Kanji 夙 bright and early, long ago, early in life 志 intention, plan, resolve Related words 宿しゅく 願がん 宿願 also means a long-held wish, but is slightly more common and can be used in both formal and semi-formal contexts. 夙志 is more literary and archaic.
念ねん 願がん 念願 is the most common word for a cherished desire or earnest wish, used in everyday language. 夙志 is far more formal and rare.
Etymology Compound of 夙 (early, long-standing) and 志 (will, aspiration). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word appears in classical Chinese and was adopted into literary Japanese.
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