Japanese Baby Names

Japanese names are crafted with remarkable care. In Japan, parents often spend weeks choosing the perfect kanji characters for their child's name, selecting not just for sound but for the visual beauty and meaning of each character. Names like Haruki (spring tree), Sakura (cherry blossom) and Ren (lotus) carry imagery that is inseparable from the name itself.

Japanese naming is an art form. A single name can be written with different kanji to produce entirely different meanings, and parents consider how the characters look on paper as well as how the name sounds. This level of intentionality makes Japanese names unusually rich in meaning.

Browse the collection below for Japanese names that work beautifully in English-speaking contexts. Each entry includes the name's meaning, cultural background and pronunciation.

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All Japanese Baby Names

Showing 75 of 75

Name	Meaning	Origin	Gender	Popularity
Aiko	little loved one	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Aira	love song	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Aizen	indigo	japanese	Boy	Rare
Akari	light	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Aki	autumn	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Akira	bright, clear	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Akiro	bright boy	japanese	Boy	Rare
Amaya	night rain	japanese, basque	Girl	Moderate
Ami	friend; second daughter	french, japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Aoi	blue, hollyhock	japanese	Unisex	Moderate
Atari	success	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Aya	colorful, miracle	hebrew, japanese	Girl	Moderate
Azami	thistle flower	japanese	Girl	Rare
Beni	blessed; red	hebrew, japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Emi	beautiful blessing	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Emiko	smiling child	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Goku	aware of emptiness	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Hana	flower	japanese	Girl	Popular
Haruto	sunlight or spring	japanese	Boy	Very popular
Hinata	sunny place	japanese	Unisex	Moderate
Hiro	abundant	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Hiroshi	generous	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Jun	pure	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Kai	sea or victory	hawaiian, nordic, japanese	Unisex	Popular
Kairi	sea or ocean village	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Kaito	ocean or sea	japanese	Boy	Popular
Kaizen	continuous improvement	japanese	Boy	Rare
Kano	one's masculine power	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Kaori	fragrance	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Kasai	fire	african, japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Kaya	rock or restful place	japanese, turkish	Girl	Moderate
Kaz	harmony and peace	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Kazumi	harmonious beauty	japanese	Girl	Rare
Keiko	blessed child	japanese	Girl	Rare
Kenji	intelligent second son	japanese	Boy	Popular
Kenzo	wise and three	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Kira	beam of light	russian, irish, japanese	Girl	Moderate
Kitsu	fox	japanese	Girl	Rare
Kyomi	pure and beautiful	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Maika	dance	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Mari	sea of bitterness	english, japanese, scandinavian	Girl	Moderate
Mei	bud or sprout	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Mika	new moon	japanese	Unisex	Popular
Miko	shrine maiden	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Momo	peach	japanese	Girl	Rare
Nara	happy	japanese, indian	Girl	Moderate
Nori	seaweed	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Raiden	thunder and lightning	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Rei	bell	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Reina	queen	spanish, japanese	Girl	Moderate
Ren	lotus or love	japanese	Boy	Popular
Rena	joyful melody	hebrew, japanese	Girl	Moderate
Rika	beautiful fragrance	japanese, german	Girl	Uncommon
Riku	land	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Rin	dignified	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Rina	joyful song	hebrew, japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Romi	beloved, beautiful	hebrew, japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Rui	accumulated, tears	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Rumi	beauty, flow	japanese, other	Unisex	Moderate
Runo	moon, secret	japanese, nordic	Boy	Rare
Ryu	dragon	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Sakura	cherry blossom	japanese	Girl	Popular
Shoto	burning love	japanese	Boy	Uncommon
Sora	sky	japanese	Unisex	Uncommon
Sota	sound of the wind	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Suki	beloved	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Takumi	artisan	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Xion	tidal wave	japanese	Boy	Rare
Yari	spear	japanese	Girl	Rare
Yuki	snow	japanese	Girl	Popular
Yuna	gentle	japanese	Girl	Moderate
Yuuka	gentle flower	japanese	Girl	Uncommon
Yuyu	abundant	japanese	Girl	Rare
Zen	meditation	japanese	Boy	Moderate
Zuko	failure	japanese	Boy	Rare

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are popular Japanese baby names?

In Japan, Haruto, Ren, Sota, Himari, Mei and Tsumugi are among the most popular choices. Internationally, names like Sakura, Hana, Yuki, Kai and Ren have gained popularity.

Do Japanese names work in English?

Many short Japanese names work very well: Kai, Ren, Hana, Yuki, Mio, Sora. Longer names like Haruki and Sakura are also increasingly familiar to English speakers.

What do Japanese names typically mean?

Japanese names often reference nature (Sakura: cherry blossom, Umi: sea), virtues (Makoto: sincerity, Ren: lotus/love) or aspirations (Hikari: light, Yuki: happiness/snow). The meaning depends on which kanji characters are chosen.