Japanese Flower Names for Girls, Season by Season
Flowers are the largest single theme in Japanese girls' names, and in our dictionary too. In Japan, every flower also belongs to a season, and that is a big part of its charm. A flower name quietly says when it blooms. So this article arranges the flower names in our dictionary by season, from the first spring blossoms to autumn leaves.
A quick note on 花 and 華
Two kanji simply mean "flower". 花 is the everyday character. 華 adds a sense of splendour and brilliance. You will find both in Hana, and as parts of Hanako, Momoka (百花, "a hundred flowers"), Ichika (一花, "one flower"), Ayaka (彩花, "colourful flower") and Kana (花奈). These names suit any time of year.
Spring
- Sakura, 桜: the cherry blossom, Japan's most famous flower. It blooms around late March to April in much of the country, just as the school year begins.
- Momoka, 桃花: "peach blossom". Peach is the flower of the Girls' Day festival on 3 March, also called the peach festival.
- Sumire, 菫: the violet, a small wildflower of early spring. It is a gentle, slightly old-fashioned name.
- Mio written 美桜: "beautiful cherry blossom".
- Names with 菜, such as Hina (陽菜), Yuna (結菜) and Kokona (心菜). 菜 means greens, and also rapeseed blossom, the yellow nanohana that colours fields in early spring.
Early summer
- Ayame, 菖蒲 or 彩芽: the iris, which flowers in late spring and early summer. The kanji 菖蒲 can also be read shōbu. That is the name of the sweet-flag leaves put in baths on Children's Day, 5 May, so it is a lovely choice for a May baby.
- Satsuki, 皐月: the old name of the fifth month. It is also the name of a type of azalea that blooms around then.
- Aoi, 葵: the hollyhock. Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri, held in May, takes its name from the aoi leaves worn as decorations during the festival. Aoi is unisex, and also very popular.
Summer
- Himari, 陽葵 or 向日葵: the second spelling, 向日葵, is the Japanese word for sunflower, literally "hollyhock that faces the sun". The popular spelling 陽葵 keeps the sun and the flower. It was 2nd among girls born in 2025 in Meiji Yasuda's ranking.
- Lotus, 蓮: it opens on summer mornings and is a symbol of purity in Buddhism. As a name it is mostly given to boys: see Ren.
- Jasmine: two kanji, 莉 and 茉, both mean jasmine, and both are popular for their soft sound. You will see them in Riko (莉子), Mana (茉奈) and Mashiro (茉白).
Autumn
- Kaede, 楓: the maple, famous for its red autumn leaves. Strictly it is a tree rather than a flower, but it is one of the most loved seasonal names. 楓 also appears in boys' names today.
- Chrysanthemum, 菊: the classic autumn flower and the emblem of the Imperial family. It is less common in modern given names, but you will find it in surnames such as Kikuchi.
- Yuzuki, 柚月: the yuzu citrus, which ripens in late autumn and winter, together with "moon".
Flowers hiding in surnames
Many common surnames contain a flower, most famously 藤, wisteria, which blooms in late April and May. It appears in Sato (佐藤), Ito (伊藤), Kato (加藤), Fujita (藤田) and Fujiwara (藤原), among others. Sakurai (桜井) holds the cherry blossom. If your surname already has a flower, a given name from another theme often balances it better than a second flower.
Choosing a flower name
- Think about the season. A Sakura born in November is perfectly fine, but Japanese speakers will notice the seasonal link, so a matching season is a nice touch.
- Check the spelling. Haruka, Mio and Kana are flower names only in some of their spellings.
- Combine. Many modern names combine a flower kanji with another meaning, as in 陽葵 (sun and hollyhock) or 彩花 (colour and flower).
Keep exploring
See every name on flowers, plus trees and forest and seasons. You can also browse all girl names.