Masculine
吉川 俊也
Yoshikawa Shunya
よしかわ · しゅんや
- Family name
- Yoshikawa
- Given name
- Shunya
Character meanings
俊excellence
也to be (classical)
Japanese Name Generator
JAPANFind a Japanese name for your next story or game character, with kanji, readings, and the meanings of its characters.
Your names
10 in this batchMasculine
浅野 哲士
Asano Tetsuo
あさの · てつお
- Family name
- Asano
- Given name
- Tetsuo
Character meanings
哲philosophy
士scholar
Feminine
中田 桜
Nakada Sakura
なかだ · さくら
- Family name
- Nakada
- Given name
- Sakura
Character meanings
桜cherry
Masculine
今井 大我
Imai Taiga
いまい · たいが
- Family name
- Imai
- Given name
- Taiga
Character meanings
大big
我oneself
Feminine
西田 日夏
Nishida Hinatsu
にしだ · ひなつ
- Family name
- Nishida
- Given name
- Hinatsu
Character meanings
日sun
夏summer
Masculine
西川 偉也
Nishikawa Hideya
にしかわ · ひでや
- Family name
- Nishikawa
- Given name
- Hideya
Character meanings
偉greatness
也to be (classical)
Feminine
小野 涼
Ono Suzuka
おの · すずか
- Family name
- Ono
- Given name
- Suzuka
Character meanings
涼refreshing
Feminine
加藤 一葉
Kato Kazuha
Also written Katou Kazuha
かとう · かずは
- Family name
- Kato
- Given name
- Kazuha
Character meanings
一one
葉leaf
Masculine
松尾 吉親
Matsuo Yoshichika
まつお · よしちか
- Family name
- Matsuo
- Given name
- Yoshichika
Character meanings
吉good luck
親intimacy
Masculine
吉田 竜也
Yoshida Ryuya
よしだ · りゅうや
- Family name
- Yoshida
- Given name
- Ryuya
Character meanings
竜dragon
也to be (classical)
Explore the dictionary meanings behind each character. Explore the sources.
Behind the name
Japanese names, from sound to meaning
A name has a written form, a reading, and a place in a story.
Family name first, given name second
A Japanese full name normally places the family name before the given name. In Sato Akiko, Sato is the family name and Akiko is the given name. English publications sometimes reverse that order. Keeping the two parts clear is especially useful when a character appears in dialogue, credits, or an international setting.
Family names often contain characters associated with places and landscapes. Yamada is written 山田, with characters for mountain and rice field; Tanaka is written 田中, with rice field and middle. Those character meanings offer a useful starting point for reading the writing. A particular family's history is a separate subject.
Kanji, hiragana, and romaji
Kanji is the written form, such as 太郎. Hiragana gives its reading, たろう. Romaji represents the sound in Latin letters: Taro. Together, these make it possible to recognize the name, read it aloud, and use it in an English manuscript while keeping the Japanese spelling nearby.
More than one spelling can share a reading. Akiko, for example, can be written with different combinations of characters, changing the meanings associated with the name. The written form and the reading belong together. Looking at both is more informative than choosing from a list of Latin spellings alone.
Why Taro and Tarou both appear
Japanese long vowels can be represented in several ways. You may encounter Taro, Tarou, or Tarō; similarly, Ito and Itou represent the reading いとう. This collection displays familiar spellings such as Taro, Ito, and Ryo for reviewed names and includes the original source spelling when it differs. The hiragana remains the same.
In the characters
Japanese names with meanings
Many given names bring together ideas from nature, qualities, and family relationships. 美 means beauty, 智 means wisdom, and 恵 can mean blessing. Nature appears in names through characters such as 花 for flower, 海 for sea, and 楓 for maple. These meanings can help you find a name with an image that suits your character.
For 太郎, the selected meanings are big for 太 and son for 郎. 誠 is presented as sincerity. We choose a relevant dictionary meaning for each character instead of displaying every possible dictionary sense. These are meanings of the individual characters, rather than a literal translation of the entire name.
Sound matters too. A short given name such as Ai or Ken has a different rhythm from a longer name such as Kumiko or Kenichi. Try the given name beside the surname and consider how often it will appear in dialogue. The most useful choice is one you can recognize and consistently spell throughout your story.
Good questions
Choosing a Japanese name
Are these real Japanese names?
The given names and surnames come from recorded name data. Each written form and reading is checked against JMnedict, a Japanese name dictionary. Full names combine a surname with a given name.
Can I find male and female names?
Yes. The masculine and feminine groups follow the original dataset's classification. Some names are used across genders. Any draws from both groups.
Can I use these names for a story or anime character?
They are a starting point for fiction, games, and character creation. Think about your character's age, setting, and relationships alongside the sound and meaning. For a historical story, a Japanese speaker can help check the period and context.
Can I translate my English name into Japanese?
This is a collection of Japanese personal names. Writing an existing English name in katakana is a different task, called transliteration.
Where do the readings and meanings come from?
The Japanese Personal Name Dataset provides candidate names, JMnedict checks the readings, and KANJIDIC2 provides dictionary meanings. Selected additional senses and spelling variants have separate references on the sources page.