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Japanese Girl Names with Meanings and Kanji

Explore Japanese girl names with kanji, hiragana, romaji, and meaning notes. Compare written forms, listen to the reading, or keep a name while finding a surname to pair with it.

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Twelve Japanese girl names to start with

Hand-picked entries from this collection — each card links to a full detail page with kanji breakdowns, sources, and full-name pairings.

凛

girl

Rinりん

Dignified composure — cold air that snaps clean. One crisp syllable; the collection also records 琳, a beautiful jewel.

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花

girl

Hanaはな

Flower, one character and done — and a name that works in English almost unchanged.

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灯

girl

Akariあかり

A lamp's flame. The collection also records 明里, bright village — same reading, different image.

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光

unisex

Hikariひかり

Light itself, a single luminous character that also reads unisex.

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結衣

girl

Yuiゆい

To tie (結) + garment (衣): a knot of cloth — connection you can hold.

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楓

girl

Kaedeかえで

Maple — the tree whose autumn color the whole country travels to see.

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葵

unisex

Aoiあおい

Hollyhock, the Tokugawa crest plant — a top-10 name for girls and boys at once.

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湊

unisex

Minatoみなと

Harbor: where boats — and families — find shelter. Rides the recent single-character boom.

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光葵

girl

Himariひまり

This collection records the light-plus-hollyhock spelling 光葵; the reading is most famously written 陽葵, sun plus hollyhock.

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光花

girl

Hinaひな

Recorded here as light (光) + flower (花); the reading Hina is also commonly written 陽菜, sun on young greens.

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海桜

girl

Mioみお

Sea cherry blossom in this collection's spelling — alongside 光桜, light cherry blossom. Elegant and compact.

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桃花

unisex

Momokaももか

Peach blossom — spring, sweetness, and a touch of Momotaro folklore. 杏花, apricot blossom, is the alternate spelling.

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Initial

Japanese girl names

236 matches

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tsumugi

Japanese form

花紡

つむぎ

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

花
flower
紡
spinning
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Umito

Japanese form

海人

うみと

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

海
sea; ocean
人
person
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Wataru

Japanese form

海

わたる

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yamato

Japanese form

倭

やまと

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

倭
Yamato; ancient Japan
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshifumi

Japanese form

愛史

よしふみ

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
史
history; chronicle
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshihiko

Japanese form

愛彦

よしひこ

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
彦
lad; boy (ancient)
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshiki

Japanese form

愛

よしき

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshiko

Japanese form

愛子

よしこ

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
子
child; sign of the rat; 11PM-1AM; first sign of Chinese zodiac
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshimi

Japanese form

愛美

よしみ

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshinori

Japanese form

愛仁

よしのり

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
仁
humanity; virtue; benevolence; charity; man; kernel
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yoshio

Japanese form

愛夫

よしお

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
夫
husband; man
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuka

Japanese form

弓花

ゆか

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

弓
bow; bow (archery, violin)
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuki

Japanese form

愛

ゆき

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuna

Japanese form

結愛

ゆな

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

結
tie; bind; contract; join; organize; do up hair; fasten
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuu

Japanese form

夢海

ゆう

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

夢
dream; vision; illusion
海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuuki

Japanese form

愛喜

ゆうき

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

愛
love; affection; favourite
喜
rejoice; take pleasure in
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuuta

Japanese form

佑歌

ゆうた

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

佑
help; assist
歌
song; sing
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Yuuto

Japanese form

夢叶

ゆうと

Meaning

Name meaning not established from character glosses.

Character dictionary notes

These are general dictionary senses, including abbreviations and other contexts. They do not establish the meaning or intention of this name.

夢
dream; vision; illusion
叶
grant; answer
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mizuki

Japanese form

美月

みずき

Meaning

Beauty; moon

moderntimelessUsage estimate: uncommon

Editorial selection is a browsing order, not a popularity ranking. Style and usage estimates are editorial guidance. Dictionary notes do not establish a name’s intended meaning.

Choosing a spelling, not just a sound

Japanese given names are often discussed by reading and written form. Two people called Rin may use different kanji, so a meaning belongs to a particular spelling rather than automatically to every person with that reading.

For example, Hana written 花 points to a flower, while Hikari written 光 points to light. Akari can be written 明里 or 灯 in this collection; the character explanation changes with the spelling. Compare the displayed kanji as well as the sound before choosing.

Japanese girl names: questions and answers

What are the most popular Japanese girl names right now?

Recent national surveys of newborns put Himari (陽葵), Rin (凛), Aoi (葵), Hina (陽菜), Yuna (結菜), and Sakura (咲良/桜) at the top for girls. The explorer below covers the full collection; the most-popular-names guide explains how Japan's rankings work.

Which Japanese girl names mean flower or beauty?

Hana (花) means flower, Sakura (桜) means cherry blossom, Momoka (桃花) means peach blossom, and Himari (陽葵) pairs the sun with the hollyhock. Names built on 美 (beauty) include Mika (美香) and Miyuki (美雪, beautiful snow).

Do Japanese girl names have fixed meanings?

No — the meaning attaches to the kanji spelling, not the sound. The reading Rin can be 凛 (dignified composure) or 琳 (beautiful jewel). Always compare written forms; every entry below shows the kanji next to the reading.

What Japanese girl names are easy to pronounce in English?

Hana, Mei, Mika, Rina, Emi, and Yuna all pronounce nearly identically in both languages. The bilingual-names guide covers the full list with pronunciation notes.

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