Japanese Girl Names and Meanings
Japanese girl names with kanji glosses and readings, plus how endings, one-kanji names and alternate spellings change the picture you get from one sound.
100 names with kanji, readings and meanings
Each card pairs a given name with a surname. Tap a card for the kanji breakdown.
Showing 48 of 100
Random Name Combination
Discover a unique full Japanese name with kanji meanings
About this list
In this list
The best 100 of 1,937 matching given names, each shown with one of 40 surnames.
Typical length
Mostly 3 beats. The shortest has 2, the longest 4.
Kanji you will see most
子 (name ending) ×18, 美 (beauty) ×13, 真 (true) ×9, 愛 (love) ×7
Gender of the names
100 feminine
Meanings and spellings of these names
Each name has a page with its kanji spellings, what the kanji mean and how to say it.
Need a name right now? Pick a gender and style, generate a few at random and copy your favorite.
Female Japanese Name GeneratorA girl's name is the kanji plus the reading you say aloud
Searchers who want meanings are really asking two questions: how the name sounds, and which kanji carry that sound. Yui (結衣) ties bond and garment into two beats; Asuka (明日香) stacks bright, sun and scent into three; Chihiro (千尋) spans a thousand fathoms in the same three-beat shape. Romaji on an English-language site often hides that shape: Haruka (春花) and Haruka (遥) both read はるか in three beats, but the first says spring flower and the second distance. Once you fix the reading in kana, match each kanji to the gloss you want, because the same sound can be written in many ways and only one spelling will say bloom and good as Sakura (咲良) rather than cherry blossom as Sakura (桜).
Girl-name endings you will see again and again
Many familiar girl names close on soft syllables. Several end in -ko with 子 as a name ending rather than a literal child: Kazuko (和子), Sachiko (幸子) and Aiko (愛子). Names ending in -ka often pair 花 or 香 with another kanji, as in Ayaka (彩花) or Kaori (香織). -mi links to 美, as in Natsumi (夏美) and Mizuki (美月). -na shows up in Rena (玲奈), and -ri in names such as Riko (莉子), where 莉 is chosen for sound. In Japan, heavy use of 子 now reads as traditional; parents who want a lighter feel often skip that ending or pick a one-kanji name such as Sakura (桜) or Rei (麗).
Bond, scent, bloom and two kinds of spring
These readings pair everyday girl kanji with glosses you can quote. Yui (結衣) and Misaki (美咲) lean on bond and bloom; Asuka (明日香) and Kaori (香織) carry scent; Sachiko (幸子) and Aiko (愛子) keep the classic -ko shape. Natsumi (夏美) and Chihiro (千尋) stretch the image across two main kanji. Koharu (小春) and Koharu (心春) share こはる at three beats, so the choice is Indian summer warmth against spring of the heart, not length.
| Kanji | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 結衣 | ゆい | Yui | Bonds that tie |
| 千尋 | ちひろ | Chihiro | A thousand fathoms |
| 明日香 | あすか | Asuka | Fragrance of tomorrow |
| 夏美 | なつみ | Natsumi | Summer beauty |
| 幸子 | さちこ | Sachiko | Happy child |
| 愛子 | あいこ | Aiko | Beloved child |
| 香織 | かおり | Kaori | Woven fragrance |
| 美咲 | みさき | Misaki | Beautiful bloom |
| 小春 | こはる | Koharu | Indian summer |
| 心春 | こはる | Koharu | Spring of the heart |
One reading, two spellings: pick the kanji you can defend
Homophonous spellings are normal, not mistakes. Sakura is Sakura (桜) as cherry blossom or Sakura (咲良) as bloom and good. Hana is Hana (花) as flower or Hana (華) as splendor. Haruka can mean spring flower as Haruka (春花) or distance as Haruka (遥). Hitomi is Hitomi (瞳) alone or Hitomi (愛美) with love and beauty. Koharu splits between Koharu (小春), the Indian summer, and Koharu (心春), spring of the heart. Decide which image fits the person, then keep that spelling consistent on forms and in fiction, because switching kanji mid-story changes what listeners think you meant.
Single-kanji names next to two-kanji ones
A one-kanji given name is short on the page and often two beats in speech: Ai (藍), Hime (姫), Suzu (鈴). They put one image forward, which can be vivid but leaves little room to add a second idea. Akari (灯) is one kanji but three beats, so length is not only kanji count. Two-kanji names combine images, as Misaki (美咲) or Miu (美羽), and many still land at two or three beats. Three-kanji names such as Asuka (明日香) or Kumiko (久美子) look longer in romaji; spoken length follows the kana reading, not kanji count. If the name must travel in English, try the romaji against the surname you plan to use; Chihiro (千尋) and Koharu (心春) stay distinct, while Mao (真央) and Miu (美羽) can blur without kanji beside them.
How this list is chosen
Every given name here is a real Japanese given name. It is on our hand-reviewed core list, or it is listed in JMnedict, the open Japanese name dictionary, with one consistent gender. Surnames come from a directory of common family names.
A name’s meaning is built from what each of its kanji means by itself, so Mizuki (美月) reads as beauty and moon. When parents chose a kanji for its sound, or a kanji is only a name ending, the card says so instead of inventing a meaning.
Topic pages put names whose kanji or shape fit the topic first, then rank them by how widely each name is known. Being on a list is not a popularity ranking for Japan, and an unusual spelling is still a real name, not a recommendation.
Read the full method · Content last reviewed: 2026-11-08.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do so many Japanese girl names end in ko?
The syllable -ko with 子 at the end was the standard girl-name pattern for much of the twentieth century, so Aiko (愛子), Hanako (花子) and Tomoko (智子) still sound familiar to older speakers. Today many families treat that ending as dated and choose other finals or a bare kanji such as Yuki (雪). The kanji 子 means child, but in these names it functions as a conventional ending, not a separate word you translate in the full gloss.
How do Hana (花) and Hana (華) differ when both read hana?
The reading はな is the same two beats; the kanji shift the tone. Hana (花) is the everyday flower, the word people use for blossoms in speech. Hana (華) leans toward splendor and display, as in everyday words for showy beauty. Neither is wrong; pick the one whose gloss you would be happy to explain when someone asks how you chose the name.
Are three-beat girl names too long for daily use?
Most familiar girl names sit at two or three beats, which is normal for nicknames and school registers. Koharu (小春), Kaori (香織) and Chihiro (千尋) are three; Yui (結衣), Ai (藍) and Hina (陽菜) are two. Longer four-beat names turn up too, but less often than the two- and three-beat shapes. Count mora in the kana reading, not English syllables or romaji letters, before you decide a name feels heavy.
Can I write a girl's name in hiragana and still keep a meaning?
Yes. A given name can be written in hiragana, as in ゆい or さくら, and many families keep kanji on official papers while friends write the kana form. Hiragana drops the visible gloss: the sound stays, but a reader cannot see bloom in さくら or bond in ゆい unless you spell it out. For a story character, kanji on the first introduction and hiragana in casual dialogue is a common split.
How should I order a Japanese girl's full name in English?
In Japan the family name comes first. Suzuki Yui (鈴木結衣) matches what schools and offices use. English sites often reverse to Yui Suzuki for readers who expect given name first. Keep one order per project, put the kanji once where context needs them, and remember that -san or -chan are honorifics added in speech, not part of Yui (結衣) itself.
Explore More Categories
Discover names across different styles and themes