Japanese symbol for “illumination”
照明
しょうめい
Romaji: shoumei
illumination; lighting
In Japanese, illumination is 照明, read しょうめい (shoumei).
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 illumination; lighting
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “illumination”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 光 | ひかり hikari | illumination; ray; beam |
| 啓蒙 | けいもう keimou | enlightenment; illumination |
| 啓発 | けいはつ keihatsu | enlightenment; development; edification |
| 照度 | しょうど shoudo | (intensity of) illumination; illuminance |
| イルミネーション | イルミネーション irumineeshon | illumination; decorative lighting |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参照 | さんしょう sanshou | reference (e.g. to a dictionary, passage, footnotes); consultation; comparison |
| 対照 | たいしょう taishou | contrast; antithesis; comparison |
| 照会 | しょうかい shoukai | inquiry; query; enquiry |
| 照らす | てらす terasu | to shine on; to illuminate |
| 照準 | しょうじゅん shoujun | sight (e.g. of a gun); aim; alignment |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 明日 | あした ashita | tomorrow |
| 明らか | あきらか akiraka | clear; obvious; evident |
See also: Chinese symbol for “illumination”.
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.