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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

Momoka

Japanese form

杏花

ももか

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.

杏
apricot
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Nana

Japanese form

愛梨

なな

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.

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

Given name formats

Romanized form

Nanami

Japanese form

愛光

ななみ

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.

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

Given name formats

Romanized form

Nao

Japanese form

花緒

なお

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.

花
flower
緒
thong; beginning; inception; end; cord; strap; mental or emotional state
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Naoki

Japanese form

直

なおき

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.

直
straightaway; honesty; frankness; fix; repair
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Naomi

Japanese form

奈桜美

なおみ

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.

奈
Nara; what?
桜
cherry
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Natsuki

Japanese form

夏月

なつき

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.

夏
summer
月
month; moon
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Natsumi

Japanese form

夏月海

なつみ

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.

夏
summer
月
month; moon
海
sea; ocean
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Nozomi

Japanese form

愛

のぞみ

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
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Rei

Japanese form

光

れい

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.

光
ray; light
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Reina

Japanese form

玲月

れいな

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.

玲
sound of jewels
月
month; moon
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Reo

Japanese form

令桜

れお

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.

令
orders; laws; command; decree; good
桜
cherry
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Rika

Japanese form

合花

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.

合
fit; suit; join; 0.1
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Riko

Japanese form

月琴

りこ

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.

月
month; moon
琴
harp; koto
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Riku

Japanese form

梨空

りく

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.

梨
pear tree
空
empty; sky; void; vacant; vacuum
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Rina

Japanese form

美那

りな

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
那
what?
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Rio

Japanese form

吏桜

りお

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.

吏
officer; an official
桜
cherry
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Rui

Japanese form

愛

るい

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

Ryou

Japanese form

綾

りょう

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.

綾
design; figured cloth; twill
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Saki

Japanese form

花咲

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.

花
flower
咲
blossom; bloom
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sakura

Japanese form

桜愛

さくら

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
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sana

Japanese form

采愛

さな

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.

采
dice; form; appearance; take; gather; coloring
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Satoshi

Japanese form

叡

さとし

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.

叡
intelligence; imperial
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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