Motonobu (もとのぶ)

Motonobu is read もとのぶ and has 4 beats. Our data lists 2 spellings: 基信 and 元伸. All two are masculine.

Reading

も·と·の·ぶ (4 beats)

Kanji spellings

2 in our data

Gender

Masculine

Source

JMnedict, the open name dictionary

Kanji spellings of Motonobu

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

  • 基信
    もとのぶ
    Masculine

    Foundation + faith

    • 基(もと)— foundation
    • 信(のぶ)— faith
  • 元伸
    もとのぶ
    Masculine

    Origin + stretch

    • 元(もと)— origin
    • 伸(のぶ)— stretch

The kanji in Motonobu

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

  • 基foundation1 spelling
  • 信faith1 spelling
  • 元origin1 spelling
  • 伸stretch1 spelling

Motonobu with common surnames

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

Motonobu on our lists

Topic pages that include a spelling of this name.

Heroic Japanese Names

Questions about Motonobu

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

In our data every spelling of Motonobu is masculine.

What does Motonobu mean?

Motonobu is a sound, so the meaning comes from the kanji: 基信 reads as "foundation + faith" and 元伸 reads as "origin + stretch". Those come from what each kanji means by itself, and parents may have had a fuller picture in mind.

How many ways can Motonobu be written in kanji?

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

How do you pronounce Motonobu?

もとのぶ is 4 beats: も · と · の · ぶ. 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.

Want a full name to go with it? Pick a style and generate a few.

Open the name generator