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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

Masaki

Japanese form

愛咲

まさき

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
咲
blossom; bloom
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Masami

Japanese form

惟美

まさみ

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.

惟
consider; reflect; think
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Masato

Japanese form

暢

まさと

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.

暢
stretch
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Masayoshi

Japanese form

雅愛

まさよし

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.

雅
gracious; elegant; graceful; refined
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Masumi

Japanese form

愛純

ますみ

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
純
genuine; purity; innocence; net (profit)
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mei

Japanese form

愛

めい

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

Mia

Japanese form

海愛

みあ

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
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Michika

Japanese form

光愛

みちか

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.

光
ray; light
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mika

Japanese form

海愛

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.

海
sea; ocean
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mikako

Japanese form

美花香

みかこ

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
花
flower
香
incense; smell; perfume
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Miki

Japanese form

美

みき

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
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mikio

Japanese form

海紀男

みきお

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.

海
sea; ocean
紀
chronicle; account; narrative; history; annals; geologic period
男
male
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mikoto

Japanese form

海琴

みこと

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
琴
harp; koto
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Minami

Japanese form

美愛

みなみ

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.

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

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mio

Japanese form

海桜

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.

海
sea; ocean
桜
cherry
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Misaki

Japanese form

美桜生

みさき

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
桜
cherry
生
life; genuine; birth
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Misao

Japanese form

美咲桜

みさお

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
咲
blossom; bloom
桜
cherry
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Misato

Japanese form

愛恵

みさと

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.

愛
love; affection; favourite
恵
favor; blessing; grace; kindness
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mitsuki

Japanese form

海月

みつき

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.

海
sea; ocean
月
month; moon
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mitsuru

Japanese form

光

みつる

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.

光
ray; light
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Miyoshi

Japanese form

美愛

みよし

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.

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

Given name formats

Romanized form

Miyu

Japanese form

美海

みゆ

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
海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Miyuki

Japanese form

美如月

みゆき

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
如
likeness; like; such as; as if; better; best; equal
月
month; moon
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Mizuki

Japanese form

海月

みづき

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.

海
sea; ocean
月
month; moon
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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