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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

Saya

Japanese form

桜彩

さや

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.

桜
cherry
彩
coloring; paint; makeup
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sayaka

Japanese form

桜谷花

さやか

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.

桜
cherry
谷
valley
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Seira

Japanese form

星愛

せいら

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.

星
star; spot; dot; mark
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shin

Japanese form

伸

しん

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.

伸
expand; stretch; extend; lengthen; increase
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shiori

Japanese form

思桜美

しおり

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.

思
think
桜
cherry
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shizuka

Japanese form

穏花

しずか

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.

穏
calm; quiet; moderation
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shizuka

Japanese form

師月花

しづか

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.

師
expert; teacher; master; model; exemplar; army (incl. counter); war
月
month; moon
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shou

Japanese form

瑛

しょう

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.

瑛
sparkle of jewelry; crystal
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shun

Japanese form

俊

しゅん

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.

俊
sagacious; genius; excellence
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Shuu

Japanese form

央

しゅう

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.

央
center; middle
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sora

Japanese form

美空

そら

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
空
empty; sky; void; vacant; vacuum
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sou

Japanese form

創

そう

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.

創
genesis; wound; injury; hurt; start; originate
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Sumire

Japanese form

紫花

すみれ

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.

紫
purple; violet
花
flower
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Suzu

Japanese form

紗

すず

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.

紗
gauze; gossamer
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Takami

Japanese form

可美

たかみ

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.

可
can; passable; approval
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Takane

Japanese form

空茜

たかね

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.

空
empty; sky; void; vacant; vacuum
茜
madder; red dye; Turkey red
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Takashi

Japanese form

位

たかし

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.

位
rank; grade; throne; crown; about; some
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tatsumi

Japanese form

建美

たつみ

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.

建
build
美
beauty; beautiful
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Toa

Japanese form

永愛

とあ

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.

永
eternity; long; lengthy
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tomio

Japanese form

美雄

とみお

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.

美
beauty; beautiful
雄
masculine; male; hero; leader; superiority; excellence
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tomoe

Japanese form

知愛

ともえ

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.

知
know; wisdom
愛
love; affection; favourite
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tsubasa

Japanese form

空舞

つばさ

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.

空
empty; sky; void; vacant; vacuum
舞
dance; flit; circle; wheel
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tsugumi

Japanese form

美月光

つぐみ

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
月
month; moon
光
ray; light
Usage not ranked

Given name formats

Romanized form

Tsukasa

Japanese form

月花紗

つかさ

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
花
flower
紗
gauze; gossamer
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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