Japanese symbol for “hankering”

切望

せつぼう

Romaji: setsubou

earnest desire; eager hope; longing; yearning

In Japanese, hankering is 切望, read せつぼう (setsubou).

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

adj-no, n, vs earnest desire; eager hope; longing; yearning; hankering

Kanji and stroke order

切

cut, cutoff, be sharp

on: セツ、サイ
kun: き.る、-き.る、き.り、-き.り

4 strokes · JLPT 3

望

ambition, full moon, hope

on: ボウ、モウ
kun: のぞ.む、もち

11 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
大切	たいせつ taisetsu	important; significant; serious
一切	いっさい issai	all; everything; entirety
適切	てきせつ tekisetsu	appropriate; suitable; fitting
切り	きり kiri	end; finish; place to stop
切る	きる kiru	to cut; to cut through; to perform (surgery)
親切	しんせつ shinsetsu	kind; gentle; considerate
希望	きぼう kibou	hope; wish; aspiration
絶望	ぜつぼう zetsubou	despair; hopelessness

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.