Japanese symbol for “heightening”

宣揚

せんよう

Romaji: sen'you

enhancement (e.g. of national prestige); raising; heightening; promotion

In Japanese, heightening is 宣揚, read せんよう (sen'you).

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, vs, vt enhancement (e.g. of national prestige); raising; heightening; promotion

Kanji and stroke order

宣

proclaim, say, announce

on: セン
kun: のたま.う

9 strokes · JLPT 1

揚

raise, elevate, hoist

on: ヨウ
kun: あ.げる、-あ.げ、あ.がる

12 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
宣言	せんげん sengen	declaration; proclamation; announcement
宣伝	せんでん senden	publicity; advertisement; advertising
宣告	せんこく senkoku	sentencing; pronouncement of a verdict; passing of sentence
宣誓	せんせい sensei	oath; abjuration; pledge
宣戦	せんせん sensen	declaration of war
宣教師	せんきょうし senkyoushi	missionary
揚げ	あげ age	deep-frying; deep-fried food
高揚	こうよう kouyou	elevation (of spirits); raising (of morale); uplift

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.