Japanese symbol for “hopes”
抱負
ほうふ
Romaji: houfu
aspiration; ambition; plan; hopes
In Japanese, hopes is 抱負, read ほうふ (houfu).
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 aspiration; ambition; plan; hopes; wishes
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hopes”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 当て | あて ate | expectations; prospects; hopes |
| 望み | のぞみ nozomi | prospect; expectation; (one's) hopes |
| 当て事 | あてごと ategoto | hopes; expectations |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抱える | かかえる kakaeru | to hold in one's arms; to carry in one's arms; to carry under one's arm |
| 抱え | かかえ kakae | armful |
| 辛抱 | しんぼう shinbou | patience; endurance; perseverance |
| 抱擁 | ほうよう houyou | embrace; hug; holding in one's arms |
| 抱き合う | だきあう dakiau | to embrace each other |
| 負け | まけ make | defeat; loss; losing (a game) |
| 負担 | ふたん futan | burden; load; responsibility |
| 勝負 | しょうぶ shoubu | victory or defeat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hopes”.
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.