と考えられている【とかんがえられている】

The expression と考えられている is used to express that something is considered, is thought of as, or is believed to be a certain way. It conveys a widely held view or general consensus, often among experts, society, or a group of people.

This structure combines several elements:

• と – the quotation particle, marking the content of what is thought
• かんがえる考える – "to think / to consider"
• られる – the passive form, indicating that the thinking is done by others (often unspecified)
• ている – expressing an ongoing state, meaning this belief currently holds

Basic usage

Use と考えられている after a clause or statement to express what is generally believed.

The subject of the belief is usually left unstated because the focus is on the general or collective opinion rather than any individual's view. This makes it very common in academic writing, news articles, and formal speech.

Variations

The expression can be conjugated to express different tenses and politeness levels:

• と考えられています – polite form

  ちきゅうおんだんか地球温暖化のげんいん原因はにんげん人間のかつどう活動だとかんがえられています考えられています。

  The cause of global warming is considered to be human activity.

• と考えられていた – past tense ("was considered")

  むかし昔、ちきゅう地球はたいら平らだとかんがえられていた考えられていた。

  Long ago, it was thought that the Earth was flat.

• と考えられていない – negative ("is not considered")

  このほうほう方法はこうかてき効果的だとはかんがえられていない考えられていない。

  This method is not considered to be effective.

Related expressions

と考えられている is similar to といわれている言われている ("it is said that"), but と考えられている emphasizes reasoning or analysis behind the belief, while と言われている simply reports what people say. と考えられている often sounds more academic or analytical.