1A newly conceived idea; the initial spark of inspiration behind creating or planning something.
その発想はなかなか面白いね。
That's a pretty interesting idea.
彼はいつもユニークな発想で周りを驚かせる。
He always surprises those around him with his unique ideas.
このゲームは子どもの発想から生まれたそうだ。
I heard this game came from an idea a child had.
アイデアが浮かばないときは、他人の発想を参考にするのもいい。
When you can't think of ideas, it can help to refer to other people's ideas.
2A way of thinking about or approaching things; one's perspective or approach.
発想を変えれば、この問題にも別の解決策が見つかるはずだ。
If you change your way of thinking, you should be able to find a different solution to this problem.
日本人と欧米人とでは、時間に対する発想がかなり違う。
The Japanese and Westerners have quite different ways of thinking about time.
逆転の発想でこの弱点を強みに変えられないだろうか。
Couldn't we turn this weakness into a strength with a reverse way of thinking?
3In music, the expressive idea or conception behind a melody or phrase; used when evaluating the originality of a composition or performance.
この交響曲は、当時としては斬新な発想で作られている。
This symphony was composed with a conception that was quite novel for its time.
審査員はピアニストの自由な発想を高く評価した。
The judges highly praised the pianist's free-spirited musical conception.