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思い当たる (おもいあたる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

思おもい当あたる

お

も

い

あ

た

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

come to mind; recall; realize

Used when a thought, memory, or answer suddenly occurs to you, often based on past experience or a hint. Common in the pattern ～に思い当たる.

彼かれの話はなしを聞きいて、以い前ぜん同おなじような経けい験けんをしたことに思おもい当あたった。
Hearing his story, I recalled that I had had a similar experience before.

その名な前まえを聞きいて、何なにか思おもい当あたることはありますか。

Does that name ring a bell? (lit. Does anything come to mind?)

Written forms

思おもい当あたるUsage67%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
思おもいあたるUsage21%
Kana-mixed spelling; sometimes used for readability.
思おもい当あたるUsage11%
Variant with 当る; less common in modern writing.
おもいあたるUsage1%

Kanji

思think
当hit, right, appropriate

Similar words

思おもい出だす
思い出す is a transitive verb meaning 'to recall intentionally,' while 思い当たる is intransitive and describes a sudden, often involuntary realization.
気きづく
気づく means 'to notice' or 'to become aware of' something in the present, while 思い当たる often involves connecting current information with past experience.

Etymology

Compound of 思い (thought) and 当たる (to hit, to be right). The literal sense is 'a thought hits the mark,' i.e., a sudden realization.