The flower itself

桜

girl

Sakuraさくら

Cherry blossom (桜) — the national flower and the classic Japanese girl name. The modern favorite spelling 咲良 pairs 'bloom' (咲) with 'good' (良).

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花

girl

Hanaはな

Flower (花), one character, one syllable pair. Also a widely loved name across cultures, which makes it a favorite for bilingual families.

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花恵

girl

Hanaeはなえ

Flower (花) + blessing (恵): a flower's grace given. 花枝, 'flower branch,' is the traditional spelling.

花子

girl

Hanakoはなこ

Flower + child (花子) — the everygirl of Japanese textbooks (like Jane Doe), and a real name with a century of history.

一花

girl

Ichikaいちか

One flower (一花): a single bloom, all the more precious for it. A fixture of recent top-10 lists.

千花

girl

Chikaちか

A thousand flowers (千花). 千 is a lucky multiplier character — abundance by the thousand.

蓮花

girl

Rengeれんげ

Lotus blossom (蓮花), the flower of Buddhist purity. Rare as a registered name, unforgettable once heard.

楓花

girl

Fuukaふうか

Maple (楓) + flower (花): an autumn blossom with a soft, modern sound.

Named for specific flowers

桃

girl

Momoもも

Peach (桃) — blossom, fruit, and the Momotaro folklore in one. Sweet in every sense.

桃花

girl

Momokaももか

Peach blossom (桃花) or peach + fragrance (桃香). The compound form of Momo that charted through the 2000s.

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百合

girl

Yuriゆり

Lily (百合). Note for pop-culture readers: the word also names a genre of girls'-love manga — the flower came first.

百合子

girl

Yurikoゆりこ

Lily + child (百合子), the formed classic behind the modern short form.

菫

girl

Sumireすみれ

Violet (菫) — the small spring flower of poetry. Quietly elegant, often written すみれ in kana.

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菖蒲

girl

Ayameあやめ

Iris (菖蒲), the May flower of Children's Day, whose leaves stand like swords. Also spelled 綾目 or in kana あやめ.

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蘭

unisex

Ranらん

Orchid (蘭). Short, striking, and historically the character for Holland — the window on Western learning in Edo Japan.

牡丹

unisex

Botanぼたん

Peony (牡丹), the 'king of flowers' in East Asian tradition. Bold and lush; rare but registerable.

菊

unisex

Kikuきく

Chrysanthemum (菊), the imperial flower. Old-fashioned as a given name — the imperial family uses it as a clan emblem.

杏

girl

Anあん

Apricot (杏): blossom and fruit, one soft syllable. Travels exceptionally well.

梅

unisex

Umeうめ

Plum blossom (梅) — February's flower, blooming in snow. Old-fashioned and deeply seasonal.

葵

unisex

Aoiあおい

Hollyhock (葵), the Tokugawa crest plant. A top-10 name that doubles as the deep-blue color name when written 蒼.

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陽葵

girl

Himariひまり

Sun (陽) + hollyhock (葵) — Japan's most popular girl name of recent years, and a flower name by way of the sun.

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撫子

girl

Nadeshikoなでしこ

Dianthus (撫子), the flower of the phrase Yamato nadeshiko, the classical ideal of Japanese grace. Almost purely literary as a name.

鈴蘭

girl

Suzuranすずらん

Lily of the valley (鈴蘭) — literally 'bell orchid.' A woodland rarity as a name, and lovely in kana.

Trees, leaves, and green things

楓

girl

Kaedeかえで

Maple (楓) — the tree whose autumn leaves Japan travels to see. A gentle name with a seasonal signature.

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紅葉

girl

Momijiもみじ

Autumn maple foliage (紅葉), literally 'crimson leaves.' The flower-power of November.

蓮

unisex

Renれん

Lotus (蓮) — the flower that rises unstained from the mud. A top boy name that is, botanically, a flower name.

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梓

girl

Azusaあずさ

Catalpa (梓), the tree whose wood once made bows and printing blocks. A name with a craft heritage.

若葉

girl

Wakabaわかば

Young leaves (若葉) — first growth in spring. A fresh-start name, common in kana.