Japanese names that mean dragon
Japanese names written with 竜 and 龍, the dragon, and with 辰, the dragon of the zodiac: Ryū, Ryūnosuke, Tatsuya and more.
竜 / 龍 ryū, tatsu: dragon辰 tatsu: zodiac dragonStrong boys' names
The dragon is a symbol of power and good fortune in Japan, and it gives some of the strongest-sounding boys' names. Two kanji mean dragon: 竜 and the more elaborate 龍, which many parents prefer for its weight on the page. Both are read ryū or tatsu, giving Ryū, Ryūsei (竜生, 龍星), Tatsuya and Ryūnosuke.
Ryūnosuke (龍之介) is a classic with literary fame: it was the name of Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, the writer of Rashōmon. 辰, the dragon of the Chinese zodiac, appears in older names like Tatsuo, often given to boys born in a year of the dragon.
On this page
The kanji behind dragon names
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning | In names |
|---|---|---|---|
| 龍 | たつ, りゅう, りょう, ろう | dragon | 5 ranked names |
| 竜 | たつ, いせ, りゅう, りょう | dragon | 4 ranked names |
| 辰 | たつ, しん, じん | dragon (zodiac) | 2 ranked names |
Popular names with a dragon kanji
Spellings that have made Japan's yearly baby name rankings, most popular first.
Dragon names of real people
Given names with a dragon kanji carried by notable Japanese people. The number shows how many notable people share each one.
竜太郎
Ryūtarō竜 dragon + 太 big + 郎 son
Boy2 people辰五郎
Tatsugorō辰 dragon (zodiac) + 五 five + 郎 son
Boy2 people麟龍
Rinryū麟 Chinese unicorn; genius + 龍 dragon
Boy1 person辰憲
Tatsunori辰 dragon (zodiac) + 憲 law
Boy1 person竜大
Ryūdai竜 dragon + 大 big
Boy1 person正辰
Masatoki正 right + 辰 dragon (zodiac)
Boy1 person辰美
Tatsumi辰 dragon (zodiac) + 美 beautiful
Unisex1 person辰巳
Tatsumi辰 dragon (zodiac) + 巳 snake (zodiac)
Unisex1 personMore dragon names
Rarer spellings found in Japanese name records. In each one the dragon kanji keeps its own reading, so the meaning is really there, not just the sound.
龍子
Ryūko龍 dragon + 子 child
GirlRare竜子
Tatsuko竜 dragon + 子 child
GirlRare辰子
Tatsuko辰 dragon (zodiac) + 子 child
GirlRare美龍
Biryū美 beautiful + 龍 dragon
GirlRare龍美
Ryūbi龍 dragon + 美 beautiful
GirlRare竜美
Ryūbi竜 dragon + 美 beautiful
GirlRare龍太郎
Tatsutarō龍 dragon + 太 big + 郎 son
BoyRare龍菜
Ryūna龍 dragon + 菜 greens
GirlRare龍花
Ryōka龍 dragon + 花 flower
GirlRare竜真
Ryūma竜 dragon + 真 true
BoyRare龍太朗
Ryūtarō龍 dragon + 太 big + 朗 clear
BoyRare竜太朗
Ryūtarō竜 dragon + 太 big + 朗 clear
BoyRareLast names with a dragon meaning
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辰巳 | Tatsumi | 辰 dragon (zodiac) + 巳 snake (zodiac) |
The cultural roots of Japanese dragon names
The Japanese dragon is not the fire-breathing monster of European stories. Like dragons across East Asia, it is a creature of water: it lives in rivers, lakes and the sea, brings rain, and was prayed to by farmers in times of drought. That is why dragon names feel powerful and lucky rather than dangerous to Japanese parents.
Dragons in Japanese myth
The sea god Ryūjin (龍神, dragon god) rules from Ryūgū-jō, the palace under the sea that the fisherman Urashima Tarō visits in one of Japan's best-known folk tales. The oldest Japanese chronicle, the Kojiki, tells how the storm god Susanoo slew Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed serpent dragon. Dragons still guard temples and shrines today: the water basins where visitors rinse their hands often pour from a dragon's mouth, and Tenryū-ji in Kyoto has a great cloud dragon painted across its ceiling.
The zodiac dragon
辰 (tatsu) is the dragon of the twelve-year zodiac. Children born in a dragon year, most recently 2024 and next in 2036, sometimes receive a name with 辰, as in Tatsuya or Tatsuo. Because 辰 is also the zodiac sign rather than the creature itself, it gives a dragon name a traditional, almost old-fashioned feel.
竜 or 龍?
Both kanji mean dragon and both are allowed in names. 竜 is the everyday modern form, with 10 strokes. 龍 is the traditional form, with 16 strokes, and many parents prefer it because it looks grander on paper. Both are usually read ryū or tatsu, but 龍 can also be read ryō: the samurai hero Sakamoto Ryōma wrote his name 龍馬.
Questions
What Japanese name means dragon?
Ryū (竜 or 龍) means dragon. Ryūnosuke, Ryūsei, Ryūga and Tatsuya are popular names built on it.
Is Ryū a boy or girl name?
Ryū is almost always a boy's name. Girls' dragon names are rare and usually pair 龍 with a softer kanji, as in Ryūka.
What does Tatsu mean?
Tatsu is another reading of 竜 and 龍 (dragon), and also of 辰, the dragon of the zodiac. It appears in names like Tatsuya and Tatsuo.
What is the difference between 竜 and 龍?
They mean the same thing. 龍 is the traditional form and looks more imposing; 竜 is the simpler modern form. Both are allowed in names.
Are Japanese dragons good or evil?
Mostly good. Japanese dragons are water gods linked to rain, the sea and good fortune, though myths also include monsters like the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi.