That’s the reason why a lot of parents choose Japanese names for their babies even if their family isn’t Japanese. Here are our top 100 picks for Japanese names to help you find the best one for your little girl:
Popular Japanese Baby Names for Girls
Japanese baby names can have different meanings, depending on the kanji (characters adopted from logographic Chinese characters) used to write them. So, one name can have different meanings, yet similarly spelled names can also have totally different meanings. The following are our top 100 Japanese baby names for girls, with their origins and meanings:
Ahma
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Black rain
Variations/Synonyms: Restful or dark rain
Description: This boho-chic name can also be spelled as Amma.
Ai
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Love
Variations/Synonyms: Affection
Description: This name can also mean mugwort, a species of aromatic flowers.
Aiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of love
Variations/Synonyms: Love, affection, and child
Description: Aiko is a popular name because of its meaning.
What Is The Prettiest Japanese Name? Aimi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Love, affection, and beauty
Variations/Synonyms: Aimee (English) or Amy (English)
Description: Some parents choose this name because of its similarity to Amy and Aimee.
Aina
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Love of all things green (such as plants and vegetables)
Variations/Synonyms: Love, affection, greens, or vegetables
Description: Aina uses the kanji for love and affection and combines it with the kanji for vegetables or greens.
Airi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Gallant and clever
Variations/Synonyms: Love, affection, pear (fruit), crystal, peace, beautiful, forest, smart, and vivid colors
Description: The name combines the kanji for love and affection with pear (fruit).
Akane
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Deep red
Variations/Synonyms: Light, restful, bright, lovely, beautiful, love, and summer
Description: This name can also mean “play the music.”
Akari
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Lights or brightness
Variations/Synonyms: Vivid color, crystal, beauty, star, smart, and be gifted
Description: You might consider the similar name Akira, which means “bright and intelligent.”
What Japanese Girl Name Means Beautiful? Akemi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Bright and beautiful
Variations/Synonyms: Vermillion (a shade of bright red color)
Description: This name can also mean “dawn” or “ocean,” depending on the kanji used
Aki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Bright and glistening just like the autumn
Variations/Synonyms: Doing it clearly, light, philosopher, trust, shining light, and crystal
Description: The name can also mean “cheerfulness.”
What Is A Cute Japanese Name? Akiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of autumn
Variations/Synonyms: Trust, light, shining light, philosopher, cheerfulness, and crystal
Description: Akiko was created as the combination of Aki, which means “autumn,” and “ko,” which means “child.”
Akira
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Clear
Variations/Synonyms: Philosopher, bright, light, autumn, morning sun, shining light, radiance, and sparkle
Description: This can be a nice name for a bubbly, cheerful child.
Anzu
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Apricot (a fruit)
Variations/Synonyms: Ripe
Description: The name meaning is apricot or ripe, but it can be used as a nice girl name, too.
Aoi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Hollyhock or althea (flowers)
Variations/Synonyms: Vivid colors, love, dark blue, cherry blossoms, refreshing, love, great, and sacred
Description: This flowery name could be a nice name for a girl.
Asahi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Morning sun
Variations/Synonyms: Vividness, light, bright sun, fly in the sky, progress, bloom, and fortune
Description: Depending on the kanji used, this name can also mean “princess.”
Asami
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Hemp and beauty
Variations/Synonyms: Origin, morning, water, ocean, sacred, attractive, and wave
Description: Asami is popular because some parents think that it’s a cool-sounding name.
Asuka
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Fly or bird
Variations/Synonyms: Flower, bright, sun, pearl, song, large hill, beautiful, and summer
Description: This could be a name for an adventurous child.
Aya
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Colorful
Variations/Synonyms: Bright, blessed, to master the academic, and progress
Description: The name means “colorful” and is a fun alternative to common girl names like Maya, Kaia, or Isla.
Ayaka
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Color or flower
Variations/Synonyms: Vivid colors, beautiful, craftsmanship, a kind of jewelry, summer, entertainer, and play the music
Description: Ayaka is made by combining “aya,” which means color, and “ka,” which means “someone.” But it can also be spelled as Ayako because “ko” means “child.”
Ayame
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Iris
Variations/Synonyms: Love, sprout, craftsmanship, princess, vividness, strawberry, and thanks
Description: Ayame means a flowering plant named iris with flowers in purple, violet, or purple-red.
Bashira
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Joyful
Variations/Synonyms: Beautiful smile
Description: This joyful Japanese girl name sounds sweet. It can be shortened to Shira.
Chihiro
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Thousand or big
Variations/Synonyms: Search, seek, superiority, infinite space and time, long life, progress, and wide sea
Description: The name also means “spread the light.” It’s a popular choice for parents who are fans of the Japanese animated fantasy film “Spirited Away” because it’s the main character’s name.
Chiho
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beauty of a rice field
Variations/Synonyms: Sprout, smart, or knowledge
Description: You can also use Chihoko, which can roughly translate to “a beautiful child of the rice field.”
Chika
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Scattered flowers or good wisdom
Variations/Synonyms: Harmonious, lovely, beautiful, smart, kind, fine, summer, and ocean
Description: This can be a good choice to name a kind child.
Chikako
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of a thousand wisdom
Variations/Synonyms: Child of a thousand flowers
Description: This name has many different interpretations, including “a child of a thousand summers” or “a child of a thousand oceans,” depending on what kanji you’ll use.
Chiyo
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A thousand generations
Variations/Synonyms: Fortune, generation, lotus, sun, smart, and beauty
Description: The name makes a tribute to your family’s ancestors.
Cho
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Butterfly
Variations/Synonyms: Super
Description: It can also be spelled as “Chou,” which holds the same meaning.
In Japanese culture, “cho” or “chou” is used to mean “super,” so that “chou yabai” means “super cool.”
Emi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beautiful smile
Variations/Synonyms: Laugh, heart, kindness, bloom, water, light, good, progress, and blessed
Description: Some parents take the spelling Emi as a variation to Emy or Emmie’s English spellings.
Emiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beautiful child
Variations/Synonyms: A child with a beautiful smile
Description: Emiko combines the kanjis for “beautiful smile” (emi) and “child” (ko).
Etsuko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of joy
Variations/Synonyms: Rainbow, joy, blessed, forever and ever, camellia, and harbor
Description: Etsuko can also mean a “child of the rainbow” or “a blessed child.”
Fumiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Intellectual or a smart girl
Variations/Synonyms: Pearl, love, rainbow, aromatic, help someone, beauty, disciplined, and wealth
Description: It can be shortened to Fumi or Miko.
Fuyuko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Winter child
Variations/Synonyms: Winter, wealth, help of god, reason, friend, a child of winter, and lotus
Description: This name could be a choice for babies born during winter.
Hana
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Flower or blossom
Variations/Synonyms: Fountain, love, harmony, calm, serenity, beauty, crystal, snow, gem, cherry blossoms, and summer
Description: If you like Hannah (a biblical name), Hana could be another option you can choose for your baby.
Hanako
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Flower child
Variations/Synonyms: Love, calm, serenity, harmony, beauty, snow, gem, crystal, cherry blossoms, and summer
Description: Hanako is made from the combination of ‘hana’ and the kanji for ‘ko,’ which means “child.”
Haruka
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A child of the spring blossom or simply “the spring child.”
Variations/Synonyms: Spring fragrance, infinite space and time, forever and ever, lovely, sun, spring, a beautiful flower, and wind
Description: Haru can be a good choice for your baby who’s born on a clear, sunny day or in springtime. It can also be a nice name for a child who brings a ray of sunlight into your life.
Haruna
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Spring flower
Variations/Synonyms: Greens, new beginnings, beautiful, spring, hazel, God’s decree, calm, and beach
Description: This could also be a nice name for a baby born in spring.
Hayami
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Rare beauty
Variations/Synonyms: Early, sprout, beautiful lady, water, and a strong gale
Description: Some parents prefer this name because it means “beautiful lady” and celebrates every woman’s rare beauty.
Hikari
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Light
Variations/Synonyms: Sun, the light of the sun, beautiful, lovely, cool, love, flower, shine, and bright
Description: This name could mean a child who brings sunshine or light into your life.
Himari
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Home of light and love
Variations/Synonyms: Ball of light, true, ten thousand, jasmine, hollyhock flower, love, sun, village, dream, crystal, dance, holly, princess, or sunflower
Description: Himari is popular because of its melodic sound and its association with different flowers.
Himiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Sun child
Variations/Synonyms: Princess, beauty, sacred, flower, progress, and sun
Description: The name means child of the sun and could be a great choice for your baby who’s born in summer or a child with a cheerful disposition.
Hinata
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A sunny place
Variations/Synonyms: Fruit trees, poetry, bloom, play music, sun, warm, princess, gentle, laugh, and pleasant
Description: Hinata is made with a combination of kanji characters “hina” and “ta” that could mean sun, light, green, and vegetables. So, it would be great for a baby who might love the earth or who’s born during spring when plants are in bloom.
Honoka
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Harmony flower
Variations/Synonyms: Beautiful, lovely, play the music, fire, high quality, summer, flower, cherry blossoms, entertainer, sail, and fruits.
Description: This sweet-sounding name could be a nice one for a beautiful baby.
Hoshiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Star child
Variations/Synonyms: Child of the star
Description: You can choose the shorter version, Hoshi, which means “star.”
Ichika
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: One summer
Variations/Synonyms: Best, entertainer, one thousand flowers, love, beautiful, harmony, peace, excellent, summer, delighted, maple tree, and play the music.
Description: This modern baby name has anime connotations.
Isamu
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Brave
Variations/Synonyms: Vigorous, robust, and energetic
Description: A lot of parents love this name because it means “brave.”
Izumi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Fountain and spring
Variations/Synonyms: Kindness, the reason, fruit, crane, ocean, serenity, harmony, peace, fountain, pure, fountain, and water
Description: This name would be a nice option for a baby who’s born in spring or near the ocean.
Jin
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Quiet or benevolence
Variations/Synonyms: Strong, benevolence, god, heart, serve, aspire, and camp
Description: Jin could be a nice name for a baby with a gentle and tender nature.
Junko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Obedience or pure
Variations/Synonyms: Truth, sincerity, season, sincerity, consult, polite, courteous, and beautiful pattern of fabric
Description: This name means an obedient child.
Kagami
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Mirror or clear
Variations/Synonyms: Ocean, incense, and beauty
Description: This cool name can be a nice pick for a clear-minded girl.
Kairi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Ocean village
Variations/Synonyms: Clear as crystal, free, cypress, cherry blossoms, bell, picture, and treasure
Description: You can change the spelling to Kairy, which means “sea.”
Kana
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beautiful
Variations/Synonyms: Ocean, beautiful, window, true, gentle, calm, lovely entertainer, and harmony
Description: This name can also be spelled as Kanna.
Kaori
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Nice scent or perfume
Variations/Synonyms: Aromatic, entertainment, woven, cherry blossoms, summer, beautiful, and flower
Description: This sweet name could be perfect for a child born in summer.
Kasumi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Mist
Variations/Synonyms: Beautiful, pure, song, harmony, peace, serene, heart, spring, and ocean
Description: The name is also made from the combination of the kanji for flower and pure.
Kazuko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Peaceful child
Variations/Synonyms: Moon, serenity, peace, long life, knowledge, luck, and pearl
Description: This nice name could be lovely for a peaceful, quiet child.
Kei
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Gemstone
Variations/Synonyms: Hope, firefly, understand, clever, lovely, engagement, aromatic, and great
Description: This lovely name can be a short version of Keiko. It used to be popular as a baby boy name but has become increasingly used as a female name in recent years.
Kiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Hope
Variations/Synonyms: Bright
Description: This sweet name is chosen by parents who want a short name with a nice meaning.
Kimi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Honorable
Variations/Synonyms: Ocean, joy, craftsmanship, kindness, beauty, progress, hope, princess, and fountain
Description: The name can be a variation for the English names Kimmy and Kimberly.
Koko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Stork
Variations/Synonyms: Love, deep red, rainbow, heart, Japanese harp, live longer, fortune, and be delighted.
Description: Parents may favor this name because of its similarity to Coco, a French fashion brand.
Kumiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A forever beautiful child
Variations/Synonyms: Kindness, fruit, beauty, sacred, progress, sky, and beautiful black stone
Description: This stylish name is a good pick for a precious, kind child.
What Are Some Unique Japanese Names? Mami
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: True and beauty
Variations/Synonyms: Truth, jasmine, beauty, hemp, kindness, fine, shrine, pearl, ocean, genuine, and progress
Description: This name relates to truth and beauty, making it a nice choice for your little girl.
Mana
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Love or affection
Variations/Synonyms: True, calm, fruit trees, superior, ten thousand, camphor tree, and sincerity
Description: The name hails from different Japanese characters but can also be spelled as Manna (Italian) which means “windfall.”
Masako
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Elegant child
Variations/Synonyms: Graceful, crystal, Japanese spindle tree, true, elegance, sand, bloom, cherry blossoms, and vivid colors
Description: It could make a nice name for a graceful or elegant child.
Mayumi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Elegant and truth
Variations/Synonyms: Reason, real, kindness, ocean, beauty, bow, superior, and attractive
Description: It could also mean an elegant, graceful child.
Megumi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Favor or blessings
Variations/Synonyms: Benefit, favor, light, river, blessed, love, benevolence, fortune, affectionate, kindness, water, and progress
Description: Because every child is a blessing, this name could be a nice choice for your baby girl.
Mei
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Bud or sprout
Variations/Synonyms: Bright, the reason, blessed, life, good, love, vividness, princess, and emphasis
Description: The name also means “blessed” and could make a lovely choice for your little princess.
Michi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Path
Variations/Synonyms: Myself, smart, knowledgeable, delighted, and beauty
Description: It could be a cool name for your “mini-me.”
Mika
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A beautiful flower
Variations/Synonyms: Lovely, summer, kindness, fruit, fragrant, song, good, and come true
Description: The name is made from a kanji for beautiful and another for fragrance.
Miki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A flower stem
Variations/Synonyms: Tree, light, kindness, hope, gorgeous, joy, and rare
Description: This could be a nickname for the English name Michelle, too.
Mio
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A beautiful cherry blossom
Variations/Synonyms: Heart, second, harmony, peace, light, dream, kindness, go through the years, love, and sound
Description: This sweet name befits a peaceful child.
Misaki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beautiful blossom
Variations/Synonyms: Beauty, heart, cherry blossoms, fortune, good, laugh, light, bloom, fountain, and prayer
Description: The name could also be for a baby who’s a blessing to your family.
Mitsuki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beautiful moon
Variations/Synonyms: Princess, kindness, hope, light, season, three, brightness, rare, and joy
Description: This name is a tribute to the moon and could be a nice name for a baby born at night.
Moriko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Forest child
Variations/Synonyms: Crystal or cloud
Description: A name for a forest child, Moriko can be a good pick for a nature-loving child.
Nara
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Flower from heaven
Variations/Synonyms: Beautiful, fruit trees, and good
Description: Some parents pick this floral name for their baby girl because it’s also related to the heavens.
Niko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Amber stone or the gem-like quality from the amber stone
Variations/Synonyms: Benevolence and tiger
Description: Niko is among the popular boys’ names that can also be a nice option for girls.
Ren
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Water lily
Variations/Synonyms: Pure heart, lotus, clever, ripple, dream, and maple tree
Description: This name has anime characteristics but is favored by parents because it also means “pure heart.”
Renho
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Pure heart and friend
Variations/Synonyms: Lotus, step, and clever
Description: Some parents pick this name because they want their baby to be one with a pure heart for her friends.
Rin
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A gallant, dignified person
Variations/Synonyms: Orchid, beautiful ball, apricot, dream, extraordinary, crystal, and bell
Description: Though it just differs by a vowel from Ren, Rin has a totally different meaning. The two use different kanji characters.
Rio
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: White jasmine
Variations/Synonyms: Smart, firebird, gallant, courageous, love, shining light, cherry blossoms, and interest
Description: Rio can be a unisex name because it can also be written in a kanji that means “king.”
Risa
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Growing flowers at home
Variations/Synonyms: Crystal, morning, bloom, beautiful, smart, gallant, vivid colors, helping someone, fortune, interest, and sand
Description: This whimsical Japanese name is popular for its nice meaning and similarity to the English name Risa which means “laughter.”
Sachiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of bliss
Variations/Synonyms: Luck, knowledge, love, fortune, smartness, and knowledge
Description: This name can also mean a happy or lucky child who’s filled with happiness.
Sakura
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Cherry blossoms
Variations/Synonyms: Flourish, good fortune, bloom, and flowers
Description: This floral name is popularly used for baby girls born in spring.
Sara
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Happiness
Variations/Synonyms: Soul, pleasant, music, purity, vivid, cherry blossoms, orchid, and love
Description: It’s spelled just like the English version, which means “princess” or “happy.”
Sato
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Sugar
Variations/Synonyms: Benevolence, clever, village, township, sacred, helping someone, capital, and bloom
Description: Sato is sometimes spelled as Satoh or Satou.
Seiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A force to be reckoned with
Variations/Synonyms: Gentle, shining bright, affection, lake, star, heart, and rainbow
Description: Seiko is actually a watch brand from Japan, but the name is still favored by parents who want their baby girls to have a strong-sounding name.
Sora
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Sky
Variations/Synonyms: Refreshing, wind, summer, heaven, central, serene, forever and ever, infinite space and time, beauty, and true
Description: This lovely name has a refreshing sound that makes it popular with new parents.
Suzuki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Bell wood or bell tree
Variations/Synonyms: Bright, hope, joy, cool, season, and living
Description: Suzuki is also a popular brand in Japan, known for its manufacturing motorcycles, cars, and marine vehicles. But the bright name is also used by some parents to name their joyful baby girls.
Takako
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: A noble child
Variations/Synonyms: Heart, good child, wise child, a child who’s willing to serve her parents, harmony, precious, and modest
Description: Takako would make a good name for a noble but kindhearted girl.
Takara
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Treasure
Variations/Synonyms: Sky, brightness, heaven, good, truth, precious, fine, and honor
Description: A child named Takara is one that her parents truly treasure.
Tamiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Child of many beauties
Variations/Synonyms: Fruit, kindness, many, heart, ocean, and beauty
Description: Tamiko is a popular name because of its beautiful meaning.
Tatsuya
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Achieve
Variations/Synonyms: Dragon, achieve, night, progress, arrow, start, reach, tree, call, stand, and progress.
Description: Tatsuya is often confused with Tetsuya, which means “philosophy.”
Tokyo
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Eastern capital
Variations/Synonyms: Capital city
Description: This is a unisex name that parents use to honor Japan’s capital city, Tokyo.
Tomoko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Wise child
Variations/Synonyms: Wisdom, intellect, a friend with favor, benefit, morning, heart, lake, clever, friendly, and knowing
Description: This name would be great for your wise baby girl.
Toshiko
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Sharp child
Variations/Synonyms: Quick, clever, excellent, aspire, interest, long life, elegant, light, and sacred.
Description: Toshiko can also be a nice name for a clever little girl.
Tsubaki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Camellia flower
Variations/Synonyms: Princess
Description: This can be a nice floral name for your baby girl.
Ume
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Japanese apricot
Variations/Synonyms: Plum, blue, sprout, love, dream, courage, and blessed
Description: This name may also be spelled as Oume or Yume.
Yasu
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Peaceful or smooth
Variations/Synonyms: Gentle, restful, guarantee, and healthy
Description: This unisex name can also mean “calm.”
Yayoi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Increase and birth or life
Variations/Synonyms: Genuine, progress, living, night, beautiful, and generation
Description: This can be a beautiful name for a baby girl in modern times.
Yua
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Love and affection
Variations/Synonyms: Help someone, vividness, tie, bind, harmony, apricot, brightness, elegance, peace, beauty, friend, and grace
Description: This is a simple but sweet name for a baby girl you and your family love.
Yui
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Excellence
Variations/Synonyms: Superiority, gentleness, dream, reason, and clothing or garment
Description: This name can be perfect for a little girl who can be an achiever someday.
Yuzuki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Hope
Variations/Synonyms: Grapefruit, citrus fruit, bloom, snow, pearl, evening, princess, rare, Chinese bellflower, radiance, precious, and gorgeous
Description: Yuzuki is a nice name that befits your little princess.
