Prayer in Japanese
"prayer" is written as one word in Japanese. No single kanji carries the meaning on its own.
The characters below are the ones most often used to write "prayer" and related ideas.
祈View details →
Top pick
pray, wish
Reading: ki
8 strokes · spiritual
Where it comes from
Composed of altar and axe. Praying while swinging axe at altar.
What it carries
Prayer, petition, wish. Represents wish to gods.
Related kanji for "prayer"
願Details →拝Details →
prayer
gan
Composed of original and head. Original wish of mind.
prayer
hai · spiritual
Composed of hand and phonetic. Worshipping with hand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Japanese kanji for prayer?
The most common kanji for "prayer" is 祈, read as ki. It means pray, wish. Related kanji: 願 (prayer), 拝 (prayer).
How many strokes does 祈 have?
祈 has 8 strokes.