want to leave today?
你在这儿的时候想做什么？
Nǐ zài zhèr de shíhou xiǎng zuò shénme?
What do you want to do while you're here?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 想 (xiǎng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 想 and 霜?
How many strokes does 想 have?
What is the radical of 想?
What are the components of 想?
What are common words containing 想?
What characters sound the same as 想 (xiǎng)?
Is 想 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 想 with real-time feedback
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