Japanese Baby Names With Meanings
51 names with meanings and origins.
A Japanese name's meaning depends on the characters (kanji) chosen. The meanings shown here are common ones.
Top picks
Girl · Japanese · “Child of love”
Girl · Japanese · “Brightness”
Unisex · Japanese · “Bright, clear”
Boy · Japanese · “Bright; clear; intelligent”
Unisex · Japanese · “hollyhock; blue”
Girl · Japanese · “Hollyhock; blue”
Girl · Japanese · “Colorful, woven”
Boy · Japanese · “Great glory”
Girl · Japanese · “Beautiful blessing”
Boy · Japanese · “Spring; sunlight”
Girl · Japanese · “Distant, spring flower”
Boy · Japanese · “Shining sun”
Boy · Japanese · “Sun flying”
Girl · Japanese · “Sunlight; greens”
Unisex · Japanese · “sunny place”
Boy · Japanese · “Generous; prosperous”
Boy · Japanese · “Generous, prosperous”
Boy · Japanese · “tree”
Girl · Japanese · “Maple”
Boy · Japanese · “Ocean, sea”
Girl · Japanese · “Fragrance”
Girl · Japanese · “Blessed child”
Boy · Japanese · “Intelligent second son”
Boy · Japanese · “healthy and stout”
Girl · Japanese · “little spring”
Girl · Japanese · “Beautiful cherry blossom”
Girl · Japanese · “Seven seas”
Unisex · Japanese · “Lotus”
Boy · Japanese · “Lotus; love”
Girl · Japanese · “Jasmine child”
Boy · Japanese · “Land”
Girl · Japanese · “Dignified; cold”
Boy · Japanese · “Refreshing, cool”
Girl · Japanese · “Cherry blossom”
Boy · Japanese · “Truth”
Boy · Japanese · “soaring”
Boy · Japanese · “Sky”
Unisex · Japanese · “Sky”
Boy · Japanese · “suddenly flowing”
Boy · Japanese · “Sudden, big”
Boy · Japanese · “Fierce warrior; bamboo”
Boy · Japanese · “Artisan”
Boy · Japanese · “Wings”
Boy · Japanese · “Great harmony”
Girl · Japanese · “Binding; gentle clothing”
Unisex · Japanese · “Snow; happiness”
Boy · Japanese · “Snow; happiness”
Girl · Japanese · “Snow, happiness”
Girl · Japanese · “Gentle moon”
Boy · Japanese · “Gentle person”
Unisex · Japanese · “Meditation”
Japanese naming traditions
A Japanese name's meaning depends on the kanji chosen, and the same sound can be written many ways. Parents must pick characters from the official lists of common-use (jōyō) and name-use (jinmeiyō) kanji, and register the birth within 14 days. Many families count brush strokes using seimei handan, a fortune-telling method that checks the balance of strokes between the family and given names. Seasonal and nature characters, like 桜 (cherry blossom) or 翔 (soar), are popular, and girls' names often end in -ko or -mi, though trends change.
Common questions
Want a name that blends both parents? Try the Baby Name Combiner.
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