Meaning
The kanji 願 means wish, desire, request, hope, and prayer. It spans both the mundane — asking a colleague for a favor — and the sacred, such as praying before a shrine altar. The feeling behind it is sincere longing: something you genuinely hope will come true, or a humble request directed at another person or a higher power.
Structurally, 願 combines 原 (gen — origin, source) on the upper-left with 頁 (ketsu/おおがい — head) on the right. Picture someone lowering their head all the way to the ground, bowing from their very core. That posture of whole-body sincerity is the character's logic.
In formal Japanese, 願 appears on application forms (申請書) and in polite expressions for asking others to do something. In daily life it turns up in new year's wishes, Tanabata strips, and the ever-useful onegai shimasu. With 19 strokes, 願 is one of the harder Grade 4 kanji, but indispensable for anyone targeting JLPT N3.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ガン (gan). It appears mainly in Sino-Japanese compound words (熟語, jukugo) found in formal writing and set phrases. ガン carries a weightier, more serious tone than the kun'yomi — it is the reading you encounter in abstract nouns about vows and deep aspirations.
- 願望 (ganbō) — desire, wish, aspiration
- 念願 (nengan) — long-cherished wish, heartfelt desire
- 悲願 (higan) — fervent desire born from hardship
- 本願 (hongan) — original vow (especially in Buddhist context)
- 祈願 (kigan) — prayer, supplication at a shrine or temple
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings are ねが・う (negau) and the noun form ねがい (negai). These native readings appear when 願 stands alone as a verb or noun, or combines with other Japanese words. ねがう means "to wish, to hope, to request" and works across casual and formal speech. The noun ねがい means "a wish" or "a request."
- 願う (negau) — to wish, to hope, to request
- 願い (negai) — a wish, a desire, a request
- 願い事 (negaigoto) — a wish, something one hopes for
- お願い (onegai) — a polite request; "please"
- 願い出 (negaide) — a formal petition or application
Common Words & Compounds
願 appears across formal, spiritual, and everyday contexts. Below are more than ten key compounds, grouped by theme.
Everyday Wishes and Requests:
- お願い (onegai) — please; a request (the most common daily use)
- 願い事 (negaigoto) — a personal wish or desire
- 願書 (gansho) — a written application or petition
- 出願 (shutsugan) — filing an application, submitting a request
Formal and Official Contexts:
- 嘆願 (tangan) — an earnest appeal or plea to an authority
- 請願 (seigan) — a formal petition
- 辞願 (jigan) — a resignation request
- 志願 (shigan) — volunteer; application (military, job, etc.)
- 志願者 (shigansha) — applicant, volunteer
Spiritual and Heartfelt Wishes:
- 祈願 (kigan) — prayer, supplication at a shrine
- 念願 (nengan) — a long-cherished wish or dream
- 悲願 (higan) — a fervent hope born from suffering
- 本願 (hongan) — the founding vow; foundational wish (Buddhist)
- 願望 (ganbō) — desire, aspiration
Example Sentences
合格できるように願っています。
Gōkaku dekiru yō ni negatte imasu.
I'm hoping I can pass the exam.
彼女の願いは世界平和です。
Kanojo no negai wa sekai heiwa desu.
Her wish is world peace.
どうかお願いします。
Dōka onegai shimasu.
Please — I'm begging you.
神社で祈願をしました。
Jinja de kigan wo shimashita.
I offered a prayer at the shrine.
長年の念願がついに叶いました。
Naganen no nengan ga tsui ni kanaimashita.
A wish I'd carried for years finally came true.
大学に出願する締め切りはいつですか。
Daigaku ni shutsugan suru shimekiri wa itsu desu ka.
When is the application deadline for the university?
短冊に願い事を書いて、笹に結びました。
Tanzaku ni negaigoto wo kaite, sasa ni musubimashita.
I wrote my wish on a strip of paper and tied it to a bamboo branch.
彼は医者になることが悲願だった。
Kare wa isha ni naru koto ga higan datta.
Becoming a doctor was the dream he'd carried through every hardship.
この願書に必要事項を記入してください。
Kono gansho ni hitsuyō jikō wo kinyū shite kudasai.
Please fill in the required information on this application form.
皆さんのご健康を心より願っております。
Minasan no go-kenkō wo kokoro yori negatte orimasu.
I sincerely wish everyone good health.
Memory Tip
To remember 願, picture someone bowing their head (頁 — head, right side) all the way to the ground, bending from their very core (原 — origin, left side). A deep bow is how Japanese people physically express a sincere wish or request. Every time you see this kanji, think of that posture — and the phrase onegai shimasu, the go-to expression for a heartfelt request.