10 Japanese baby names that work in English (with kanji and meaning!) - Part 1: Girl Names
Okay, so maybe not all of you know this about me but I have officially given myself the title of “Your Japanese baby name friend,” which requires no certification or education, just pure passion and love for the topic. Oh and some Japanese fluency, there’s that.
I scour Nameberry.com even when I’m not pregnant, have read more baby name books than parenting books, and just love butting my nose in every pregnant friends’ faces about their baby names—especially their middle name.
As a result of WWII internment, many Japanese Americans from the Silent Generation made the conscious effort to assimilate and try to be true “Americans.” Tragically, this meant they oftentimes didn’t teach their children Japanese nor gave them names to honor their heritage. While a lot of my friends do have Japanese middle names, they’re usually named after their grandparents, and no one (including their parents) know what the kanji is and therefore what it means.
Here’s a little trivia about Japanese names: it’s comprised of three parts. The sound (what we associate with the name), the writing, and the meaning. In English we really only focus on one and the meaning is pretty 1:1 with the name, but in Japanese one name could have multiple meanings, and the same-ish meaning could have countless sounding names to represent it.
Without getting too much deeper into it, the moral of the story is, it’s pretty complicated and nuanced and a little passive aggressive. Sounds about right, ey?
But I love that modern parents are really interested in giving their babies Japanese names. It’s like we’re trying to reclaim this part of our heritage that’s in danger of being lost altogether, what with our jichans and bachans passing away, leaving us behind with a lot less knowledge and resources to name our babies in Japanese in a thoughtful, modern way.
Enter me.
I want to keep doing these Japanese baby name series on this blog as a way to fill that gap, and to encourage anyone thinking about Japanese names to feel confident jumping into it, demystifying it. I mean look, Kobe is amazing, Ken Watanabe is a fucking boss, Mei is literally the cutest girl name ever, and we totally misunderstood Yoko—so I think it’s time we totally owned this name game, and stop letting other people tell us what Japanese names mean with little to no context of well, what that ACTUALLY means.
So first up, an easy way to get into Japanese baby names is to name them something that works in both English AND Japanese, which means you don’t even have to have it as a middle name, have them wear it proud as a first name.
Without further ado, here we go with Part 1, going over 5 baby girl names:
1. Emma
This has topped the popular girl name list in America for like, a bajillion years (five, according to this article) and I can’t say for certain if it was because of Friends, but I’m sure it’s a factor.
If we’re being technical the romaji (or the Hepburn romanization spelling) should be “Ema” but let’s not get too picky here. It’s an adorable name, with lots of kanji options. This is an example of a “combo” kanji, where you wouldn’t use one character but instead a pair of two kanjis to make the name—think of it like a top and skirt outfit vs. a dress. So I’ll list some characters for each sound, and you can mix and match!
My pick for “E” kanji and meanings
恵 - “grace, blessing,” a really classic kanji here and you know why, it’s a really pretty meaning.
絵 - “picture, colorful,” if you’re into the arts or want your child to have a creative life, this is a really nice option
江 - “cove,” Japanese people love using imagery from nature and this is a good one to give that feeling of expansiveness and calm that you think of from the ocean and lakes
依 - “to help, cherish,” lots of meaning here but it has a lot to do with leaning on something for support. It’s a kanji filled with love
永 - “forever,” also used a lot of times in a last name with the sound “Naga” so it makes it a good one to honor your family
Good “Ma” kanji to use as the second character
万 - “million, all” Japanese likes to use numbers in names, and this one is considered the largest of the numbers that are usually used in names so it’s a kanji often used to wish for their children to have everything
真 - “truth, pure,” Japanese culture is all about truth, the correct way, the pure way, so this is a very popular and classic choice
茉 - “jasmine,” a very popular modern choice because it also feels a little exotic—Jasmine flowers aren’t native in Japan. It’s also very common to use words associated with nature, flowers especially for girls
麻 - “hemp,” ok before we go all Friday on this, hemp was long revered in Japan because it grows really fast and straight up, so it’s a symbol associated with children growing tall and strong.
Sample names that I think go especially well together:
絵麻
恵茉
依万
2. Sara
This one is another combo name, separated into the “sa” sound and “ra” sound. It might be surprising to find that this classic English name works in Japanese too, but because the sounds are also very common in the Japanese alphabet, it’s been a popular name for decades.
My pick for “Sa” kanji and meanings
咲 - “to bloom, smile,” I actually used this character for my daughter’s name
紗 - “silk,” because silk was a very expensive luxury item in Japan, it was revered and synonymous with elegance and class. This is still very much a part of the culture.
彩 - “color, beauty,” Japanese language ties together something that is colorful and ornate with beauty, and this kanji meaning really illustrates that.
早 - “fast, early” okay, the meaning might leave more to be desired, but I personally love how simple this kanji is and it’s symetrical and beautiful—which is why a lot of people do use it for names, even if it’s not very glamorous
Good “Ra” kanji to use as the second character
良 - “good, happy,” yep, this is my only choice. There’s technically another one but it’s kind of complicated and isn’t used often, and it means like net or something—it looks pretty, but doesn’t really feel like a name to me personally
3. Mei/May
This one is of course made famous by Totoro, and can also work with the “May” spelling. This one is a combo of “Me” and “I” sounding kanjis, and one option for a one and done.
My pick for “Mei” kanji and meanings
明 - “bright, clear, light,” this kanji is a classic, and the most common way to read it is “Akira,” which is another popular Japanese name (spoiler alert, will be covered in Part 2!)
My pick for “Me” kanji and meanings
萌 - “bloom, beginning,” a very popular modern choice. Bonus points for recognizing that there are similar elements to the 明 kanji above, and it kind of has a little hat on top—often times, kanjis that look similar sound similar too!
芽 - “sprout, bud,” similar in meaning to the above, but a more classic choice. Another bonus point here for recognizing that yes, kanjis with similar meanings have similar sounds!
Good “I” kanji to use as the second character
衣 - “cloth, silk,” the meaning may not be much, but it’s a very common and classic second character kanji for any names ending in “i,” because it’s easy to read and write
唯 - “only one,” it’s such a pretty kanji
生 - “life,”
Sample names that I think especially go well together:
萌生
芽衣
4. Jun/June
Another month name! Perfect if you love Mei but think it’s too popular around you. The spelling here can be either, but the romaji is technically “Jun.” It’s also a very gender-neutral name, so it can work with your boy or girl.
Also, unlike the others on the list so far, this would be comprised of one kanji.
My pick for “Jun” kanji and meanings
潤 - “enriched, blessed,” okay so the joke with this name is that it also means “moist,” everyone’s least favorite word. But in Japan, a farming country where rain was revered, having moisture was associated with richness and blessings, so you have those meanings there. I think it’s such a pretty kanji, so symmetrical
純 - “pure, beautiful,” this might be the most classic choice, and for good reason
淳 - “compassionate, honest,” of the pair, this kanji might be considered the most masculine, which makes it one of my favorite options since it gives it a little sassiness
5. Risa/Lisa
I had to throw this one in! I get asked sometimes if Lisa is also my Japanese name, because it’s actually really popular as a Japanese name too. Another romaji difference here is “Risa” for traditional Japanese. Note that the “Sa” sound can also be borrowed from the Sara list, but I chose kanjis here that are more often used as the second character vs. the first.
The difference is more often, there’s a kanji that feels very much like a protagonist and others that feel more like a supporting character (pun intended). In that case, the more glamorous character is used first, and the support characters (which have less fabulous meanings, are chosen more for sound than meaning) are in the second part. It’s very much a feeling thing though so don’t overthink it.
My pick for “Ri” kanji and meanings
梨 - “pear,” yep, the fruit. Japanese people love using nature words for names, and fruits are no exception because it also has a seasonal meaning. Pears bloom in April-May in Japan, and also has an Autumn vibe to it because it’s harvest season
理 - “logic, to rule, polish treasure” this is a not very glamourous classic choice, and used a lot for names because it’s easy to read and write, and has a lot of meanings. In the most modern sense people will associate it with intelligence
里 - “native land, home,” another kanji that look similar to each other, this is the right side of 理 above. Again, kanji that sound similar look similar. I love that this has a really earthy feeling to it.
Good “Sa” kanji to use as the second character
沙 - “sand,” okay another not that exciting meaning, more chosen for its sound. This is my pick for favorite second character “sa,” but you can also use characters listed under Sara for this
Sample names that I think go well together:
梨沙
梨咲
里咲
理紗
理彩
And there you have it! Part 1 of 10 Japanese baby names that work in English. I’ll also be rounding up some boy names for Part 2.
If you have any questions about baby names, or better yet, want me to take a crack at naming your baby, let me know!
