Japanese symbol for “implore”
願う
ねがう
Romaji: negau
to desire; to wish; to hope
In Japanese, implore is 願う, read ねがう (negau).
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
- v5u, vt to desire; to wish; to hope
- v5u, vt to beg; to request; to implore; to pray
- aux-v, v5u to have something done for oneself
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “implore”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 伺う | うかがう ukagau | to implore (a god for an oracle); to seek direction (from your superior) |
| 縋る | すがる sugaru | to implore; to entreat |
| 希う | こいねがう koinegau | to beg; to request; to beseech |
| 拝み倒す | おがみたおす ogamitaosu | to persuade someone to consent; to entreat repeatedly; to beg |
| 袖にすがる | そでにすがる sodenisugaru | to plead; to beg; to implore |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 願い | ねがい negai | desire; wish; hope |
| 願望 | がんぼう ganbou | desire; wish; aspiration |
| 念願 | ねんがん nengan | one's heart's desire; one's dearest wish |
| 出願 | しゅつがん shutsugan | application; filing an application |
| 祈願 | きがん kigan | prayer (for something); supplication |
See also: Chinese symbol for “implore”.
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.