考える

*/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.

• (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]

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))

1. 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.

2. meditate
3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. make up one's mind
7. 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.

8. 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.

9. contrive

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.

• (to think): 思(おも)う (omou)

• 考(かんが)え (kangae): thought

• “考える”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025
• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

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