Kotaro (こたろう)

Kotaro is read こたろう and has 4 beats. Our data lists 2 spellings: 小太郎 and 庫太郎. All two are masculine. Some of them are on our hand-reviewed list of everyday names.

Reading

こ·た·ろ·う (4 beats)

Kanji spellings

2 in our data

Gender

Masculine

Source

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

Kanji spellings of Kotaro

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

  • 小太郎
    こたろう
    CommonMasculine

    Little eldest son

    • 小(こ)— small
    • 太(た)— thick
    • 郎(ろう)— name ending
  • 庫太郎
    こたろう
    Masculine

    Storehouse + thick

    • 庫(こ)— storehouse
    • 太(た)— thick
    • 郎(ろう)— name ending

The kanji in Kotaro

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

  • 太thick2 spellings
  • 郎name ending2 spellings
  • 小small1 spelling
  • 庫storehouse1 spelling

Kotaro with common surnames

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

Other names that use 小 (small)

Koharu (こはる)Kojiro (こじろう)

Kotaro on our lists

Topic pages that include a spelling of this name.

Edo Period Japanese NamesAncient Japan NamesLong Japanese NamesJapanese Boy Names with MeaningsCute Japanese NamesTraditional Japanese Male Names

Questions about Kotaro

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

In our data every spelling of Kotaro is masculine.

What does Kotaro mean?

Kotaro is a sound, so the meaning comes from the kanji: 小太郎 reads as "little eldest son" and 庫太郎 reads as "storehouse + thick". Those come from what each kanji means by itself, and parents may have had a fuller picture in mind.

How many ways can Kotaro be written in kanji?

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

How do you pronounce Kotaro?

こたろう is 4 beats: こ · た · ろ · う. 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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