JLPT N3Kanji compounds

想像

Readingそうぞうsouzou

Meaning
実際にはまだ見ていない事柄を心の中に思い描くこと
Explanation
「想像(そうぞう)」means picturing in one's mind something not yet actually seen. It is used as in「未来を想像する」(to imagine the future). The key is that one freely pictures it even without grounds, which differs from「予想(よそう)」(prediction), which infers based on grounds.
Original Japanese explanation

「想像(そうぞう)」は、実際にはまだ見ていない事柄を心の中に思い描くことです。「未来を想像する」のように使います。根拠がなくても自由に思い描く点が大切で、根拠をもとに推し量る「予想(よそう)」とは違います。

Examples
  • 未来を想像する

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