想法 meaning in English

xiǎngfǎ

way of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth)

HSK 2noun21 strokes

Meaning of 想法

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

xiǎngfǎ

way of thinking; opinion; notion
to think of a way (to do sth)

How to use 想法

想法 is the everyday word for an idea or opinion someone has. It often appears with 有 (yǒu) or after 你的 (nǐ de) when asking what someone thinks. Example: 你有什么想法？(Nǐ yǒu shénme xiǎngfǎ?) What do you think about it?

想 (xiǎng) means to think and 法 (fǎ) means a way or method, so 想法 is literally your way of thinking. Picture the thoughts in your head lining up into a plan.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 想法 with 办法 (bànfǎ). 想法 is an idea or opinion, while 办法 is a practical solution, so for "there is no way to fix it" say 没有办法, not 没有想法.

想法 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ无wú法fǎ理lǐ解jiě他tā的de想xiǎng法fǎ。

I couldn't understand his ideas.

我wǒ有yǒu个gè不bù好hǎo的de想xiǎng法fǎ。

I have a bad idea.

告gào诉sù我wǒ们men你nǐ的de想xiǎng法fǎ。

Tell us your thoughts.

我wǒ确què实shí同tóng意yì你nǐ的de想xiǎng法fǎ。

I actually agree with you.

她tā的de想xiǎng法fǎ比bǐ你nǐ的de好hǎo。

Her idea is better than yours.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

想 xiǎng · to think · 13 strokes

法 fǎ · law · 8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 想法.

办法	bànfǎ	way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem
方法	fāngfǎ	method; way; technique; procedure
想到	xiǎngdào	to think of; to call to mind
想起	xiǎngqǐ	to recall; to think of
看法	kànfǎ	way of looking at a thing; view
理想	lǐxiǎng	an ideal; a dream
做法	zuòfǎ	way of handling sth; method for making
思想	sīxiǎng	thought; thinking
合法	héfǎ	lawful; legitimate
无法	wúfǎ	unable to; incapable of
想象	xiǎngxiàng	to imagine; to envision; imagination
法律	fǎlǜ	law

Questions about 想法

What does 想法 mean?

想法 (xiǎngfǎ) means "way of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth)" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 想法?

想法 is made of 2 characters: 想 (13 strokes), 法 (8 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.

Is 想法 an HSK word?

Yes. 想法 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 想法 and 看法?

Both can mean opinion. 看法 (kànfǎ) is your view or judgment about something that already exists, while 想法 can also be a new idea or plan you came up with yourself.

Can 想法 be used as a verb?

Yes, in some contexts it can mean to think of a way to do something, as in 想法解决 (xiǎngfǎ jiějué), to find a way to solve it. In daily speech, 想办法 (xiǎng bànfǎ) is more common for this meaning.