Japanese word

思い起こす

Pronunciation

Romajiomoiokosu

Meaning

  • verbrecall

Example

学生時代の日々を思い起こします。gaku sei ji dai no hi bi o omo i o ko shi ma su

I recall my school days.

Illustration for 思い起こす (recall)

More examples

古い写真を見ると、祖父と過ごした時間を思い起こします。furu i sha shin o mi ru to so fu to su go shi ta ji kan o omo i o ko shi ma su

When I look at an old photo, I recall the time I spent with my grandfather.

Core concept

It brings a past experience or piece of knowledge back into conscious thought, often through deliberate reflection.

Common phrases

  • 過去を思い起こすka ko o omo i o ko su

    recall the past

  • 昔を思い起こすmukashi o omo i o ko su

    recall the old days

  • 経験を思い起こすkei ken o omo i o ko su

    recall an experience

Similar words

思い出すomoidasu: To remember a past event, person, or fact, with or without deliberate effort.
回想するkaisōsuru: To look back on past experiences and consider them as a whole.
想起するsōkisuru: To call a fact, image, or memory to mind, especially in formal writing.

Definition in Japanese

過去の経験や記憶などを意識に呼び戻すこと。ka ko no kei ken ya ki oku na do o i shiki ni yo bi modo su ko to

Word origin

思い起こす (omoiokosu) combines 思い (omoi, "thought") and 起こす (okosu, "to raise"), expressing the act of raising a thought back into the mind.

Usage tips

  • 思い起こす (omoiokosu) commonly takes a period, scene, or experience as its object, so it frames the past as a complete episode rather than a single remembered fact.

Opposites

Word lists with this word