Japanese Girl Names: Why the Kanji Is Half the Name
The same sound, different characters, different name — Japanese girl names in this library with script and meaning.
Two girls called Yuki may have different names: one written with the character for snow, the other for happiness. In Japanese naming the choice of kanji carries as much meaning as the sound, so any English gloss is an approximation — and this library records the characters where it holds them.
- Aiko — Love child, beloved
- Akane — Deep red (Japanese name for the madder dye plant)
- Akazome — Heian poet who authored the Eiga Monogatari
- Akemi — Bright beauty
- Aki — Autumn / bright (Japanese heritage)
- Akiko — Autumn child, bright child
- Chika — God is supreme (Igbo)
- Mai — Apricot blossom
- Mayumi — Gentle, modest
- Mika — Beautiful fragrance (Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe co
- Nana — Seven (Japanese)
- Rika — True fragrance / ruler (Japanese + Dutch heritage)
- Rina — Jasmine / joyous song (Rina Sawayama, John Wick 4)
- Rumi — Roman, beauty
- Shuri — Princess of Wakanda (Marvel's Shuri, Black Panther s
- Suki — Beloved (Suki Waterhouse
- Tori — Bird (Tori Amos, alternative-rock pianist)
- Yuna — Gentle, kind, jasper
Girls' naming in Japan leans on the natural world — seasons, flowers, weather, light — and the entries show the specific image each name carries.