〜と思う: How to Say 'I Think That…' in Japanese
The stance it frames
と思う (と おもう) is the ending you reach for when you want to mark a statement as your own opinion or guess rather than a flat fact. You lay out the idea as a plain-form sentence, then tag と思う on the end to say, in effect, "…is what I think." The と doing the work here is the quotative particle — the same と that quotes speech — so it behaves like an invisible "that": it wraps the whole thought up and hands it to 思う ("think"). Because the stance is explicitly yours, plain と思う belongs to the first person, in the present moment; that person restriction is what shapes almost everything else about the pattern.
What it's built on
The clause in front of と goes into plain form, and then と思う attaches. Even when the sentence as a whole is polite (〜と思います), that inner clause stays plain — only 思う takes the polite ending. The one thing to track is how each word type hooks onto と:
| Word before と | Add before と | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain) | nothing | 行く → 行くと思う (I think (he'll) go) |
| い-adjective | nothing | 高い → 高いと思う (I think it's expensive) |
| な-adjective | だ | 元気 → 元気だと思う (I think (she's) well) |
| Noun | だ | 学生 → 学生だと思う (I think (he's) a student) |
Negatives and past tense sit inside that plain clause — make it negative or past first, then add と思う: 行かないと思う ("I think he won't go"), 高かったと思う ("I think it was expensive").
How firm it sounds — and its neighbours
と思う reads as a genuine but soft judgement: you're committing to an opinion while leaving room that you could be wrong. Two shifts change what that judgement is about.
Put a volitional verb (the 〜よう / 〜おう form) before と思う and it stops being an opinion and becomes an intention — "I'm thinking of doing / I plan to / I intend to." This lands close to 〜つもり ("intend to"), but 〜ようと思う feels a shade softer, more like a decision you've been quietly turning over than a fixed plan.
The other shift is about whose mind you're describing. Plain と思う is locked to your own present thought; to report what someone else believes — an ongoing conviction — Japanese moves to the 〜ている form, 〜と思っている. You can aim that same 〜と思っている at yourself, too, for an opinion you've held for a while rather than one that just struck you.
In use
Stating what you think:
明日は雨が降ると思う。
あしたは あめが ふると おもう。
I think it'll rain tomorrow.
このケーキはおいしいと思う。
この ケーキは おいしいと おもう。
I think this cake is delicious.
ヤッタンは行かないと思います。
ヤッタンは いかないと おもいます。
I think Yattan won't go.
The clause 行かない stays plain even though 思います is polite.
先生は来ないと思います。
せんせいは こないと おもいます。
I don't think the teacher will come.
Japanese negates the inner clause (来ない), not 思う.
モチは学生だと思う。
モチは がくせいだと おもう。
I think Mochi is a student.
Noun + だ before と.
あのレストランは静かだと思う。
あの レストランは しずかだと おもう。
I think that restaurant is quiet.
な-adjective 静か + だ.
Voicing an intention (volitional + と思う):
日本に行こうと思う。
にほんに いこうと おもう。
I'm thinking of going to Japan.
行こう is the volitional of 行く.
ヤッタンは今日早く寝ようと思っています。
ヤッタンは きょう はやく ねようと おもっています。
Yattan is thinking of going to bed early today.
〜ようと思っている for a plan he's been holding.
Reporting someone else's belief (〜と思っている):
弟は試験に合格すると思っている。
おとうとは しけんに ごうかくすると おもっている。
My little brother thinks he'll pass the exam.
Third person's belief → 思っている.
Watch-outs
- Using polite form before と思う. The inner clause must be plain: 行くと思います (✓), not
行きますと思います. Only 思う itself becomes polite. - Forgetting だ after nouns and な-adjectives. It's 学生だと思う and 静かだと思う — drop the だ and it's wrong.
- Negating 思う instead of the clause. "I don't think he'll come" is 来ないと思う (negate the verb), not 来ると思わない in everyday speech.
- Saying 友達と思う when you mean "think with a friend." The と思う here is the quotative と; the "together with" と is different. Context and word order keep them apart, but watch the particle's job.
The short version
- [plain form] + と思う = "I think that ~."
- The clause before と stays plain, even with 思います.
- Nouns and な-adjectives take だ: 学生だと思う.
- Volitional + と思う = "I'm thinking of / intend to" (行こうと思う).
- Someone else's thought → 〜と思っている.
Practice it
Choose the correct form before と思う (plain form, だ, or volitional).
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
来年、日本へ留学しよう＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
What form goes before と思う?
Plain form. Verbs and い-adjectives connect directly (行くと思う, 高いと思う); nouns and な-adjectives add だ (学生だと思う). The clause stays plain even when 思う becomes polite (〜と思います).
What does the と in と思う do?
It's the quotative particle — the same と used to quote speech. It packages your thought like an invisible 'that,' then hands it to 思う ('think').
What does 行こうと思う mean?
It uses the volitional (行こう) and means 'I'm thinking of going / I intend to go.' Volitional + と思う expresses an intention rather than an opinion.
How do I say what someone else thinks?
Use 〜と思っている: 弟は合格すると思っている ('my brother thinks he'll pass'). 〜と思う on its own describes your own thought in the moment.
Where 〜と思う fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- と · N5 — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜でしょう / 〜だろう · N5 — でしょう means 'probably' and, with a rising tone, 'right?'. Learn how it attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns, its casual form だろう, and why forecasts love it.
- 〜つもり · N5 — つもり expresses a personal plan or intention: 行くつもりです ('I plan to go'). Learn the dictionary-form pattern, negatives, つもりだった, and how it differs from よてい and 〜よう.
Once this clicks, go on to
- と · N5 — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜とき — とき(時) means 'when' in Japanese: attach plain form + とき. Learn noun+の, な-adj+な, plain verbs, and the key 行くとき vs 行ったとき tense difference.
- で — The particle で marks where an action happens, the means or tool you use, the material, the cause, and the scope of a superlative. Learn each use and how で differs from に.
- が — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
- に vs へ — に and へ both mark where you're going: 学校に行く / 学校へ行く. Learn the small nuance, why へ is read 'e', and how に also marks points in time like 7時に.
- は — は marks the topic of a sentence — 'as for X.' Learn how it flags known information, its contrast use, why it's read 'wa,' and how it differs from が.
- 〜ことができる — 〜ことができる expresses ability: dictionary-form verb + ことができる ('can do'). Learn the verb pattern, the noun + ができる pattern, the polite and negative forms, and how it compares to the potential form.