Japanese symbol for “congratulate”
祝う
いわう
Romaji: iwau
to celebrate; to congratulate; to observe (a festival)
In Japanese, congratulate is 祝う, read いわう (iwau).
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
- v5u, vt to celebrate; to congratulate; to observe (a festival)
- v5u, vt to present (a gift) in celebration; to drink in celebration
- v5u, vt to wish for (a happy future, good fortune, etc.); to pray for
Written forms: 祝う、斎う. Readings: いわう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “congratulate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喜ぶ | よろこぶ yorokobu | to congratulate |
| 寿ぐ | ことほぐ kotohogu | to congratulate; to wish (someone) well; to celebrate |
| 祝する | しゅくする shukusuru | to congratulate; to celebrate |
| 祝す | しゅくす shukusu | to congratulate; to celebrate |
| 寿く | ことぶく kotobuku | to congratulate; to wish one well |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 祝日 | しゅくじつ shukujitsu | national holiday; public holiday |
| 祝い | いわい iwai | congratulation; congratulations; celebration |
| 祝福 | しゅくふく shukufuku | celebration (of a joyous occasion); blessing; giving one's blessing |
| 祝賀 | しゅくが shukuga | celebration; congratulations |
| お祝い | おいわい oiwai | congratulation; congratulations; celebration |
See also: Chinese symbol for “congratulate”.
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.