Japanese symbol for “nimbus”

後光

ごこう

Romaji: gokou

halo; aureole; aureola; nimbus

In Japanese, nimbus is 後光, read ごこう (gokou).

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 halo; aureole; aureola; nimbus
n halo (optical phenomenon); glory

Written forms: 後光、御光. Readings: ごこう.

Kanji and stroke order

後

behind, back, later

on: ゴ、コウ
kun: のち、うし.ろ、うしろ、あと

9 strokes · JLPT 4

光

ray, light

on: コウ
kun: ひか.る、ひかり

6 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “nimbus”

Word	Reading	Meaning
光輪	こうりん kourin	halo (esp. in Christian art); nimbus
頭光	ずこう zukou	halo (of a Buddhist statue); nimbus

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
最後	さいご saigo	end; conclusion
今後	こんご kongo	from now on; hereafter
午後	ごご gogo	afternoon; p.m.
後半	こうはん kouhan	second half; latter half
後ろ	うしろ ushiro	back; behind; rear
直後	ちょくご chokugo	immediately following
観光	かんこう kankou	sightseeing; tourism
光景	こうけい koukei	scene; spectacle; sight

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.