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Kanji for Hope
The kanji most commonly used for "Hope" are 希、望、願.
希
Kanji that mean Hope
希望 is the ordinary word for hope, and it is built from the first two characters here. 希 on its own leans toward rarity and thinness — 希少 (scarce), 希薄 (dilute, thin) — and carries the sense of hope mainly inside 希望.
望 is the character that holds the wanting. 望む is to desire or wish for, 願望 is a longing, and 失望 is disappointment, literally the loss of what was hoped for. It also means the full moon and the act of looking into the distance, which is how it reaches 望遠鏡, a telescope.
願 is hope directed at someone: a petition, a request, a prayer. お願いします is the everyday “please”, 願書 is an application form, and 願う is what you do with a wish at a shrine. 願 asks, where 望 wants.
Before you use Hope kanji
希 alone does not read as hope — it reads as rare or scarce, and a Japanese reader will expect 望 to follow it. 望 is the better single character. If you want the word itself, the two-character 希望 is unmistakable.