Japanese Girl Names
Across 4 pages
of 4
Suki
Japanese or English
"loved one; lily"
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.
Sumi
Japanese
"elegant, refined"
Simple and, yes, elegant -- until you think of the wrestlers.
Takara
Japanese
"treasure, jewel"
A lovely Japanese alternative to Tamara.
Tamako
Japanese
"jewel child"
Two similarly delicate names, Tamako and Tamaki, can be found in the Japanese community.
Tamayo
Japanese
"generation jewel"
Japanese name with a special crossover/creative touch via its association with the colorful paintings of acclaimed Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo.
Taya
Japanese
"young"
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. Taya Smith is an Australian…
Tazu
Japanese
"rice-field stork"
Tazu has a certain snazzy appeal.
Tora
Norse
"thunder"
Tora is the female version of Tor or Thor, the name of the Norse god of thunder. Actress Jeanne Tripplehorn chose it for her daughter.
Tori
Diminutive of Victoria, English, Japanese
"victory; bird"
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,…
Umeko
Japanese
"plum-blossom child, patient"
Unfamiliar Asian choice that can work for a parent in search of something really different.
Yoko
Japanese
"good girl; ocean child"
There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko. Yoko Ono writes her name with characters meaning "ocean" and "child".
Yori
Japanese
"reliable"
An appealing, usable Japanese choice, since there are so many familiar ori/ory-ending Western names.
Yoshi
Japanese
"good, respectful"
Popular name in Japan, wouldn't work too well outside that culture.
Yuki
Japanese
"snow; happiness"
Succinct and memorable, Yuki is a Japanese name, which may relate to winter or joy, depending on the kanji used. It is a unisex choice, notably borne by singer Yuki Kuramochi (stylized as YUKI).
Naoko
Japanese
"obedient child"
Naoko is a common Japanese name with an admirable meaning, which, depending on how it's written, can translate to obedient, straight, honest, or green child. Naoko can also be spelled Nahoko.
Ryo
Japanese
"fact, reality, understand; distant; defy"
A simple, importable Japanese name, that carries a multitude of meanings depending on which character is used to denote it. While most westerners pronounced it RY-o or REE-o, its real pronunciation…
Zen
Japanese, form of Buddhism
Parents searching for a simple, peaceful name may be attracted to this one.
Kyoto
Place-name
Kyoto is a Japanese city name not yet on the map for babies, but why not?
Aoi
Japanese
"bluish"
A very popular girls' name in Japan with an unfortunate English pronunciation: picture a toddler with a hurt knee saying "owee."
Rikku
Japanese
"land, continent"
The Japanese Rikku is familiar in the west as the name of one of the lead characters of the "Final Fantasy" video game series. Voted "hottest character," the fictional Rikku is a thief with a good…