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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

Aya

Japanese form

愛

あや

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

Ayaka

Japanese form

愛弥花

あやか

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.

愛
love; affection; favourite
弥
all the more; increasingly
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Ayako

Japanese form

愛哉子

あやこ

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
哉
how; what; alas; question mark; exclamation mark
子
child; sign of the rat; 11PM-1AM; first sign of Chinese zodiac
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Ayame

Japanese form

愛芽

あやめ

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
芽
bud; sprout; spear; germ
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Ayumi

Japanese form

愛海

あゆみ

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
海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Ayumu

Japanese form

愛歩

あゆむ

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
歩
walk; counter for steps
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Azaka

Japanese form

鮮花

あざか

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.

鮮
fresh; vivid; clear; brilliant; Korea
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Azami

Japanese form

麻美

あざみ

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.

麻
hemp; flax; numb
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Azuki

Japanese form

愛月

あずき

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
月
month; moon
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Azumi

Japanese form

愛美

あずみ

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

Chihiro

Japanese form

愛洸

ちひろ

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
洸
sparkling water
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Chikashi

Japanese form

愛

ちかし

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

Chinatsu

Japanese form

一夏

ちなつ

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.

一
one; one radical (no.1)
夏
summer
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Ema

Japanese form

愛真

えま

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
真
true; reality; Buddhist sect
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Emi

Japanese form

愛海

えみ

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
海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Emika

Japanese form

愛光香

えみか

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.

愛
love; affection; favourite
光
ray; light
香
incense; smell; perfume
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Eri

Japanese form

愛心

えり

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
心
heart; mind; spirit; heart radical (no. 61)
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Erika

Japanese form

愛梨花

えりか

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.

愛
love; affection; favourite
梨
pear tree
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Fumio

Japanese form

史桜

ふみお

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.

史
history; chronicle
桜
cherry
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Haru

Japanese form

花

はる

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.

花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Haruhiko

Japanese form

美彦

はるひこ

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
彦
lad; boy (ancient)
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Haruka

Japanese form

桜花

はるか

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.

桜
cherry
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Haruki

Japanese form

美希

はるき

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
希
hope; beg; request; pray; beseech; Greece; dilute (acid); rare; few; phenomenal
Usage not ranked

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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