Japanese male names and their meanings: list
In this section, we provide one of the largest lists of Japanese male names and their meanings.
Japanese male names and their meanings
| Akagi - after the mahogany tree | Keitaro - one who is blessed before birth to do great things | Ryo is a great man, a great husband |
| Akeno – dawn, clear sky in the morning | Kenshin – heart of a warrior, heart of a sword | Ryota – powerful, strong, corpulent |
| Akira – smart, talented, clever | Ken – tall, strong, giant, big guy | Ryozo is the third son born to Ryo |
| Akio – cute, expressive, beautiful | Kenji – strong, strong second son | Ryuichi is Ryo's favorite firstborn |
| Akito – shining, kind, light | Kenta is a daredevil with excellent health | Ryuu – in honor of the brave dragon |
| Akiyama – autumn day, high mountain in autumn | Kichiro - who caught luck by the tail, the son who brought good luck to the family | Sachio - long-awaited happiness |
| Amida is the middle name of Buddha | Kisho – wise, with a head on his shoulders, intelligent | Saburo - beloved third son |
| Arata – naive, pure, inexperienced | Kiyoshi – quiet, silent | Saniiro – kind, affectionate, wonderful |
| Botan – beautiful and stately like a peony | Kin – after the precious metal gold | Seiichi – Sei's firstborn |
| Benjiro – feeling the world, self-sufficient, enjoying life | Kuro - son born ninth | Sen – in honor of the tree spirits |
| Daichi - the first son to become great | Kyo is the one who will bring peace and harmony to the family | Shichiro – son born seventh |
| Dai is the one who is destined to become great | Kohaku – in honor of the amber stone | Shima – born on the island |
| Daisuke - one who will provide great help | Kuramori – protector, brave | Shiro - son born fourth |
| Daiki – mighty tree | Mamoru – reliable as the earth | Shishio Makoto is a true hero, a daredevil |
| Fujita – open field, beautiful meadow | Makoto – empathetic, sincere | Shinichi is Shin's first-born son |
| Fudo - in honor of the god of wisdom and flame | Marise - infinity | Susumi – successful, one who moves forward |
| Goro – son born fifth | Masakazu - beloved firstborn | Sho – blooming, smart, prosperous |
| Hachiro - son born eighth | Masa – one who speaks the truth, straightforward | Takehiko – Prince of Bamboo Plantations |
| Haru – born in the spring months | Mashiro – broad-minded | Tadao – living in service |
| Hikaru – radiant, righteous, bright, shining | Michio – strong man, strong, with three thousand strength | Takashi is the one who will become famous |
| Hideaki – brilliant, one who will achieve excellence | Miki – flexible as a stem | Takeo – flexible and durable like bamboo |
| Hiroshi – kind, generous | Mikio - connected to his parents with strong ties, like three trees intertwined with each other | Takumi – craftsmanlike, golden hands |
| Hotaka - after the most beautiful mountain in Japan | Minoru – rich, vibrant life like a young seed | Takeshi - daredevil, brave man |
| Ichiro is the first-born in the family | Misato – beautiful, like a Japanese city | Taro - the first of the sons |
| Isami – brave, brave | Montaro – large, strong | Tama – dearest son, precious stone |
| Jiro – second born son | Morio – son of the forest, born or raised in the forest | Teijo – honest, fair |
| Joben – clean, loving order and cleanliness | Nibori - the one who will become famous | Torio – bright like a bird's tail |
| Jomei – bringing light to people | Nikki – strong as two trees | Toru – huge sea |
| Juro - son born tenth | Nikko – clear, bright, daylight | Tomeo - short, cautious, negative |
| Kado – door of knowledge, gate of wisdom | Osamu – correct, firm as the law | Toya – open like the door of a house |
| Kanaye - one who will become a hard worker, a scholar | Raidon - in honor of the god of thunder | Toshiro is a gifted talent |
| Kano - in honor of the god of water | Rafu - in honor of sea networks | Uyeda – born in the rice fields |
| Katashi – strong, hard as a rock | Rei – soul, infinity, eternity | Udo – named after the ginseng plant |
| Katsu – bringer of victory | Renjiro – sincere, honest | Yasuo – bringer of peace |
| Katsuo - a child born at the moment of victory over enemies | Renzo – third born son | Yogi – one who will practice yoga |
| Katsuragi - in honor of the fortress with high walls covered with vines | Roka – snow-white, beautiful, like the crest of a wave | Yoshiro – obedient, perfect, smart son |
| Katsuro – victorious, long-awaited son | Rinji – calm forest | Yukio – sent, educated, given by Buddha |
| Kazuo - beloved, dear son | Rokuro – sixth born son | Yuki – pure snow |
| Kaworu – with a special aroma, fragrant | Ronin - a free samurai, without a master | Yuudai - one who will become famous, a hero, glorified in the family |
| Kazuki – bringing joy to the world | Rurouni - wanderer wandering the world | Yuu – son of noble blood |
| Kenichi – firstborn or first son or strong son | Ryoichi - this is what Ryo calls his firstborn. |
Decipher the name
Why do we, foreigners, need to know all this? Firstly, because it is informative and interesting, because Japanese culture has penetrated into many areas of our modern life. It’s very interesting to decipher the surnames of famous people: for example, the animator Miyazaki – “temple, palace” + “cape”, and the writer Murakami – “village” + “top”. Secondly, all this has long and firmly become part of the youth subculture.
Fans of comics (manga) and animation (anime) simply love to take various Japanese names and surnames as pseudonyms. Samp and other online games also actively use such nicknames for player characters. And it’s not surprising: such a nickname sounds beautiful, exotic and memorable.
Beautiful Japanese male names
In this section, we give an example of beautiful Japanese male names that have occupied a special place in the hearts of both the Japanese and people around the world.
Japanese boy
- Marco;
- Ayato;
- Kuroshi;
- Kanato;
- Subaru;
- Yui;
- Reiji;
- Akihiro;
- Raito;
- Daiki;
- Maseyuki;
- Shu;
- Yoshikezu.
From two hieroglyphs
Many beautiful names of men in the Land of the Rising Sun are formed by two symbols. Often the second half is a sign indicating that the word is masculine (man, husband, son, prince, helper, warrior). Among the specific markers of a masculine word are the elements “tree” and “I”. Among the most common elements of the two-component version is a hieroglyph that translates as “outstanding person.”
Other second elements are known, but their prevalence is slightly lower than those mentioned.
The second components are distinguished: kun and on. Kunnaya (traditionally Japanese) - courage, man, husband. Examples:
- Masao;
- Nobuo;
- Tadaya.
Among the two-component variants read according to kun, there are words previously used only by the noble class. For example, only the aristocracy could choose the hieroglyph “prince” (hiko) as the second element when naming a boy. Often the sons were called Norihiko, Katsuhiko. If a word contains the element “hiko”, the first character must be read according to kun.
Kun reading of words composed with the “suke” component is mandatory. In the past, the hieroglyph was used in terms denoting positions. It is translated as "helper". A common modern two-component design is Naosuke.
These (traditionally Chinese) second components are ability, stamina, rider. If the second part of a man's name is composed of such a hieroglyph, the first is also read by on.
Examples:
- Seiki;
- Jiro;
- Xingya;
- Junpei;
- Yuji.
There are two readings: according to on and kun
Rare Japanese male names
In this section we will give examples of rare Japanese male names in Russian, as well as their meaning.
| Akeno – light at dawn, clear light in the morning | Yoshito is a kind, affectionate, caring husband | Setoshi – quick mind, clear head |
| Akio is a rare handsome man | Kazuhiko is the first child in the family | Takehiko - Prince of the Bamboo Fields |
| Akiyama - a magnificent mountain on an autumn day | Makoto – honest and sincere | Takehiro - noble son, daredevil |
| Amida is a name given by Buddha himself | Masashi is unique, amazing, a role model | Haru – born in spring days, spring beauty |
| Goro is the fifth son in the family | Mazeeki - extraordinary beauty | Haruto – free, happy, filled with sunny energy |
| Daiki - mighty tree | Nobuyuki – devoted to family, happy in small things | Shigeru – unique, excellent, chic |
| Daichi - wisdom that lasts for centuries | Osamu – law-abiding, law-abiding | Yamato – capable of great deeds, unique, luxurious |
| Jiro is the second son of his parents | Sota - handsome, brave, smart husband | Yasuhiro – balanced, calm, wise |
Three-component
Common elements of three-piece options:
- ichiro (Kenichiro);
- taro (Ryuutaro);
- shiro (Keyshiro).
Words from three hieroglyphs are composed as follows: two signs with which parents want to characterize the child’s fate are supplemented with an indicator.
Popular three-component options:
- Akio;
- Satoshi;
- Ichiro;
- Katsuhiko.
There are names from three hieroglyphs
Popular Japanese male names
In this section, we will tell you about the top 10 popular Japanese male names for boys that are used to name sons in 2020.
Japanese male names that are popular in all years:
- Kaoru;
- Sora;
- Katsumi;
- Naoki;
- Hiroshi;
- Macau.
Japanese male names that became popular in 2020:
- Ichiro;
- Kita;
- Niboru;
- Saburo;
- Kohaku;
- Shiro;
- Akiyama;
- Ken;
- Montaro;
- Takeshi.
Are you interested in male names of different nationalities? You will be interested in our articles:
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- Names for boys born in winter, spring, summer, autumn 2020
- Unlucky male names according to astrologers
One-component
There are first names and last names consisting of one character. They are called one-component. The symbol that forms them is a verbal or adjective in the old finite form. In the language of the Land of the Rising Sun, there are two types of reading hieroglyphs: according to on (onnoe, Chinese) and according to kun (kun, Japanese). Names with one character often have a kun reading - for example, Hiroshi (broad).
The group of words with one character from the class vago is especially numerous. They are formed from predicative adjectives. The letter of the name is the final form; its pronunciation ends with the syllable "si". Less commonly, one-component variants are formed from nouns. During construction, the variable ending is discarded, only the root is retained.
One-component words are characteristic of the Japanese language. They are used for both given names and surnames. In the second case, the origin is from the medial verb forms or noun. Most often you can hear: Watari (crossing), Hata (plantation).
Occasionally, single-component words are read using it.
An annual count of the options chosen by parents proves that among the short ones, the most common are:
- Hiroshi;
- Minoru;
- Hitoshi;
- Noboru;
- Takeshi.
Boys are often called Hitoshi
Poetry of the name
First of all, female names are distinguished by a clearly expressed poetic meaning. For example:
- Yuri – “Water Lily”.
- Hotaru - Firefly.
- Izumi – “Fountain”.
- Namiko - "Child of the Waves"
- Aika – “Love Song”.
- Natsumi – “Summer Beauty”.
- Chiyo – “Eternity”.
- Nozomi - "Hope".
- Ima – “Gift”.
- Rico - "Child of Jasmine"
- Kiku - "Chrysanthemum".
However, among male names you can find beautiful meanings:
- Keitaro – “Blessed One.”
- Toshiro – “Talented”.
- Yuki – “Snow”;.
- Yuzuki – “Crescent Moon”.
- Takehiko - "Bamboo Prince"
- Rhydon - "God of Thunder".
- Toru – “Sea”.
