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Japanese Names

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Tue Jul 09 2024
Japanese Names

Japanese names are Romanized translations of kanji — the characters used in the Japanese language. Japanese names can be written in multiple combinations of kanji —sometimes hundreds — and the meaning of a name changes depending on which characters are used.

The name Kenzo, for example, has meanings related to wisdom, health, or humility when written in different kanji permutations.

Along with Kenzo, other Japanese names popular internationally include Amaya, Kane, Raiden, Asa, Kairi, Koda, Hana, Tori, and Kai.

Uncommon Japanese names you may want to consider include Hiro, Naoko, Suki, and Ren — a popular name for boys in Japan.

Japanese baby names are only beginning to be used in the West, as the world becomes smaller and international names become more accepted in most countries. Some Japanese names that translate easily to Western culture and language include the following, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

RELATED:

Japanese Girl Names

Japanese Boy Names

  1. Kai

    • Origin:

      Hawaiian, Frisian, Chinese

    • Meaning:

      "sea; warrior; triumph"

    • Description:

      Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.
  2. Rio

    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "river; place of the cherry blossoms"

    • Description:

      Rio is a reductive ranchero place-name with an attractive Tex-Mex lilt. No Doubt's Tom Dumont has a son named Rio Atticus.
  3. Asa

    • Origin:

      Hebrew; Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "healer; born in the morning"

    • Description:

      A short but strong biblical name with multicultural appeal, Asa is enjoying new visibility thanks to hot young actor Asa Butterfield of Hugo fame.
  4. Mika

    • Origin:

      Japanese, Slovene, Hebrew, English, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "beautiful fragrance; who is like God?; follower of Demeter"

    • Description:

      Mika is a sparky and stylish Japanese girls' name that translates easily to English. Also used as a Slovene and Hebrew diminutive for Mihaela and Michaela, as an alternative spelling to the Biblical Micah, and as a Greek diminutive of Dimitra (via Mimika), it is a truly multi-cultural choice.
  5. Suki

    • Origin:

      Japanese or English

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  6. Kane

    • Origin:

      Celtic

    • Meaning:

      "warrior"

    • Description:

      A name of multiple identities: a somewhat soap-operatic single-syllable surname, a homonym for the biblical bad boy Cain, and, when found in Japan and Hawaii, it transforms into the two syllable KA-neh. Kane also has multiple meanings: in Welsh, it's "beautiful"; in Japanese, "golden"; and in Hawaiian, "man of the Eastern sky."
  7. Aya

    • Origin:

      Japanese, Hebrew, Danish, Arabic

    • Meaning:

      "colorful, design; honey buzzard, bird; rock, lull, happiness; sign, verse"

    • Description:

      Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, it ranks in the US Top 1000 and was chosen for nearly 470 babies in a recent year.
  8. Koda

    • Origin:

      Japanese, Sioux

    • Meaning:

      "friend"

    • Description:

      A word in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language, meaning "friend" or "ally", used for one of the main characters in the movie Brother Bear. Also a common Japanese surname or a respelling of the musical name Coda.
  9. Rumi

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "beauty, flow, lapis lazuli"

    • Description:

      Rumi is a Japanese girl name, with a sweet yet substantial sound. Reminiscent of other popular choices in the West — think Ruby, Remy, and Romy — it is currently achieving more notice thanks to Beyonce and Jay-Z, who chose it for one of their daughters.
  10. Amaya

    • Origin:

      Spanish version of Amaia or Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  11. Kiki

    • Origin:

      French nickname and Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "double happiness"

    • Description:

      Kiki is one of the Coco-Gigi-Fifi-Lulu bohemian-type French nickname names from the turn of the last century, which have endless energy and sparkle. Artist Kiki Smith is its most well-known contemporary representative, and Kiki was the inspiring heroine of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Kiki can be a nickname for any name beginning with the K sound, from Katherine to Christina to Kayla.
  12. Kenzo

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "strong and healthy"

    • Description:

      Kenzo is a common Japanese name with several creative bearers: the single-named fashion designer, prizewinning architect Kenzo Takada, and painter Kenzo Okada, which makes it internationally recognizable.
  13. Ronin

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Ronan

    • Meaning:

      "little seal"

    • Description:

      In the USA, both spellings of this old Celtic name have risen significantly in recent years, however, Ronan outpaced this version in the lasts, and we, too, prefer the slightly more rounded and gentle look of the original. History and movie buffs may appreciate this version though, due to its association with renegade samurai in Feudal Japan - and provides it with a second possible meaning: "drifter, wanderer, and masterless samurai". Ronin is also used within the Marvel Universe.
  14. Nori

    • Origin:

      Japanese, English short form or Eleanor, Leonora, Nora, Honora, or North, form of Nor or Nuri, Arabic, Turkish

    • Meaning:

      "ceremonial rites, doctrine, seaweed; unknown, honor, north; my light"

    • Description:

      Nori is one of those names with several origins that would have no trouble assimilating into a variety of cultures. It might also be associated with the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi or with the nickname Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use for their daughter North.
  15. Sora

    • Origin:

      Japanese or Korean

    • Meaning:

      "sky; conch shell"

    • Description:

      A simple and pretty multicultural name: as a Japanese name, it's unisex and means "sky"; as a Korean name, it's feminine and means "conch shell".
  16. Hana

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Hawaiian, Maori, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  17. Koi

    • Origin:

      Japanese or Choctaw

    • Meaning:

      "carp; panther"

    • Description:

      The Koi is a variety of carp especially popular in ornamental gardens in Japan, where they are a symbol of good fortune. In Buddhist culture, the koi is associated with courage. Being one letter away from trendy Kai boosts its prospects as a cool unisex name.
  18. Hiro

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "broad, widespread"

    • Description:

      Hiro is an apt name for a hero of the show Heroes -- and for our times. Widely used in Japan, sometimes also for girls. Hiroshi is a long form.
  19. Tori

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Victoria, English, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "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. It dropped out of the US popularity charts in 2021, and even earlier in the UK, perhaps owing to the sound-alike political party nickname.
  20. Nomi

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Scandinavian, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "beautiful, pleasant, delightful"

    • Description:

      This adorable cross cultural name updates Naomi and offers an accessible Japanese option. The Scandis were the first to contract Naomi to Nomi, once again being ahead of the trend. Nomi strikes the right balance by being distinctive without seeming strange.

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