Japanese symbol for “enlighten”
啓く
ひらく
Romaji: hiraku
to enlighten; to edify
In Japanese, enlighten is 啓く, read ひらく (hiraku).
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
- v5k to enlighten; to edify
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “enlighten”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蒙を啓く | もうをひらく mouohiraku | to enlighten |
| 教え導く | おしえみちびく oshiemichibiku | to teach (the way); to guide; to instruct |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 啓蒙 | けいもう keimou | enlightenment; illumination |
| 啓発 | けいはつ keihatsu | enlightenment; development; edification |
| 啓示 | けいじ keiji | (divine) revelation |
| 拝啓 | はいけい haikei | Dear (so and so); Dear Sir; Dear Madam |
| 啓蟄 | けいちつ keichitsu | "awakening of insects" solar term (approx. March 6, the day on which hibernating insects are said to come out of the ground) |
| 天啓 | てんけい tenkei | (divine) revelation; divine oracle |
See also: Chinese symbol for “enlighten”.
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.