Mao (まお)

Mao is read まお and has 2 beats. Our data lists 3 spellings: 真央, 真音 and 真桜. All three are feminine. Some of them are on our hand-reviewed list of everyday names.

Reading

ま·お (2 beats)

Kanji spellings

3 in our data

Gender

Feminine

Source

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

Kanji spellings of Mao

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

  • 真央
    まお
    CommonFeminine

    True center

    • 真(ま)— true
    • 央(お)— center
  • 真音
    まお
    Feminine

    True + sound

    • 真(ま)— true
    • 音(お)— sound
  • 真桜
    まお
    Feminine

    True + cherry blossom

    • 真(ま)— true
    • 桜(お)— cherry blossom

The kanji in Mao

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

  • 真true3 spellings
  • 央center1 spelling
  • 音sound1 spelling
  • 桜cherry blossom1 spelling

Mao with common surnames

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

Mao on our lists

Topic pages that include a spelling of this name.

3 Letter Japanese NamesShort Japanese Girl NamesJapanese Names in KatakanaJapanese Girl Names and MeaningsAesthetic Japanese Name TemplatesShort Japanese Names

Questions about Mao

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

In our data every spelling of Mao is feminine.

What does Mao mean?

Mao is a sound, so the meaning comes from the kanji: 真央 reads as "true center", 真音 reads as "true + sound" and 真桜 reads as "true + cherry blossom". Those come from what each kanji means by itself, and parents may have had a fuller picture in mind.

How many ways can Mao be written in kanji?

Our data lists 3: 真央, 真音 and 真桜. Other spellings exist, so ask how a person writes their own name before you write it for them.

How do you pronounce Mao?

まお is 2 beats: ま · お. 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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