Beautiful Japanese girl names

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. 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.
  2. 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.
  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. 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.
  5. Rio
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "river or place of the cherry blossoms"
    • Description:

      Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro. A truly international name for a cosmopolitan baby!
  6. 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.
  7. 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".
  8. Rina
    • Origin:

      European diminutive of Catherine, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "pure; joy, singing; melted; white jasmine"
    • Description:

      One of those short, punchy names with its roots in a variety of different cultures and languages, Rina is sister to names like Mina, Mira, Lina, and Nina. Retro in feel, but never overused in the US, it peaked in 1980 when it was given to 90 girls.
  9. Rika
    • Origin:

      Japanese, or diminutive of names that end in -rika
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful village; peaceful ruler; estate ruler"
    • Description:

      Rika is most common as a Japanese name, when it means "beautiful village" in one kanji combination. It is also seen as a nickname and given name in Scandinavia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, where Rika originated as a nickname for names such as Fredrika and Henrika.
  10. Yuki
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "snow; happiness"
    • Description:

      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).
  11. 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".
  12. Yuri
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "lily"
    • Description:

      Most familiar to American ears as the Russian variation of George. Not recommended for a daughter.
  13. Yumi
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "archery bow"
    • Description:

      This Japanese name is easily accessible to English speakers, and has a cool archery meaning. It first made the US charts in 1960, and was given to under 47 girls in 2022: still rare, but more popular than it's ever been before.
  14. 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.
  15. Mai
    • Origin:

      Japanese, French, Welsh, Vietnamese, Navajo
    • Meaning:

      "dance; May; cherry blossom; coyote"
    • Description:

      Cross-cultural winner.
  16. 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.
  17. 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."
  18. Chihiro
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "thousand questions"
    • Description:

      A popular Japanese name used for the young heroine of the animated film, "Spirited Away."
  19. Mio
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful, or, cherry"
    • Description:

      Mio is a lovely Japanese name for girls that has migrated beyond its native country. One Berry reports several young girls named Mio in Australia, and the name has potential in the rest of the English-speaking world for parents who want to move beyond Mia and Maya.
  20. 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.

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