Two-character design guide

Chinese Symbol for Hope 希望: Meaning, Wish & Tattoo

希望 (xīwàng) means hope, a wish or to hope. Compare 盼望, 期待 and 愿望, then check how the complete phrase works in a design or sentence.

Pinyin xī wàngStrokes 18 across 2 charactersMeaning hope, wishTraditional 希望

Quick answer: 希望 (xīwàng) means hope, a wish, or to hope. 我希望… means “I hope…”; 盼望 suggests eager longing, 期待 means to anticipate, and 愿望 is the noun “wish” or “desire”.

What does 希望 mean?

希望 (xīwàng) means hope, a wish, or to hope. It can name an outlook, introduce a specific wish or express what someone wants to happen. In 我希望你成功, it works like “I hope you succeed”; in 对未来充满希望, it works as the noun “hope”. The complete sentence determines which English sense fits.

希望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望

希望 is the broad and most common word for hope or to hope. 盼望 suggests eager longing, often when someone has waited for something. 期待 means to anticipate or look forward to something with expectation. 愿望 is a noun meaning wish, desire or aspiration. These words overlap, but replacing one with another can change the emotional strength, grammar and tone.

Is 希望 used in Chinese names?

希望 is usually a word, motto or username-style phrase rather than a standard personal given name. It can appear in brand names, slogans, artwork and encouraging messages. A personal name using the two characters would need a full sound, surname and written-form review, because a common word does not automatically make a natural personal name.

Is 希望 suitable for a tattoo?

Yes, if the intended meaning is hope or a sincere wish. The phrase has 18 strokes across two characters and works best with enough horizontal space. Keep 希 and 望 balanced, preserve their internal structure and avoid squeezing the lower components into a narrow band. A regular script is easier to verify than a highly cursive interpretation.

Simplified and traditional

希望 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese. There is no separate traditional form to choose, so any surrounding Chinese text should still be checked for a consistent writing system.

Design notes

ScriptRegular script keeps the upper strokes of 希 and the lower components of 望 clear.

ScaleUse enough width for both characters; avoid dividing them into unrelated decorative marks.

ContextHope is an attitude or wish, not a promise that an event will happen.

What it does not mean

希望 does not guarantee protection, success, health, wealth or a particular future. It expresses hope or a desired outcome and should not be presented as a substitute for planning, care or professional advice.

Common mistakes

Using the phrase as a guarantee of a positive outcome.
Treating 希望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望 as exact synonyms.
Separating the two characters into unrelated design elements.
Choosing a highly cursive or cramped style that closes the internal strokes.
Assuming a common word is automatically a natural personal name.

Chinese hope symbol questions

What does 希望 mean in Chinese?

希望 (xīwàng) means hope, a wish, or to hope. It can be used as a noun or a verb, and the sentence around it determines the exact English sense.

Does 希望 mean hope or wish?

It can mean both. 希望 is broader than the English noun “hope” and can introduce a specific wish, as in 我希望你成功 (“I hope you succeed”).

What is the difference between 希望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望?

希望 is the broad word for hope or to hope. 盼望 suggests eager longing, 期待 means to anticipate, and 愿望 is the noun “wish” or “desire”.

Is 希望 written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes. 希望 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, so there is no separate traditional form to choose.

Is 希望 suitable for a tattoo or design?

It can work when the intended meaning is hope or a sincere wish. The two characters have 18 strokes total and need enough horizontal space for their upper and lower components.

Related character guides

勇气 courage 梦想 dream 坚持 perseverance 自由 freedom 健康 health 友谊 friendship 成功 success 勇 courage 竹 bamboo 道 the way 静 stillness 喜 joy Find a symbol by meaning How we verify

Reference data

Character identity and the fields below are taken from the Unicode Unihan database (Unicode 18.0.0), the reference dataset published by the Unicode Consortium. Stroke counts follow the Unihan counting convention.

希U+5E0C · 7 strokes (Unihan kTotalStrokes) · radical 巾 50 · Mandarin xī · Cantonese hei1 · “rare; hope, expect, strive for”

望U+671B · 11 strokes (Unihan kTotalStrokes) · radical 月 74 · Mandarin wàng · Cantonese mong6 · “to look at, look forward; to hope, expect”

Source: Unicode Unihan database, Unicode 18.0.0, generated 2026-09-25.

Word comparison

Hope in Chinese: 希望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望

Hope in Chinese is usually 希望 (xī wàng), but 望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望 carry different degrees of hope and expectation. The table separates hoping for something, longing for it, looking forward to it and a wish. Hope written as xi wang in romanised form points to 希望.

Hope in Chinese: 希望, 盼望, 期待 and related words
Chinese	Pinyin	Core sense	Use and caution
希望	xī wàng	Hope; to hope	The ordinary word for hope; a noun and a verb.
望	wàng	To look toward; to hope	The hope half of 希望; on its own it usually means to look or gaze.
盼望	pàn wàng	To long for, to look forward to eagerly	Stronger and more emotional than 希望.
期待	qī dài	To look forward to, to expect	Carries an expectation that something good will come.
愿望	yuàn wàng	A wish, a desire	A noun for a wish; not the act of hoping.
憧憬	chōng jǐng	To yearn for, to look forward to	Literary and often about the future or an ideal.
绝望	jué wàng	Despair, hopelessness	The opposite of hope; use only when that meaning is intended.

The xi wang in 希望 is the ordinary word for hope, and 望 alone usually means to look or gaze rather than to hope. For a wish, use 愿望; for longing, use 盼望. 希望 expresses an attitude toward the future; it is not a guarantee that what is hoped for will happen.

Questions about hope in Chinese

What is hope in Chinese?

Hope in Chinese is 希望 (xī wàng), which works as both a noun and a verb meaning hope or to hope.

What does xi wang mean?

Xi wang is the romanisation of 希望 (xī wàng), meaning hope or to hope. 希 and 望 together form the ordinary word for hope.

What is the difference between 希望, 盼望, 期待 and 愿望?

希望 is the general word for hope, 盼望 means to long for, 期待 means to look forward to, and 愿望 is a noun meaning a wish or desire.

Is 希望 suitable for a tattoo?

It can be, as a two-character design about the future. Keep the two characters balanced and allow enough space so 望 does not become crowded at small sizes.

How many strokes does 希望 have?

希 has 7 strokes and 望 has 11, for 18 strokes in total. Both are written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.

What is the difference between 希望 and 盼望?

希望 is the general word for hope. 盼望 means to look forward to eagerly, and 渴望 means to long for strongly.

What is the difference between 希望 and 愿望?

希望 can be a hope or to hope. 愿望 is a wish or a desire, often something a person holds rather than an action.

Is 希 the same as 稀?

No. 希 means hope, wish or rare and appears in 希望. 稀 means dilute, thin or scarce, as in 稀有. They are homophones but different characters.

Does 希望 guarantee the outcome?

No. It expresses hope or aspiration. It does not promise that the hope will come true.

From the character 望 to Chinese names that mean hope

望 can mean to look toward, hope or expect, but it is not the only hope direction used in names. 希 is more direct and familiar, 盼 adds active looking-forward, and 冀 is more formal. Compare their registers, combination examples and full-name checks in Chinese names that mean hope before treating one character as a finished given name.

Writing and usage

Writing 希望: 7 + 11 strokes

希望 is a two-character word: 希 (xī) has 7 strokes and 望 (wàng) has 11. 望 combines 亡, 月 and 王, and its sense of “looking into the distance” is visible in the character’s older uses. Both characters are written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, which keeps the word stable across scripts. 望 is the denser of the two, so keep its upper and lower parts separated or it can darken at small sizes.

希望 and its family of hope words

Chinese offers several degrees of hope. 希望 is the general word, used both as a noun (“hope”) and a verb (“to hope”). 期望 means expectation or to expect, often with a sense of what someone should achieve. 盼望 means to look forward to eagerly. 渴望 means to long for or crave. 愿望 means a wish or desire. On the other side, 失望 means disappointment, and 绝望 means despair. 但愿 means “if only” or “I hope,” and 有望 means “hopeful, promising.” The word chosen signals how eager, how certain and how personal the hope is.

希 is not 稀

希 and 稀 sound identical and look similar, but they differ. 希 means hope, wish or rare in its own right and appears in 希望 and 希腊 (“Greece,” a transliteration). 稀 means dilute, thin or scarce, as in 稀饭 (“rice porridge”) and 稀有 (“rare”). Because the two are homophones, a design or a phrase should confirm which character is intended rather than relying on sound alone.

Design notes and limits

希望 is a word rather than a single symbol, so a design carries both characters together. As a motto or tattoo element it expresses hope or aspiration; it does not promise that the hope will come true, and it should not be presented as a guarantee. Confirm the exact form with a fluent reader, decide on simplified or traditional script, and test the pair at the intended size — 希 is light and 望 is heavy, so balancing the two is the main visual challenge.

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