The Meaning of kansō [感想] In Japanese

感想
かんそう
Romaji: kansō N4

What does 感想 mean?

Translation and Meaning

impression, thoughts, reflections, feedback

Definition

感想 means one’s personal impression or reaction to something, such as a book, film, event, or experience; it denotes subjective thoughts and feelings formed after engagement with the subject.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Subjective impression or reaction after experiencing something
  • Expression of one’s thoughts or reflections, commonly in feedback, reviews, or essays
  • In educational contexts, refers to a written or spoken summary of feelings about an experience

Composition

  • 感: to feel or sense; emotional perception
  • 想: thought, idea, contemplation; to think or imagine
  • Combination: 感 and 想 together express a mental product formed by feeling and thinking — an impression or personal reaction

Usage

Used to describe a person’s personal impression after experiencing something, such as a book, movie, event, or artwork; common in casual conversation and formal writing. In educational and media contexts, people discuss or request 感想 and write 感想文 to summarize what they felt.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize two hands—one feeling (感) and one thinking (想)—coming together to form your personal impression; remember feel + think = 感想.

Variations

  • 印象 (inshō) — impression
  • 所感 (shokan) — personal impression or remarks
  • 感想文 (kan-sō-bun) — impression essay; a typical school assignment
  • 反応 (hannō) — reaction

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 友人の 伝记を 読んで 感想を 共有した。
    Kyou wa yuujin no denki o yonde kansou o kyouyuu shita.
    Today I read a friend’s biography and shared my thoughts.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 友人の (yuujin no) – friend’s
    • 伝记を (denki o) – biography (object marker)
    • 読んで (yonde) – read (te-form)
    • 感想を (kansou o) – thoughts (object marker)
    • 共有した (kyouyuu shita) – shared
    In this sentence, 「伝记」 means ‘biography’ and is used as the object of 読む; the particle を marks what is read as in 伝记を読む.
  • 明日のイベントに参加して、感想を共有した。
    Ashita no ibento ni sanka shite, kansou o kyouyuu shita.
    I participated in tomorrow’s event and shared my impressions.
    Lista:
    • 明日の (ashita no) – tomorrow’s
    • イベントに (ibento ni) – to the event
    • 参加して (sanka shite) – participating
    • 感想を (kansou o) – impressions
    • 共有した (kyouyuu shita) – shared
    Core idea: use 「参加」 with 「に」 to mark the target of participation; 「イベントに参加して」 means ‘participating in the event’ and the te-form connects to the next action, 「感想を共有した」.
  • 今夜 番組 を 見ながら 友達 と 感想 を 語る。
    kon’ya bangumi o minagara tomodachi to kansou o kataru.
    Tonight, I’ll share my impressions with a friend while watching a program.
    Lista:
    • 今夜 (kon’ya) – tonight
    • 番組 (bangumi) – program
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 見ながら (minagara) – while watching
    • 友達 (tomodachi) – friend
    • と (to) – with
    • 感想 (kansou) – impressions
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 語る (kataru) – to tell/share
    Uso de 「見ながら」 para indicar ações simultâneas; aqui 「番組」 é o objeto de 見る (to watch).
  • 今日の映画の感想を友人に正直に丁寧に伝えた。
    Kyou no eiga no kansou o yuujin ni shoujiki ni teinei ni tsutaeta.
    I honestly and politely shared my impressions of today’s movie with a friend.
    Lista:
    • 今日の映画の感想を (Kyou no eiga no kansou o) – today’s impressions of the movie
    • 友人に (yuujin ni) – to a friend
    • 正直に (shoujiki ni) – honestly
    • 丁寧に (teinei ni) – politely
    • 伝えた (tsutaeta) – told
    「感想」は 自分の印象・感想を指す名詞で、ここでは 伝える の対象として使われている。
感想