Japanese symbol for “wishful”

希望的

きぼうてき

Romaji: kibouteki

wishful

In Japanese, wishful is 希望的, read きぼうてき (kibouteki).

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-na wishful

Kanji and stroke order

希

hope, beg, request

on: キ、ケ
kun: まれ、こいねが.う

7 strokes · JLPT 2

望

ambition, full moon, hope

on: ボウ、モウ
kun: のぞ.む、もち

11 strokes · JLPT 2

的

bull's eye, mark, target

on: テキ
kun: まと

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
希望	きぼう kibou	hope; wish; aspiration
希少	きしょう kishou	scarce; rare
希薄	きはく kihaku	thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute
希求	ききゅう kikyuu	longing; strong desire; aspiration
古希	こき koki	70th birthday
希釈	きしゃく kishaku	dilution
絶望	ぜつぼう zetsubou	despair; hopelessness
要望	ようぼう youbou	demand for; request
目的	もくてき mokuteki	purpose; goal; aim

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.