Kaoru (かおる)

Kaoru is read かおる and has 3 beats. Our data lists 2 spellings: 薫 and 郁. One is feminine and one works for either gender. Some of them are on our hand-reviewed list of everyday names.

Reading

か·お·る (3 beats)

Kanji spellings

2 in our data

Gender

Depends on the spelling

Source

Hand-reviewed list of everyday names and JMnedict, the open name dictionary

Kanji spellings of Kaoru

One sound can be written with different kanji. Each spelling below is a different name on paper.

  • 薫
    かおる
    CommonEither gender

    Fragrance

  • 郁
    かおる
    Feminine

    Fragrance

The kanji in Kaoru

What each kanji means on its own, and in how many of the spellings above it appears.

  • 薫fragrance1 spelling
  • 郁fragrance1 spelling

Kaoru with common surnames

Full names with a different spelling and surname on each card. Tap a card for the kanji breakdown.

Names that sound similar

Names that start or end with the same sounds.

Kaoruko (かおるこ)Kaori (かおり)Toru (とおる)Kazuko (かずこ)

Kaoru on our lists

Topic pages that include a spelling of this name.

Elegant Japanese NamesUnisex Japanese NamesBeautiful Japanese NamesOld Japanese NamesEdo Period Japanese NamesCommon Japanese First Names

Questions about Kaoru

Is Kaoru a boy's or a girl's name?

It depends on the spelling: 薫 works for either gender and 郁 is feminine.

What does Kaoru mean?

Kaoru is a sound, so the meaning comes from the kanji: 薫 reads as "fragrance" and 郁 reads as "fragrance". Those come from what each kanji means by itself, and parents may have had a fuller picture in mind.

How many ways can Kaoru be written in kanji?

Our data lists 2: 薫 and 郁. Other spellings exist, so ask how a person writes their own name before you write it for them.

How do you pronounce Kaoru?

かおる is 3 beats: か · お · る. Give every beat the same length and keep vowels short and clear; Japanese has no stressed syllable the way English does.

Where this comes from

The spellings are from our hand-reviewed list of everyday names and from JMnedict, the open Japanese name dictionary. Meanings are built from what each kanji means on its own, so they describe the characters, not what a particular family had in mind.

How we check names · Content last reviewed: 2026-11-08.

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