Japanese symbol for “candidate”
候補
こうほ
Romaji: kouho
candidate; contender; prospect; pick
In Japanese, candidate is 候補, read こうほ (kouho).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n candidate; contender; prospect; pick; choice; list
- n candidacy; candidature; nomination
Written forms: 候補、侯補. Readings: こうほ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “candidate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 立候補者 | りっこうほしゃ rikkouhosha | candidate (for an election) |
| 候補者 | こうほしゃ kouhosha | candidate; applicant |
| 志望者 | しぼうしゃ shibousha | candidate; applicant |
| 希望者 | きぼうしゃ kibousha | applicant; candidate; person interested in doing something |
| 志願者 | しがんしゃ shigansha | applicant; candidate; volunteer |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 立候補 | りっこうほ rikkouho | candidacy; standing as a candidate; bidding (to host an event, e.g. the Olympics) |
| 気候 | きこう kikou | climate |
| 天候 | てんこう tenkou | weather |
| 兆候 | ちょうこう choukou | sign; indication; omen |
| 症候群 | しょうこうぐん shoukougun | syndrome |
| 補助 | ほじょ hojo | assistance; support; help |
| 補給 | ほきゅう hokyuu | supply; supplying; replenishment |
| 補償 | ほしょう hoshou | compensation; reparation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “candidate”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.