Japanese symbol for “shine”
光る
ひかる
Romaji: hikaru
to shine; to glitter; to be bright
In Japanese, shine is 光る, read ひかる (hikaru).
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
- v5r, vi to shine; to glitter; to be bright
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shine”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 光り輝く | ひかりかがやく hikarikagayaku | to shine; to glitter |
| 差す | さす sasu | to shine |
| 輝く | かがやく kagayaku | to shine; to sparkle; to twinkle |
| 艶 | つや tsuya | gloss; luster; lustre |
| 映える | はえる haeru | to shine; to glow |
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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shine”.
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.