Japanese symbol for “expectation”
期待
きたい
Romaji: kitai
expectation; anticipation; hope
In Japanese, expectation is 期待, read きたい (kitai).
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, vi, vs expectation; anticipation; hope
- adj-no promising; rising; up-and-coming
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “expectation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 予想 | よそう yosou | expectation; anticipation; prediction |
| 予定 | よてい yotei | plans; arrangement; schedule |
| 思惑 | おもわく omowaku | expectation; anticipation; prediction |
| 予期 | よき yoki | expectation; anticipation; forecast |
| 想定 | そうてい soutei | hypothesis; supposition; assumption |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 期間 | きかん kikan | period; term; interval |
| 時期 | じき jiki | time; season; period |
| 定期 | ていき teiki | fixed period; fixed term |
| 初期 | しょき shoki | early days; early years; early stages |
| 長期 | ちょうき chouki | long-term |
| 招待 | しょうたい shoutai | invitation |
| 待機 | たいき taiki | standing by; awaiting an opportunity; being on alert |
| 待つ | まつ matsu | to wait |
See also: Chinese symbol for “expectation”.
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.