Japanese Name Guide explains Japanese names for English speakers: what they mean, how they are written, how to say them and how popular they are. It is written for parents, for writers and game makers naming characters, for people curious about their own name in Japanese, and for learners.
How we choose names
Every first name on this site has appeared in Japan's yearly baby name rankings, or has been checked against a Japanese name dictionary. We do not list invented names as if they were real. Where a meaning has no real names, such as death or demon, our pages say so and explain why.
How we check meanings
Kanji meanings start from KANJIDIC2 and are rewritten in plain English for names. Each name and reading is checked automatically against JMnedict. [Reviewer: name and background of the native Japanese speaker who reviews the pages.] If you spot a mistake, please tell us.
Our data sources and their licences are listed on the sources page.