Japanese Baby Names

Fri Sep 04 2020By Sophie Kihm

Japanese baby 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 baby names in the US Top 1000 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 baby names that translate easily to Western culture and language include the following.

Japanese Baby Names

Kai

Origin:
Hawaiian
Meaning:
"sea"
Description:
Kai has many origins, but in the US is most commonly referred to as being of Hawaiian derivation, meaning “sea.” In Europe, Kai is largely considered to have Frisian origin as a diminutive of the name Kaimbe, meaning “warrior.” Kai is also found as an independent name in African, Chinese, Turkish and Native American cultures.

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.

Amaya Continued

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.

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."

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.

Mika

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Suki

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"loved one"
Description:
One of the most familiar and usable Asian names.

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.

Raiden

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"thunder and lightning"
Description:
The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to popular baby names Aiden and Jayden, most people will pronounce it RAY-den, but it's more properly RYE-den.

Raiden Continued

Akio

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.

Kenzo Continued

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.

Rumi

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Kenji

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"second son"
Description:
One of several Japanese names that refer to a child's place in the family birth order.

Kenji Continued

Ichiro

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"firstborn son"
Description:
Ichiro is a good classic choice for the first boy in a Japanese family.

Ichiro Continued

Aya

Origin:
Japanese or Hebrew
Meaning:
"colorful or bird"
Description:
Simple names have their appeal, but Aya, barely more than a breath, maybe be too simple. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2012.

Zen

Origin:
Japanese, form of Buddhism
Description:
A spiritual word name used by actor Zoe Saldana for her son.

Ronin

Origin:
Spelling variation of Ronan
Description:
In the USA, both spellings of this old Celtic name rose significantly. However, Ronan outpaced this version in the lasts, and we, too, prefer the original, though history and movie buffs may appreciate this version's association with renegade samurai in Feudal Japan. Ronin is a character in the Marvel Universe.

Ronin Continued

Hana

Origin:
Variation of Hannah or Johana or Japanese
Meaning:
"flower, blossom"
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.

Haruki

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"spring child"
Description:
Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, well known in the U. S. , might inspire some namesakes.

Haruki Continued

Kairi

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Kairi Continued

Rio

Origin:
Spanish
Meaning:
"river"
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.

Tori

Origin:
Diminutive of Victoria or Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Akira

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Akira Continued

Keiko

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"happy child"
Description:
Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

Keiko Continued

Nori

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Nomi

Origin:
Hebrew and Japanese
Meaning:
"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.

Azami

Origin:
Japanese; Persian
Meaning:
"thistle flower; greatest"
Description:
Azami has a prickly image and feel--reinforced by the thistle's image in Eastern mythology as one of defiance. A name that spans two widely divergent cultures, Azami might make the perfect international choice, at once exotic and easy to comprehend.

Azami Continued

Yuki

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"snow"
Description:
An appealing Asian name with a nickname feel.

Yoshi

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"good, respectful"
Description:
A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character.

Yoshi Continued

Kyoko

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"mirror"
Description:
One of the most familiar and attractive Japanese names, though rarely heard outside that culture.

Kyoko Continued

Midori

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"green"
Description:
In Japan, color names symbolize human qualities (in this case, fame); name of gifted violist Midori, but also a Japanese melon liqueur.

Midori Continued

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".

Sakura

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"cherry blossom"
Description:
Lovely Japanese name that would certainly be appreciated in Europe and the U.S. It was rarely used in Japan until the 1990s, and draws its current popularity from the fact that it is deeply connected to Japanese traditional culture without sounding frumpy and old-fashioned.

Sakura Continued

Kaori

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"smell, fragrance"
Description:
Kaori is a Japanese girls' name once largely unknown but brought into the spotlight by celebrity couple Eniko and Kevin Hart, who gave it to their daughter in 2020. Kaori is easily translated in the Western World; it's got a rhythmic sound and a familiar feel, maybe since it's similar to Maori, the name of the people and language of New Zealand. But the correct pronunciation is kow-ree.

Kaori Continued

Maro

Origin:
Latin, Hebrew, or Japanese
Meaning:
"from Mars; bitter; or, myself"
Description:
Maro is an ancient saints' name -- he was an Italian follower of St. Flavia and was martyred -- rarely used in modern life. The name Maro may stem from the Roman Marcellus, related to Mars, the god of war, or it may be a feminine form of Maria, connected with Mario. Maro is also a Japanese name meaning "myself."

Katana

Origin:
Persian or Japanese
Meaning:
"honorable or sword"
Description:
Katana is a male name in Old Persian and a well-used word in Japanese, but as a girls' name is these days found more often as Kitana, the name of a princess in the video game Mortal Kombat II.

Katana Continued

Sumi

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"elegant, refined"
Description:
Simple and, yes, elegant -- until you think of the wrestlers.

Miki

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"flower stem"
Description:
Attractive but slight Asian alternative, with a 1970s nickname feel.

Aiko

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"beloved child"
Description:
Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.

Miya

Origin:
Variation of Mia or Maya; Japanese
Meaning:
"palace, shrine, temple"
Description:
Is it pronounced MEE-ah or MY-ah? Only the bearer knows for sure, which is one of the central problems with this hybrid name.

Hanzo

Origin:
Japanese
Description:
Heard most frequently in 18th century Japan, Hanzo is a rarity in modern culture. Hattori Hanzo was a legendary samurai of the Sengoku Era. A modern day namesake might be Hanzo Shimada, from the video game Overwatch. Hanzo is one of many unique baby names from Asia and from the gaming world.

Hanzo Continued

Takeo

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"strong as bamboo"
Description:
Well used in Japan, appreciated for its powerful meaning.

Takeo Continued

Sen

Origin:
Japanese mythology name
Description:
Simple, Zen-like name of a mythological forest elf.

Kazuo

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"first son or harmonious man"
Description:
Kazuo is a boys' name well-used in Japan though not well-known in the U.S. Kazuo Ishiguro is the author of Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. The emphasis is on the first syllable.

Kazuo Continued

Ino

Origin:
Greek; Japanese
Description:
Ino was one of the Queens of Thebes who, after her death, became an immortal. Ino raised her nephew, Dionysus (son of Semele and Zeus), provoking the wrath of Hera. In desperation Ino threw herself into the sea and was thereafter venerated as Leucothea (The White Goddess).

Koi

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"carp"
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.

Naoko

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"obedient child"
Description:
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.

Naoko Continued

Aki

Origin:
Japanese, Finnish; "born in the autumn, ancestor"
Meaning:
"born in the autumn, ancestor"
Description:
A name known in several cultures, also through animated book character Tiger Aki. Finnish author Aki Ollikainen is another notable bearer.

Yoko

Origin:
Japanese
Meaning:
"good girl"
Description:
There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko.

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