Japanese symbol for “lighting”
照明
しょうめい
Romaji: shoumei
illumination; lighting
In Japanese, lighting 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 “lighting”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 点灯 | てんとう tentou | lighting (a lamp); turning on a light |
| 点火 | てんか tenka | ignition; lighting; firing |
| 採光 | さいこう saikou | (natural) lighting (of an interior space) |
| ライティング | ライティング raitingu | lighting |
| 照射処理 | しょうしゃしょり shoushashori | 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 “lighting”.
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.