King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “fluorescence”

Romaji: keikou
fluorescence

In Japanese, fluorescence is , read (keikou).

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

  1. adj-no, n fluorescence

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

lightning-bug, firefly
on: ケイ
kun: ほたる
11 strokes · JLPT 1
ray, light
on: コウ
kun: ひか.る、ひかり
6 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
けいこうとう keikoutoufluorescent lamp; fluorescent light
ほたるび hotarubiglow of a firefly
ほたるぐさ hotarugusadayflower
けいせつ keisetsudiligence in studying (e.g. continuing to study even in such poor light as offered by a firefly or that reflected by snow); diligent study
ほたるいか hotaruikafirefly squid (Watasenia scintillans); sparkling enope squid
かんこう kankousightseeing; tourism
こうけい koukeiscene; spectacle; sight
にっこう nikkousunlight; sunshine; sunbeams

See also: Chinese symbol for “fluorescence”.

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.