Japanese symbol for “light”
光
ひかり
Romaji: hikari
light
In Japanese, light is 光, read ひかり (hikari).
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 light
- n illumination; ray; beam; gleam; glow
- n happiness; hope
- n influence; power
- n vision; eyesight
- n optical fiber; optical fibre
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “light”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明るい | あかるい akarui | light; bright; well-lit |
| 灯 | ひ hi | light; lamp |
| 明かり | あかり akari | light; glow; gleam |
| 軽い | かるい karui | light (i.e. not heavy); feeling light (i.e. offering little resistance, moving easily) |
| 軽 | けい kei | light (e.g. aircraft, truck) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 観光 | かんこう kankou | sightseeing; tourism |
| 光景 | こうけい koukei | scene; spectacle; sight |
| 日光 | にっこう nikkou | sunlight; sunshine; sunbeams |
| 栄光 | えいこう eikou | glory |
| 光線 | こうせん kousen | ray (of light); beam; light |
| 光る | ひかる hikaru | to shine; to glitter; to be bright |
See also: Chinese symbol for “light”.
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.