Usage patterns 望のぞ みを 持も つ to hold onto a hope or wish
He holds onto the hope of becoming a doctor.
望のぞ みを 捨す てる to give up hope
She hasn't completely given up hope.
望のぞ みが 薄うす い the hope/prospect is slim
The hope of finding survivors is slim.
〈 人ひと〉 〉 の 望ぞ みを 叶かな える to fulfill someone's wish
Parents want to fulfill their child's wishes.
Expressions 望のぞ みの 綱つな one's last hope; one's only hope; the last hope 一いち 縷る の 望のぞ み sliver of hope; ray of hope; gleam of hope 望のぞ みが 適かな う have one's wish come true; have one's wish realized Kanji 望 ambition, full moon, hope Related words· 6 希望 is a more formal and objective term for hope or aspiration used in official or written contexts, while 望み is more personal and emotional.
願い emphasizes a request or prayer-like wish directed toward someone or something, while 望み focuses on the internal desire itself.
願望 is a formal, often literary term for a strong inner desire, whereas 望み is the everyday word for a personal wish or hope.
期待 means expecting something to happen based on evidence or trust, while 望み (as a prospect) is a hope for a good outcome even without strong grounds.
Show 2 more Show fewer 望み directly means hope or wish, while 脈 conveys a sense of chance or prospect, often used in the phrase 脈がある .
望み is a plain, everyday word for a hope or wish, whereas 念願 carries a stronger sense of a deeply cherished, long-standing desire.
Word family aiming too high; overreaching; unrealistic aspirations
faint hopes; dim prospects; unlikely to succeed
look to for help; look up to; revere
just as one wishes; depending on one's wishes
gaze into the distance; look afar with longing
as one hoped; as one wishes
Written forms 望のぞ み Usage 84%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
のぞみ Usage 16%
Etymology Derived from the verb 望む (のぞむ , 'to desire, to hope for'), nominalized by the continuative form (連用形 ).
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