Japanese Names
This list has 63 girl and 61 boy names. The same reading can be written with different kanji: ゆい (Yui) appears here as 結衣 and 唯.
How to use
- Pick Girls, Boys or All, then narrow the list by number of sounds, first letter of the romaji, or a search word (kanji, romaji or an English meaning such as "moon").
- Each row shows the kanji, the hiragana reading, the romaji and what the kanji mean. Press the speaker button to hear the reading in Japanese.
- Press the star to save a name. "Copy favorites" copies your saved names as one line each: kanji, reading, romaji.
How it works
Romaji follows Hepburn style without long-vowel marks, the way names appear in passports: ゆうた is Yuta, しょうた is Shota, ひろし is Hiroshi. An n before a vowel or y gets an apostrophe (しんいち is Shin'ichi).
Sounds are counted as Japanese morae: each kana is one, a small ゃ ゅ ょ joins the kana before it, and ん and small っ count as one each. さくら is 3, しょうた is 3, りゅうのすけ is 5.
Meanings are the dictionary meanings of the individual kanji. Parents often choose kanji for sound and feeling rather than meaning, so a name does not have one fixed translation. The same reading can be written with different kanji, such as こはる as 心春 or 小春.
About popularity
This tool does not show a ranking. The names marked "Widely used" are ones the editor knows to have been common in recent decades, which is a judgment and not a statistic.
For real rankings, Meiji Yasuda Life publishes an annual baby-name ranking for children born that year, split by girls and boys, with both kanji and reading rankings. Check the year and the sample (policyholders' children) before quoting a rank.
Reading and writing Japanese names
- In Japan the family name usually comes first. A full name is written 山田 花 (Yamada Hana), though English text often swaps it to Hana Yamada.
- Most names are written in kanji, some in hiragana (さくら) or katakana. Hiragana-only names are common for girls.
- The same kanji can be read several ways. 光 is Hikari or Hikaru, 葵 is Aoi, and 和 can be Kazu, Nodoka or Yamato. Always confirm the reading with the person.
- The speaker button uses your device's Japanese text-to-speech voice. If none is installed, it will say so. Voices differ by device, and the audio reads the hiragana so the kanji are not misread.
FAQ
What are the most popular Japanese girl names?
This tool does not rank names. Meiji Yasuda Life publishes a yearly ranking of babies' names in Japan. Names marked "Widely used" here are common in recent decades, which is an editorial judgment.
What are common Japanese boy names?
Examples marked "Widely used" include 蒼 (Aoi), 蓮 (Ren), 湊 (Minato), 大翔 (Hiroto), 颯太 (Sota) and 健太 (Kenta). Use the filter to see them all.
Why can one name have several kanji?
Japanese reading and writing are separate choices. ゆうな can be 結菜 or 優奈, and こはる can be 心春 or 小春. The kanji change the meaning, not the sound.
Are these names for both genders?
The list sorts names by how they are most often given. Some names, such as 葵, 蒼, 光 and 空, are used for both girls and boys in Japan.
How do I pronounce a Japanese name?
Press the speaker button. Each romaji letter group is a short, even sound: Yuta is yu-ta, Hiroshi is hi-ro-shi. Japanese has no strong stress accent, so give each sound about equal weight.
Does the list cover all Japanese names?
No. It is a hand-picked selection of well-known names with checked readings. Japanese names can also be written with rare kanji or readings that no list can cover.