Japanese symbol for “vow”
願
がん
Romaji: gan
prayer; wish; vow
In Japanese, vow is 願, read がん (gan).
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 prayer; wish; vow
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vow”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 誓い | ちかい chikai | oath; vow |
| 誓う | ちかう chikau | to swear; to vow; to take an oath |
| 誓約 | せいやく seiyaku | oath; vow; pledge |
| 誓願 | せいがん seigan | (religious) vow |
| 固め | かため katame | pledge; vow |
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 |
| 願う | ねがう negau | to desire; to wish; to hope |
| 祈願 | きがん kigan | prayer (for something); supplication |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vow”.
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.