Japanese Girl Names
Updated Thu Sep 14 2023
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The appetite in the West for all things Japanese has exploded in recent years, bringing with it increased exposure for unique and beautiful Japanese baby girl names.
In Japan, like America, names can have multiple spellings. The same name written in different kanji characters can have a completely different meaning. For example, the Japanese name Kaori can mean "fragrance" or "weaving" depending on the kanji used. The Japanese names that chart in the US tend to be those with cultural crossover, like Amaya and Sara.
Along with Amaya and Sara, other Japanese girls’ names popular internationally include Hana, Kai, Kairi, Noa, Reina, and Tori. Baby girl names popular in Japan include Sakura — Japanese for cherry blossom — Riko, Aoi, and Yuna.
Japanese names for girls are bright, sweet and lively, often boasting beautiful meanings drawn from nature or spirituality. Pop culture has introduced us to Akira, Kairi and Sakura, and high-profile celebrity daughters now answer to Nori and Rumi.
Browse our full list below for more gorgeous girl baby names from Japan, ordered according to their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Mika
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beautiful fragrance"Description:
Mika is a Japanese girls' name that translates easily to English. As a male name, it's a short form of Mikael, the Scandinavian and Finnish form of Michael. Both are spelled and pronounced the same.
- Amaya
Origin:
Spanish version of Amaia or JapaneseMeaning:
"mother city; the end; night rain"Description:
The Spanish form of Amaya is both a given name and a surname, originating from the Spanish mountain and village of Amaya. In this context it means "mother city" or "the capital." Amaya can also be considered a derivation of Amaia, a Basque name meaning "the end." In Japan, Amaya is a surname.
- Rio
Origin:
Spanish, Portuguese, JapaneseMeaning:
"river or place of the cherry blossoms"Description:
Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro. A truly international name for a cosmopolitan baby!
- Rumi
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beauty, flow, lapis lazuli"Description:
Rumi is a Japanese girls' name that sounds like a couple of other choices more familiar in the West -- Rumer and Remi -- that is achieving notice because of its choice by two celebrities, including Beyonce and Jay-Z.
- Suki
Origin:
Japanese or EnglishMeaning:
"loved one; lily"Description:
As a Japanese name, Suki has the sweet meaning "loved one". It's also an English diminutive of Susanna, making it a creative and modern way to honor a Susan in your life.
- Nara
Origin:
Japanese place name or CelticMeaning:
"happy"Description:
Soft, simple, and far more unusual than Tara or Farrah. As a Japanese place name, it's been used occasionally as a surname and is beginning to be used as a first. Nara is also the name of a Hindu (male) God and the name means "man" in Hindi.
- Nori
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"doctrine or seaweed"Description:
Japanese name that would have no trouble assimilating — though many would associate it with the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use Nori as a nickname for their daughter North.
- Aiko
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beloved child"Description:
Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.
- Hana
Origin:
Hebrew, Hawaiian, Maori, JapaneseMeaning:
"grace, work, glow, flower"Description:
Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.
- Kai
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"sea"Description:
This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow tree" in Navajo, "food" in Maori, and "earth" in Scandinavian. For girls, it debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2010.
- Kairi
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"sea"Description:
Kairi is the name of the main female character in the popular role-playing video game series, Kingdom Hearts. Voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the main series, Kairi is one of the seven Princesses of the Heart. Kairi entered the US Top 1000 in 2010 and was given to over 400 baby girls in one recent year.
- Kyomi
Origin:
Japanese "pure and beautiful"Meaning:
"pure and beautiful"Description:
In Japanese this name may be written with the characters for "pure; purify; cleanse" (Kiyo/Keo) and "beauty; beautiful" (mi). Like most Japanese names, this is a name that translates well into Anglophone countries, where sweet short names are becoming increasingly popular.
- Tori
Origin:
Diminutive of Victoria or JapaneseMeaning:
"victory; bird"Description:
A more modern nickname for Victoria than Vicky, Tori is used fairly frequently on its own, kept in the public eye by singer Tori Amos and actress Tori Spelling. Still, it's far from fashionable, sinking in the polls significantly since reaching a peak of Number 142 in 1994.
- Nomi
Origin:
Hebrew and JapaneseMeaning:
"beautiful, pleasant, delightful "Description:
This adorable cross cultural name updates Naomi and offers an accessible Japanese option. Strikes the right balance by being distinctive without seeming strange.
- Ren
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"water lily, lotus"Description:
In Japan the lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. In the US, Ren can also be short for Lauren or Renee, but it could be misspelt as the more popular Wren.
- Akira
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"bright, intelligent"Description:
A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.
- Mai
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"coyote"Description:
Cross-cultural winner.
- Yuki
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"snow"Description:
An appealing Asian name with a nickname feel.
- Yui
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"superior garment"Description:
Very popular girls' name in Japan not quite as easy to transport westward as the also-popular Rin.
- Taya
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"young"Description:
Taya has recently jumped into the mainstream name pool, perhaps because of kinship with Maya and Kaya. After five years outside the US Top 1000, it reentered in 2015.