Japanese symbol for “wanting”
欲しい
ほしい
Romaji: hoshii
wanting (to have); desiring; wishing for
In Japanese, wanting is 欲しい, read ほしい (hoshii).
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
- adj-i wanting (to have); desiring; wishing for
- adj-i, aux-adj I want (you, them, etc.) to (do)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “wanting”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寂しい | さびしい sabishii | lacking; wanting; insufficient |
| 愛楽 | あいぎょう aigyou | seeking after (Buddhist teachings, etc.); wanting; desiring |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 意欲 | いよく iyoku | will; desire; eagerness |
| 欲求 | よっきゅう yokkyuu | desire; want; will |
| 欲望 | よくぼう yokubou | desire; appetite; lust |
| 食欲 | しょくよく shokuyoku | appetite (for food) |
| 性欲 | せいよく seiyoku | sexual desire; sex drive; lust |
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.
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