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Beautiful Japanese girl names

C.C.
By C.C.
Updated Mon May 22 2023
Beautiful, elegant Japanese names with inspirational meanings for little ladies. Not only include the well-known Japanese names like Sakura(cherry blossom), Yuki(Snow), Nozomi(Hope) or Sayaka(Bright), but also include unfamiliar names such as Yotsuba(Clover leaves), Manami(Sea of love), Shiho(Poem sail), Natsuki(Summer tree), and so on.
  1. Maria

    • Origin:

      Hebrew or Egyptian

    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

    • Description:

      As a highly popular girls' name in all Spanish-speaking countries, this saintly Latin variation of Mary retains a timeless beauty. Through the centuries, Maria remains one of the most widely-used girl names starting with M.
  2. Anna

    • Origin:

      Variation of Hannah, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "grace"

    • Description:

      Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne.
  3. 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.
  4. Erika

    • Origin:

      English and Scandinavian variation of Erica, Norse feminization of Eric or Italian word name

    • Meaning:

      "eternal ruler; heather"

    • Description:

      This is a more spunky and Nordic looking variant of Erica, but the k also makes the connection to the beautiful flower less apparent.
  5. Mai

    • Origin:

      Japanese, French, Welsh, Vietnamese, Navajo

    • Meaning:

      "dance; May; cherry blossom; coyote"

    • Description:

      Cross-cultural winner.
  6. Risa

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "laughing"
  7. Yuna

    • Origin:

      Japanese, Breton, Korean, Chinese, Dutch

    • Meaning:

      "superiority, gentleness, or citrus fruit; lamb; willow, abundant, child, happy + to reach, to hold; jade + elegant, beautiful; June"

    • Description:

      An attractive, widely appealing, multicultural option, Yuna has its roots in Japanese, Breton, Korean, Chinese. KPOP singer Yuna may be attracting some attention to her name, as might influencer Yunabugs who shares her life with her eight dachshunds on Instagram. Also used in the game franchise Final Fantasy, it is a popular choice in France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
  8. Mari

    • Origin:

      Variation of Maria or Mary, Basque, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved; gift, mother; truth, genuine, villlage"

    • Description:

      Mari enjoyed some mid-century popularity as a nicknameish version of Mary, but now deserves a second look as a multicultural classic. Popular in Norway and Armenia as a variation of Marie, it is also the name of a Basque goddess and an Estonian word name.
  9. Nana

    • Origin:

      English, Greek, Hawaiian, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "grace; God is gracious; spring, beauty; vegetable, greens"

    • Description:

      To most English speakers, Nana is the dog in Peter Pan, the daughter played by Emma Stone in Crazy Stupid Love, and another name for Grandma, however, it is also a diminutive of Nancy and Anna (meaning "grace"), of Ioanna or Joanna (meaning "God is gracious"), and of a whole variety of similar sounding choices, such as Diana, Oriana, Fernanda, and Inanna.
  10. Akane

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "deep red"

    • Description:

      A popular choice right now in Japan, where it recently ranked in the Top 10.
  11. Akemi

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "bright beauty"
  12. Aki

    • Origin:

      Japanese; Finnish

    • Meaning:

      "born in the autumn; ancestor"

    • Description:

      Aki is a simple international name from two wildly divergent cultures.
  13. Anzu

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "apricot"

    • Description:

      A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.
  14. Aoi

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "bluish"

    • Description:

      A very popular girls' name in Japan with an unfortunate English pronunciation: picture a toddler with a hurt knee saying "owee."
  15. Asa

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Japanese, or Scandinavian

    • Meaning:

      "healer; morning; of the gods"

    • Description:

      A male Biblical name meaning healer, Asa is also an international gem. In Japanese, it means "(born in the) morning". And in Scandinavia, where it's generally spelled Åsa or Ása and pronounced O-sa, it's a popular diminutive form of Old Norse names beginning with the element áss "god".
  16. Ayane

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "color and design; sound"
  17. Ayumi

    • Origin:

      Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "walking beauty; sweetfish"
  18. Ayaka
    • Chiaki

      • Origin:

        Japanese

      • Meaning:

        "one thousand autumns"

      • Description:

        Maybe if you really love Autumn.
    • Chiharu

      • Origin:

        Japanese

      • Meaning:

        "one thousand springs"

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