Hikari: Meaning, Kanji and Names in Japan

Have you heard the word hikari [光]? It appears in Japanese given names, in brand names and in the name of a city, and its basic meaning is light. The same word runs through everyday vocabulary and through the name of a Shinkansen service.

光 is a jōyō kanji taught in the second grade of elementary school. Jisho marks it as a JLPT N3 kanji with six strokes and the readings hikari and hikaru, plus the Sino-Japanese reading kō. As a noun, hikari means light, illumination, a ray or a beam, and also brightness. In a figurative sense it can stand for hope, happiness, influence or vision.

The image below shows historical forms of the characters 光 and 明. For learners, the practical point is that 光 appears as a building block in many words, where it is usually read kō. Recognizing the character makes those compounds easier to read.

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Hikari and Hikaru as Japanese names

Both names are common in Japan. Hikari is a unisex given name; among well-known bearers are the actresses Hikari Ishida and Hikari Mitsushima. Hikaru is also used as a given name, while as a verb hikaru means to shine, to glitter or to be bright.

Japanese parents can write the sound Hikari with different characters, so the meaning of a name depends on the kanji chosen. Characters associated with light include 光 (light), 輝 (radiance), 瑛 (the shine of a jewel), 明 (bright) and 晃 (dazzling). Choices such as 華 (splendor) or 旺 (flourishing) shift the emphasis toward beauty or success. The character 明 is also the base of the name Akari.

To check other combinations, the guide to using Jisho shows how to look up characters and readings. The article on how to discover the meaning of Japanese names explains why the same sound can carry different meanings.

Two anime examples show how names and characters work together. The protagonist of Death Note is Yagami Raito in Japanese; his given name is written with 月, the kanji for moon, and its reading, Raito, follows the English word light. Ochaco Uraraka in My Hero Academia has the family name 麗日, whose first character 麗 means beautiful, graceful or lovely.

Akari, akarui and tomoshibi: other words for light

Another common character is 明, which carries the idea of brightness and clarity. It appears in akarui (明るい), meaning bright or well-lit, and in ashita (明日), tomorrow. The noun akari is usually written 明かり and means light or illumination.

灯 is read akari or tomoshibi and includes the fire radical. It refers to lamps, lanterns and torches. The meaning overlaps with 光, but 灯 usually points to a light source while 光 refers to the light itself. The article on kanji radicals explains how components like fire shape a character's meaning.

光 in compound words

As part of a compound, 光 is usually read kō. 日光 (Nikkō) means sunlight and is also the name of a city in Tochigi Prefecture known for the Tōshō-gū shrine. 観光 (kankō) means sightseeing or tourism, 光合成 (kōgōsei) photosynthesis, 光線 (kōsen) a ray of light, 光学 (kōgaku) optics, 光栄 (kōei) honor and 脚光 (kyakkō) limelight.

A word you will meet in daily life is 光回線 (hikari kaisen), a fiber-optic connection. Internet providers in Japan use the word hikari in product names, which is one reason the term appears far beyond physics lessons.

A city, a train and a song

The city of Hikari (光市) lies in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its name means brilliance or light, and the city had about 49,100 residents in 2023. The Hikari Shinkansen is another familiar use of the word. The service began on 1 October 1964, when the Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened, and later ran on the San'yō Shinkansen as well. Before the opening, a public contest received 558,882 entries; Hikari won first place with 19,845 votes.

The service sits between the all-stations Kodama and the faster Nozomi, and it is the fastest service on those lines that the Japan Rail Pass covers. The name also reached pop music: Hikaru Utada released the single 光 on 20 March 2002, and the song served as the Japanese theme of the game Kingdom Hearts.

Vocabulary around light and 光

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
光	hikari	light, brightness, hope
光る	hikaru	to shine, to glow
明るい	akarui	bright, cheerful
明かり	akari	light, illumination
灯	akari, tomoshibi	lamp, lantern, torch
鮮やか	azayaka	vivid, clear
輝かしい	kagayakashii	radiant, glorious
観光	kankō	tourism, sightseeing
光合成	kōgōsei	photosynthesis
光回線	hikari kaisen	fiber-optic connection

When 光 appears in a name, the sound alone does not settle the meaning. Look at the characters chosen by the family: 光 points to light, while 輝, 明 or 晃 add shades such as radiance, brightness and dazzle. In everyday text, the same character usually appears in compounds read kō, so learning the readings hikari, hikaru and kō covers both names and vocabulary.