When to say "think" vs "feel" in Chinese || 觉得 vs 想 vs 认为 vs 以为
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The Chinese language is known for its rich vocabulary and subtle nuances. One of the most interesting aspects of the language is the various ways it allows us to say “think”; the words 觉得，想，认为，and 以为 can all be used to express thought.
Unfortunately, this leads to confusion among Chinese learners; how do you know which word to use? 😕 Let’s find out!
TLDR
觉得 is used to express personal feelings and opinions
想 is used to express want and internal thinking
认为 is used to express beliefs with strong certainty
以为 is used to express mistaken beliefs
觉得
The word 觉得 is often used to express personal feelings or subjective opinions. It is similar to the English phrase "I feel that..." or "in my opinion".
Ex: "我觉得我们不应该搬家"
This sentence can be translated as “I think we shouldn’t move our home” or “I feel that we shouldn’t move our home”
觉得 can also be used to express physical feelings, such as feeling 🥶 or 🥵.
Ex: “我觉得冷死了“ - “I feel cold to death”
想
想 is has many uses, “want” and “to miss something/someone” among them, but where it can be used to express “to think” is with regards to internal thinking. In this context, 想 can be translated as “to ponder”.
Ex: “你真的想跟他结婚？我推荐你好好想想才决定“
“Do you really want to marry him? I recommend you to think hard before deciding.”
认为
认为, like 觉得, is used to express beliefs. However, 认为 is a stronger way to express beliefs and is better translated as “to think” instead of “to feel”. It’s used when expressing thoughts with greater certainty.
Ex: ”我认为你真的很适合读研究生“
“I think you really are fit for graduate school!”
Note that 觉得 can be used instead of 认为 in this sentence, but the communicated belief will be less certain.
NOTE: 认为 cannot be used to express physical feelings! So please never say ”我认为很冷“.
以为
以为 is used to express mistaken beliefs. In essence, someone believed one thing while the reality was actually something else. It can be translated as “thought that…”.
Ex: “今天下大雨了，我以为在加州从来不下雨！“
“Today it rained very heavily, I thought that in California it never rains!”
A 4-Way Comparison!
Let’s try using each of these 4 words in similar sentences to analyze their different meanings:
“我觉得他会读研究生“ - “I feel like he’ll go to graduate school”
“关于研究所，我想了很多“ - “I’ve pondered a lot about graduate school”
“我认为他会读研究生“ - “I believe he’ll go to graduate school”
“我以为他会读研究生“ - “I thought he would go to graduate school”
As you can see above, while all 4 of these words can be translated as “to think”, they each have their own more specific translations that show their differences.
To Conclude
It can be hard to differentiate between nearly synonymous words as a beginning language learner, and Chinese is no exception to this with the case of 觉得，想，认为，and 以为.
However, as long as you make sure to follow the guidelines above and practice using each of these words in your conversation and writing…
我认为你的中文肯定会提高！ 😃
Try out this quiz to test your knowledge!