Shiro (しろう)

Shiro is read しろう and has 3 beats. Our data lists 4 spellings: 四郎, 司朗, 司郎 and 史朗. All four are masculine. Some of them are on our hand-reviewed list of everyday names.

Reading

し·ろ·う (3 beats)

Kanji spellings

4 in our data

Gender

Masculine

Source

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

Kanji spellings of Shiro

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

  • 四郎
    しろう
    CommonMasculine

    Fourth son

    • 四(し)— four
    • 郎(ろう)— name ending
  • 司朗
    しろう
    Masculine

    Govern + clear

    • 司(し)— govern
    • 朗(ろう)— clear
  • 司郎
    しろう
    Masculine

    Govern

    • 司(し)— govern
    • 郎(ろう)— name ending
  • 史朗
    しろう
    Masculine

    History + clear

    • 史(し)— history
    • 朗(ろう)— clear

The kanji in Shiro

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

  • 郎name ending2 spellings
  • 司govern2 spellings
  • 朗clear2 spellings
  • 四four1 spelling
  • 史history1 spelling

Shiro with common surnames

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

Shiro on our lists

Topic pages that include a spelling of this name.

Japanese Boy NamesEdo Period Japanese NamesTraditional Japanese Male NamesOld Japanese NamesJapanese Names Starting with SAncient Japan Names

Questions about Shiro

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

In our data every spelling of Shiro is masculine.

What does Shiro mean?

Shiro is a sound, so the meaning comes from the kanji: 四郎 reads as "fourth son", 司朗 reads as "govern + clear" and 司郎 reads as "govern". Those come from what each kanji means by itself, and parents may have had a fuller picture in mind.

How many ways can Shiro be written in kanji?

Our data lists 4: 四郎, 司朗, 司郎 and 史朗. Other spellings exist, so ask how a person writes their own name before you write it for them.

How do you pronounce Shiro?

しろう is 3 beats: し · 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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