How to Choose a Japanese Baby Name: Kanji, Readings and Rules
Choosing a Japanese name means making two choices at once: a sound people will call out, and the kanji that will be written on every form for the rest of a child's life. This guide walks through the decisions in a sensible order, with the official rules in Japan and plenty of examples from our dictionary.
1. Start with the sound
Names are heard far more often than they are read, so many parents begin with the sound. Some things to listen for:
- Length. Most given names have two to four beats, or morae, as our guide to morae explains. Rin is two, Haruto three, and Ryunosuke five, which is unusually long.
- Gender feel. Endings like -ko, -mi, -ka and -na sound feminine. -to, -ta, -suke and -ki sound masculine. Many sounds work for anyone: see our unisex names.
- Nicknames. Say the first two beats with -chan or -kun, since that is what friends will call the child. See the nicknames section of our guide.
- Outside Japan. If the family lives abroad, short open sounds like Ema, Mio or Kai are easy for everyone.
2. Then choose the kanji
Almost every Japanese name sound can be written several ways, and the kanji carries the meaning. Haruto can be 陽翔 ("sun" and "soar"), 大翔 ("great" and "soar") or 悠斗 ("calm" and "Big Dipper"). Meiji Yasuda's 2025 survey found 39 different spellings of Haruto among the babies it counted (source, in Japanese).
A good approach:
- Decide what you want the name to say: light, the sea, kindness, strength. Our names by meaning pages group names by exactly this.
- Look at each kanji on its own. Every name page on this site breaks the spelling into characters with their meanings.
- Check the whole spelling reads naturally. A beautiful meaning is not much use if nobody can guess the reading.
3. Know the official rules
If a child is being registered in Japan, a few rules apply:
- Only approved characters. Names may use hiragana, katakana and kanji from two official lists: the jōyō kanji for general use, plus the jinmeiyō kanji allowed specifically for names. Together they come to about 3,000 characters. Characters outside these lists can't be registered.
- Readings must be recognised. Since 26 May 2025, the reading (furigana) of every name is recorded in the family register. By law, it must be a reading "generally recognised" for those characters (Family Register Act, art. 13, in Japanese). In practice, dictionary readings and established name readings are widely accepted. Readings with no connection to the kanji, or that contradict their meaning, can be refused.
- Register quickly. The birth must be registered at the local office within 14 days.
Rules change, so always check the current guidance with the city or ward office.
4. Watch out for double readings
Because kanji have several readings, the same spelling can be two different names:
That is not a problem, since the register now records the reading, but expect to spell it out sometimes.
5. Check it with the surname
In Japanese the surname comes first, so say the full name in that order: Sato Himari, not Himari Sato. Things to check:
- Rhythm. A long surname often sits well with a short given name, and vice versa.
- Repeated sounds or kanji. Sakurai Sakura doubles the cherry blossom, which may feel like too much.
- Meaning together. Many parents like a full name that makes a small picture, such as Mori (forest) with Kaede (maple).
Our name generator lets you choose a meaning for each part and see full names written as they would be in Japan.
6. Optional: stroke counts and fortune-telling
Some families consult seimei handan, a traditional form of name fortune-telling based on the stroke counts of the kanji in the full name. It is a matter of personal belief. Many parents take a look, and few let it override a name they love.
7. Popular or distinctive?
Popular names feel current and familiar. The top boys' name for 2025 was Minato, and the top girls' name was Sui. Less common names stand out more. Classic names like Keiko or Hiroshi now feel like the parents' or grandparents' generation. There is no right answer, but it helps to know where a name sits.
Keep exploring
Start with boy names, girl names or names by meaning. You can also read the short guide to Japanese names for the basics of hiragana, katakana and kanji.