How to Give Your Baby a Japanese Name

Traditionally, Americans look to their heritage and family history for children's names, while the Japanese usually do not name children after themselves or relatives. The steps below will direct you to the meanings and spellings of some Japanese names for children.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose a name synonymous with longevity. For girls, these include Kishi, Kameko and Sen. Kameko means turtle child, and a turtle symbolizes a long life. Sen is a mythical elf that lives for thousands of years. For boys, Juro means long life.

2. Select a name that means intelligence: Tomo for a girl and Hideaki for a boy.

3. Opt for a name that is bright and happy. For girls, Akiko means bright light, Keiko and Kioko mean happy child, and Mai means brightness.

4. Decide on a name that reflects a peaceful, reserved child. For girls, Rei means polite and Shika means gentle deer. For boys, Hisoka means reserved and Kioshi means quiet.

5. Name your child for prosperity: Mieko, Sakura or Sakae for girls, and Tomi, which means rich, for a boy.

6. Choose a name that symbolizes strength: Mio for a girl and Kaori or Takeshi for a boy.

7. Select a name like Dai or Montaro for a big boy.

8. Name your child for an animal you love. For example, Tori means bird and Shika means gentle deer. Both are used as female names.

Tips & Warnings

• Mi means beauty and is often added to the names of Japanese girls. Examples are Ami, Nami, Satomi and Kumi.
• Ichiro is a name given to the first son in a family. Jiro, Saburo, and Shiro can follow for successive sons.
• Keep in mind that these names come from various parts of the country and can be derived from different cultures. The spellings and meaning may vary slightly from region to region - check with your family or other resources if this is important in naming your child.

[russellcox]

on 2/24/2009 For the sake of international flair we gave one son an Italian name and the other a Japanese name. The oldest is named Mario and the youngest is named Yoshi.

on 11/22/2005 While those are some nice names, a lot of them are not actually names, they are words. Rei and Sen and Ken are good names, though.

Try these names:
Kisa (for girls) - Kee-sah
Nabiki (for girls) - Nah-bee-kee
Ayumi (for girls) - Aye-ooh-mee
Arisa (for girls) - Ah-ree-sah
Keiko (for girls) - Kay-koh

Hiroshi (for boys) - Hee-roh-shee
Amon (for boys) - Ay-mohn (my name)
Akito (for boys) - Ah-kee-toh
Masa (for boys) - Mah-saa
Toshio (for boys) - Toh-shee-oh

on 11/22/2005 Don't give your child a Japanese name unless you know the language and can pick the name from a Japanese baby name book (and you can pronounce the name correctly). Most of the names listed here are not really names, they are words, and many of them do not have correct meanings listed.

If you want an International-sounding name, that will be appropriate in both Japanese and English, consider:
Girls: Naomi, Erika, Risa (Lisa), Rina (Lina), Arisa (Alyssa), Maria, Mari (Mary/Marie). Such names are increasingly popular in Japan these days. And it saves the problem of having a girl named Sakura always being called Sackerra in America.
Boys: Ken is the only one I can think of that works in both languages. Dan works well in Japanese, but is not a Japanese name. Rick/Riku works as well.

Choosing a Japanese name is complicated, and many parents will make up their own name. Choose the characters for it very carefully.

on 11/22/2005 For girls, the name Naomi is a good name that is found in BOTH Japanese and English.

For boys, the name Ken is both a Japanese and English name.