Japanese symbol for “desire”
願い
ねがい
Romaji: negai
desire; wish; hope
In Japanese, desire is 願い, read ねがい (negai).
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 desire; wish; hope
- n request; entreaty; plea; appeal
- n prayer
- n, n-suf (written) application
Written forms: 願い、願. Readings: ねがい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “desire”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 望む | のぞむ nozomu | to desire; to want; to wish for |
| 欲求 | よっきゅう yokkyuu | desire; want; will |
| 願望 | がんぼう ganbou | desire; wish; aspiration |
| 欲望 | よくぼう yokubou | desire; appetite; lust |
| 要求 | ようきゅう youkyuu | demand; firm request; requisition |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 願望 | がんぼう ganbou | desire; wish; aspiration |
| 念願 | ねんがん nengan | one's heart's desire; one's dearest wish |
| 出願 | しゅつがん shutsugan | application; filing an application |
| 願う | ねがう negau | to desire; to wish; to hope |
| 祈願 | きがん kigan | prayer (for something); supplication |
See also: Chinese symbol for “desire”.
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.