宿願|しゅくがんshukugan[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounlongstanding desire

• Synonym望みのぞみNeutralEveryday word for what you hope for or your outlook on the future; it does not stress a wish held for many years.
• Synonym願望がんぼうNeutralA desire or wish — something you yearn to make happen; unlike 「宿願」 it says nothing about how long you have held it.
• Synonym宿望しゅくぼうWrittenWritten and rare; almost identical in meaning to 「宿願」, with the same nuance of an expectation held for years. Either works, but 「宿願」 is more common.
• Related希望きぼうNeutralThe most common everyday word for hope or a wish; it covers anything you want to achieve without the nuance of having cherished it for years.
• Related夢ゆめNeutralEveryday word for a dream or aspiration; it stresses a beautiful ideal and also covers dreams you have while sleeping.
• Related志こころざしWrittenWritten word for a goal you are resolved to achieve; more active and driven than 「宿願」, putting the stress on your determination to make it happen.
• Related理想りそうNeutralAn ideal: the most perfect state something could reach. It does not carry the nuance of a wish cherished for years.
• Related野心やしんNeutralAmbition as a large, often hidden desire, usually negative in tone; 「宿願」 is a wish long hoped for and carries no negative shade.
• Related野望やぼうWrittenWritten word for overreaching ambition — a desire beyond one's powers, with negative coloring; 「宿願」 is neutral.
• Related大志たいしWrittenWritten word for grand ambition, as in 「大志を抱く」; 「宿願」 is a concrete wish you have cherished for years, not necessarily a grand one.
• Related憧れあこがれNeutralYearning or admiration directed at a person or thing you look up to; 「宿願」 is something you have longed to achieve for years.
• Related憧憬どうけいWrittenWritten Sino-Japanese equivalent of 「憧れ」; it stresses the feeling of longing itself rather than a wish to fulfill.
• Related大願たいがんWrittenWritten word for a great vow; also the Buddha's vow to save all people, as in 「大願成就」.
• Related願い事ねがいごとCasualColloquial word for a wish — anything from a small everyday wish to a wish made at Tanabata; no nuance of years of longing.
• Related大望たいもうWrittenWritten and rare; a great ambition or expectation. 「宿願」 stresses how long the wish has been held, whether large or small.
• Antonym断念だんねんWrittenWritten word for giving up a hope or plan outright — the opposite of 「宿願」, which is kept alive for years.
• Antonym諦めあきらめNeutralResignation — the state of having given up; the opposite of a wish long cherished as 「宿願」 is.

Use 「宿願」 for a wish cherished for years, often as 「宿願を果たす」. For wishes in general pick 「願望」 or 「望み」; 「希望」 is the most common everyday word, 「願い事」 the colloquial one. For grand ambitions use 「大志」. 「志」, 「野望」, 「大望」, 「大願」 and 「宿望」 are written words, the last rare. 「野心」 and 「野望」 carry a negative shade; 「憧れ」 and 「憧憬」 express admiration rather than a goal; 「理想」 is a perfect state; 「夢」 also means a sleeping dream. The opposites are 「断念」 and 「諦め」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 心こころに宿やどしてきた願望がんぼう。かねてからの願ねがい。
2. 前世ぜんせいにおいて神仏しんぶつに立たてた願ねがい。