Japanese names that mean hope
Japanese names of hope and wishes: 希, 望 and 叶, with Nozomi, Kanae, Yūki and other names built on them.
希 ki, nozomi: hope望 nozomi, mi: hope, wish叶 kana: to come true
Hope runs through Japanese names in three kanji. 希 means hope and also rare, and it appears in an enormous range of names as the sound ki: Yūki (優希), Saki (咲希), Mizuki and many more. 望 means hope or a wish, and on its own gives Nozomi for girls and Nozomu for boys.
叶 means for a wish to come true, and gives Kanae and Kanata (叶多) as well as modern names like Kanon. Hope names are popular because they carry a parent's wish directly in the name.
On this page
The kanji behind hope names
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning | In names |
|---|---|---|---|
| 希 | まれ, こいねが, き, け | hope, rare | 30 ranked names |
| 望 | のぞ, もち, ぼう, もう | hope, full moon | 2 ranked names |
| 叶 | かな, きょう | to come true | 7 ranked names |
Popular names with a hope kanji
Spellings that have made Japan's yearly baby name rankings, most popular first.
Hope names of real people
Given names with a hope kanji carried by notable Japanese people. The number shows how many notable people share each one.
優希也
Hisatsugu優 gentle + 希 hope + 也 to be (classical)
Boy2 people希昌
Kishō希 hope + 昌 prosperous
Boy1 person有希恵
Yukie有 to have + 希 hope + 恵 blessing
Girl1 personMore hope names
Rarer spellings found in Japanese name records. In each one the hope kanji keeps its own reading, so the meaning is really there, not just the sound.
Last names with a hope meaning
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 望月 | Mochizuki | 望 hope + 月 moon |
Questions
What Japanese name means hope?
Nozomi (希 or 望) means hope. Kanae (叶) means a wish come true.
Does every name with ki mean hope?
No. The ki in many names is written 希 (hope), but it can also be 樹 (tree), 輝 (shine), 貴 (precious) and others.