The Basics of Choosing a Japanese Name
Japanese baby names have become more popular in recent years thanks to the influence of popular anime and manga series like Naruto and My Hero Academia. Plus, Japanese baby names often have lovely nature and virtue-related meanings.
However, the Japanese baby naming tradition is complex, particularly due to the thousands of kanji (characters) that can be used to spell names.
Many kanji have the same sound but different meanings. Thus, names that sound the same could have many possible spellings and meanings. Additionally, a single kanji can have more than one sound.
Here are some kanji (spelled out phonetically in English) that are commonly used in names:
ai – love
hana – flower
hiro – man/husband/hero
ichi – one
ji – two
ken – healthy
ko – child (common in girl names)
mi – beauty
rou – son
you – sun
Beautiful Japanese Baby Names
Below is a selection of Japanese names that I find particularly beautiful in sound and meaning. You will see that several of the names I’ve listed have two-part meanings, representing the kanji commonly combined to create that name.
Keep in mind that I have grouped names by gender based on my personal preference or most common usage. Many Japanese names are not considered gender-specific.
Japanese Names for Girls
Aimi — love + beautiful
Airi — love + jasmine
Akemi — bright + beautiful
Akira — bright + light
Aya — color
Ayame — iris
Chiyo — thousand + generations (eternal)
Emiko — smiling child (there are a variety of other meanings but this is my favorite)
Hanako — flower + child
Kaede (“kah-eh-deh”) — maple
Kanon — flower + sound
Kaori — fragrance
Kazuki — one or harmony + radiance or hope
Kohana — little flower
Maiko — dance + child
Miya — increasing beauty
Moriko — forest + child
Rumi — beauty + flow + lapis lazuli
Shiori — weave + poem
Suzume — sparrow
Tama — jewel
Tsukiko — moon + child
Japanese Names for Boys
Akio — bright + man or bright + hero
Daichi — great + earth or great + wisdom
Hajime — beginning
Isamu — courage
Kado — gateway
Kaemon — joyful
Kazuo — harmony + man
Raiden — god of thunder
Ronin — samurai without a master
Ryuu — dragon
Sora (“so-ruh”) — sky
Taiki — great + radiance
Yasuo — peaceful man
Yori — trustworthy