Japanese Name Generator
Random Japanese names for boys and girls, each with its kanji, hiragana and meaning. Add a family name, choose the name order, and copy the name in romaji or kanji.
Japanese names
Click a name or its kanji to copy it. Star the ones you like.
Sayuri: little lily. Nishimura: west village.
Izumi: spring of water. Shimada: island rice field.
Riko: jasmine, child. Fukuda: lucky rice field.
Yusuke: blessing, helper. Hashimoto: foot of the bridge.
Aoi: hollyhock. Ishii: stone well.
Haruto: sun, to soar. Kobayashi: small forest.
Hiroshi: broad, learned. Fukuda: lucky rice field.
Kiyomi: pure beauty. Matsuda: pine rice field.
Emi: blessed beauty. Yamaguchi: mountain entrance.
Yusuke: blessing, helper. Kaneko: gold child.
Kaname: cornerstone, the key part. Murakami: upper village.
Masato: righteous person. Matsumoto: foot of the pine.
Mio: water channel. Suzuki: bell tree.
Suzu: bell. Ito: this, wisteria.
Takumi: master craftsman. Aoki: green tree.
Haruka: far away. Kato: to add, wisteria.
Sora: sky. Kamiya: valley of the gods.
Tomoko: wise child. Yamada: mountain rice field.
Ryo: cool, refreshing. Fujii: wisteria well.
Hanako: flower child. Tachibana: mandarin orange tree.
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How Japanese names work
A Japanese name has two parts: the family name (myōji) and the given name. In Japan the family name comes first, so the author Murakami Haruki is Haruki Murakami in most English books. Japanese people do not usually have a middle name.
Names are written in kanji, and parents choose the characters for their meaning. That is why one name can have many spellings, and why the same kanji can be read different ways: 光 is Hikaru for a boy and Hikari for a girl.
Some endings hint at gender. Boy names often end in -o, -ta, -to, -ki or -suke (Akio, Kenta, Haruto, Daiki, Daisuke). Many classic girl names end in -ko (child), like Keiko and Hanako, while newer girl names tend to be short and soft, like Mei, Yui and Rin.
Popular Japanese boy names
Names that have been near the top of Japanese baby name rankings in recent years:
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Haruto | 陽翔 (はると) | sun, to soar |
| Minato | 湊 (みなと) | harbor |
| Riku | 陸 (りく) | land |
| Ren | 蓮 (れん) | lotus |
| Sota | 蒼太 (そうた) | blue, big |
| Yuto | 悠斗 (ゆうと) | calm, the Big Dipper |
| Itsuki | 樹 (いつき) | tree |
| Asahi | 朝陽 (あさひ) | morning sun |
| Yamato | 大和 (やまと) | great harmony, an old name for Japan |
| Kaito | 海斗 (かいと) | sea, the Big Dipper |
Popular Japanese girl names
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Himari | 陽葵 (ひまり) | sun, hollyhock |
| Yui | 結衣 (ゆい) | to tie, robe |
| Mei | 芽依 (めい) | bud, to rely on |
| Tsumugi | 紬 (つむぎ) | woven silk |
| Aoi | 葵 (あおい) | hollyhock |
| Mio | 澪 (みお) | water channel |
| Rin | 凛 (りん) | dignified |
| Hina | 陽菜 (ひな) | sun, greens |
| Akari | 灯 (あかり) | lamp, light |
| Sakura | 桜 (さくら) | cherry blossom |
More Japanese names with meanings
Classic and less common names, from older generations to anime favourites.
| Boy name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Haruki | 春樹 (はるき) | spring, tree |
| Takumi | 匠 (たくみ) | master craftsman |
| Daiki | 大輝 (だいき) | great radiance |
| Kenta | 健太 (けんた) | healthy, big |
| Shota | 翔太 (しょうた) | to soar, big |
| Ryota | 涼太 (りょうた) | cool, big |
| Takeshi | 武 (たけし) | warrior |
| Hiroshi | 博 (ひろし) | broad, learned |
| Kenji | 健二 (けんじ) | healthy, second son |
| Akira | 明 (あきら) | bright, clear |
| Daisuke | 大輔 (だいすけ) | great helper |
| Kazuki | 一輝 (かずき) | one, radiance |
| Yusuke | 祐介 (ゆうすけ) | blessing, helper |
| Shin | 真 (しん) | true |
| Ryo | 涼 (りょう) | cool, refreshing |
| Kota | 康太 (こうた) | peace, big |
| Makoto | 誠 (まこと) | sincerity |
| Satoshi | 聡 (さとし) | wise, quick to learn |
| Takashi | 隆 (たかし) | noble, prosperous |
| Tatsuya | 達也 (たつや) | accomplished |
| Naoki | 直樹 (なおき) | honest, tree |
| Isamu | 勇 (いさむ) | brave |
| Hayato | 隼人 (はやと) | falcon, person |
| Ryunosuke | 龍之介 (りゅうのすけ) | dragon, helper |
| Shun | 駿 (しゅん) | swift horse |
| Taiga | 大河 (たいが) | great river |
| Jun | 純 (じゅん) | pure |
| Masato | 正人 (まさと) | righteous person |
| Eiji | 英二 (えいじ) | excellent, second son |
| Hikaru | 光 (ひかる) | to shine |
| Kaname | 要 (かなめ) | cornerstone, the key part |
| Tsubasa | 翼 (つばさ) | wings |
| Hideo | 英雄 (ひでお) | hero |
| Susumu | 進 (すすむ) | to advance |
| Ichiro | 一郎 (いちろう) | first son |
| Kazuo | 和夫 (かずお) | harmony, man |
| Akio | 昭夫 (あきお) | bright man |
| Noboru | 昇 (のぼる) | to rise |
| Osamu | 治 (おさむ) | to govern, to heal |
| Sora | 空 (そら) | sky |
| Girl name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yuna | 結菜 (ゆな) | to tie, greens |
| Hana | 花 (はな) | flower |
| Yuki | 雪 (ゆき) | snow |
| Haruka | 遥 (はるか) | far away |
| Kaede | 楓 (かえで) | maple |
| Ayaka | 彩花 (あやか) | colorful flower |
| Misaki | 美咲 (みさき) | beautiful blossom |
| Nanami | 七海 (ななみ) | seven seas |
| Emi | 恵美 (えみ) | blessed beauty |
| Ai | 愛 (あい) | love |
| Kaori | 香織 (かおり) | fragrance, to weave |
| Megumi | 恵 (めぐみ) | blessing |
| Naomi | 直美 (なおみ) | honest beauty |
| Keiko | 恵子 (けいこ) | blessed child |
| Yoko | 陽子 (ようこ) | sun child |
| Akiko | 明子 (あきこ) | bright child |
| Hanako | 花子 (はなこ) | flower child |
| Tomoko | 智子 (ともこ) | wise child |
| Michiko | 美智子 (みちこ) | beautiful, wise child |
| Sayuri | 小百合 (さゆり) | little lily |
| Chiyo | 千代 (ちよ) | a thousand generations |
| Asuka | 明日香 (あすか) | fragrance of tomorrow |
| Hikari | 光 (ひかり) | light |
| Natsuki | 夏希 (なつき) | summer, hope |
| Mai | 舞 (まい) | dance |
| Saki | 咲 (さき) | to blossom |
| Riko | 莉子 (りこ) | jasmine, child |
| Miyu | 美優 (みゆ) | beautiful, gentle |
| Koharu | 小春 (こはる) | little spring |
| Shiori | 栞 (しおり) | bookmark |
| Ayame | 菖蒲 (あやめ) | iris |
| Suzu | 鈴 (すず) | bell |
| Mizuki | 瑞希 (みずき) | good fortune, hope |
| Kiyomi | 清美 (きよみ) | pure beauty |
| Momoko | 桃子 (ももこ) | peach child |
| Izumi | 泉 (いずみ) | spring of water |
| Nozomi | 希 (のぞみ) | hope, wish |
| Hotaru | 蛍 (ほたる) | firefly |
| Midori | 緑 (みどり) | green |
| Kokoro | 心 (こころ) | heart, mind |
Common Japanese last names
Sato, Suzuki and Takahashi are the most common family names in Japan. Many family names describe a place: 山 (yama) is mountain, 田 (ta or da) is rice field, 川 (kawa or gawa) is river and 本 (moto) is base or foot.
| Last name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sato | 佐藤 (さとう) | help, wisteria |
| Suzuki | 鈴木 (すずき) | bell tree |
| Takahashi | 高橋 (たかはし) | high bridge |
| Tanaka | 田中 (たなか) | in the rice field |
| Watanabe | 渡辺 (わたなべ) | to cross the shore |
| Ito | 伊藤 (いとう) | this, wisteria |
| Yamamoto | 山本 (やまもと) | foot of the mountain |
| Nakamura | 中村 (なかむら) | middle village |
| Kobayashi | 小林 (こばやし) | small forest |
| Kato | 加藤 (かとう) | to add, wisteria |
| Yoshida | 吉田 (よしだ) | lucky rice field |
| Yamada | 山田 (やまだ) | mountain rice field |
| Sasaki | 佐々木 (ささき) | helping tree |
| Yamaguchi | 山口 (やまぐち) | mountain entrance |
| Matsumoto | 松本 (まつもと) | foot of the pine |
| Inoue | 井上 (いのうえ) | above the well |
| Kimura | 木村 (きむら) | tree village |
| Hayashi | 林 (はやし) | grove |
| Shimizu | 清水 (しみず) | pure water |
| Yamazaki | 山崎 (やまざき) | mountain cape |
| Mori | 森 (もり) | forest |
| Ikeda | 池田 (いけだ) | pond rice field |
| Hashimoto | 橋本 (はしもと) | foot of the bridge |
| Ishikawa | 石川 (いしかわ) | stone river |
| Ogawa | 小川 (おがわ) | small river |
| Fujita | 藤田 (ふじた) | wisteria field |
| Okada | 岡田 (おかだ) | hill rice field |
| Hasegawa | 長谷川 (はせがわ) | long valley river |
| Murakami | 村上 (むらかみ) | upper village |
| Ishii | 石井 (いしい) | stone well |
| Saito | 斎藤 (さいとう) | to purify, wisteria |
| Sakamoto | 坂本 (さかもと) | foot of the slope |
| Aoki | 青木 (あおき) | green tree |
| Fujii | 藤井 (ふじい) | wisteria well |
| Nishimura | 西村 (にしむら) | west village |
| Fukuda | 福田 (ふくだ) | lucky rice field |
| Miura | 三浦 (みうら) | three bays |
| Takeuchi | 竹内 (たけうち) | inside the bamboo |
| Nakajima | 中島 (なかじま) | middle island |
| Matsuda | 松田 (まつだ) | pine rice field |
| Kikuchi | 菊池 (きくち) | chrysanthemum pond |
| Kurosawa | 黒沢 (くろさわ) | black marsh |
| Fujiwara | 藤原 (ふじわら) | wisteria plain |
| Takeda | 武田 (たけだ) | warrior rice field |
| Hoshino | 星野 (ほしの) | star field |
| Tachibana | 橘 (たちばな) | mandarin orange tree |
| Kaneko | 金子 (かねこ) | gold child |
| Arai | 新井 (あらい) | new well |
| Amano | 天野 (あまの) | heavenly field |
| Kitagawa | 北川 (きたがわ) | north river |
| Morita | 森田 (もりた) | forest rice field |
| Sakurai | 桜井 (さくらい) | cherry tree well |
| Kamiya | 神谷 (かみや) | valley of the gods |
| Shimada | 島田 (しまだ) | island rice field |
More Japanese tools
Learning to read the names? Use the hiragana and katakana chart with random kana practice. Need a name for a fantasy world instead? Try the fantasy name generator.