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Japanese Names for Girls: 2025 Top 10 and 60 Names With Meanings
Find Japanese names for girls that are real, current and correctly written. This guide starts with Japan’s official top 10 for 2025, then gives 60 more girls’ names grouped by style, each with kanji, a reading and its meaning. For instant ideas, use our Japanese name generator.
Last updated: October 2026 · Next update: December 2026 (new ranking)
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Key takeaways
- In 2025, 翠 Sui (also read Midori) was Japan’s #1 girls’ name for the first time.
- 愛 (love) was the most used kanji in girls’ names for the fourth year running.
- Ema was the most popular girls’ reading.
- Girls’ names often end in -ka, -na, -mi, -ri or the classic -ko.
Top 10 Japanese girl names in 2025
Official ranking from Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance’s annual survey. Ties share a rank, so this top 10 has 11 names.
| Rank | Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 翠 | Sui / Midori | kingfisher; part of the word for jade (翡翠) |
| 2 | 陽葵 | Himari | sun + hollyhock (linked to sunflower, 向日葵) |
| 3 | 紬 | Tsumugi | pongee, a traditional woven silk |
| 4 | 茉白 | Mashiro | jasmine + white |
| 5 | 凛 | Rin | dignified, crisp |
| 6 | 陽菜 | Hina | sun + greens |
| 7 | 心陽 | Koharu | heart + sun |
| 8 | 彩葉 | Iroha / Ayaha | colour + leaf |
| 8 | 詩 | Uta | poem, song |
| 10 | 琴葉 | Kotoha | koto (harp) + leaf |
| 10 | 結菜 | Yuna / Yuina | tie, bond + greens |
Source: Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance 2025 survey, via Nippon.com.
How Japanese female names are built
Girls’ names often use kanji for flowers, light, beauty and feelings. Some are written only in hiragana for a soft look. Common endings:
| Ending | Example | Typical kanji |
|---|---|---|
| -ka | Haruka, Ichika | 花 (flower), 香 (fragrance), 華 (splendour) |
| -na | Hina, Yuna | 菜 (greens), 奈 (Nara), 那 |
| -mi | Yumi, Nozomi | 美 (beauty), 実 (fruit) |
| -ri | Riri, Akari | 里 (village), 莉 (jasmine) |
| -ko | Keiko, Yoko | 子 (child), classic Showa style |
| -ha | Kotoha, Iroha | 葉 (leaf), rising in recent years |
Cute Japanese girl names
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Momo | 桃 | peach |
| Yui | 結衣 | tie + clothing |
| Mio | 澪 | waterway |
| Mei | 芽依 | bud + rely on |
| Kokoro | 心 | heart, mind |
| Miu | 美羽 | beauty + feather |
| Nana | 菜々 | greens (repeated) |
| Hana | 花 | flower |
| Riko | 莉子 | jasmine + child |
| Saki | 咲希 | blossom + hope |
Nature names for girls
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sakura | 桜 | cherry blossom |
| Ayame | 菖蒲 | iris |
| Hotaru | 蛍 | firefly |
| Yuki | 雪 | snow |
| Haruka | 春花 | spring + flower |
| Natsuki | 夏希 | summer + hope |
| Kaho | 夏帆 | summer + sail |
| Umi | 海 | sea |
| Sumire | 菫 | violet |
| Tsubaki | 椿 | camellia |
Elegant modern girl names
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Akari | 灯 | lamplight |
| Mizuki | 瑞希 | auspicious + hope |
| Shiori | 栞 | bookmark, a guide |
| Aoi | 葵 | hollyhock |
| Sayaka | 彩花 | colour + flower |
| Miyu | 美優 | beauty + gentle |
| Kanon | 花音 | flower + sound |
| Rio | 莉央 | jasmine + centre |
| Ichika | 一花 | one flower |
| Noa | 乃愛 | of + love |
Classic Japanese female names (Showa era)
The -ko (子, child) ending dominated girls’ names for much of the 20th century. These suit mothers, grandmothers or retro settings.
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Keiko | 恵子 | blessing + child |
| Yōko | 洋子 | ocean + child |
| Kazuko | 和子 | harmony + child |
| Michiko | 美智子 | beauty + wisdom + child |
| Sachiko | 幸子 | happiness + child |
| Hiroko | 裕子 | abundance + child |
| Emiko | 恵美子 | blessing + beauty + child |
| Junko | 純子 | pure + child |
| Tomoko | 智子 | wisdom + child |
| Akiko | 明子 | bright + child |
Meaningful girl names
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ai | 愛 | love |
| Megumi | 恵 | blessing |
| Nozomi | 希 | hope |
| Kotone | 琴音 | sound of the koto |
| Chiyo | 千代 | a thousand generations |
| Wakana | 若菜 | young greens |
| Hikari | 光 | light |
| Sachi | 幸 | happiness |
| Mirai | 未来 | future |
| Yume | 夢 | dream |
Unisex Japanese names
| Name | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hinata | 日向 | sunny place |
| Kaoru | 薫 | fragrance |
| Makoto | 誠 | sincerity |
| Tsubasa | 翼 | wings |
| Nagisa | 渚 | shore |
| Sora | 空 | sky |
| Yū | 優 | gentle, excellent |
| Akira | 明 | bright |
| Masumi | 真澄 | true + clear |
| Mitsuki | 光希 | light + hope |
Japanese anime name ideas for girls
Writing a character rather than naming a baby? Anime heroines often get a common given name with a rarer, image-rich family name: Hoshino Sui (star field + kingfisher), Kirishima Kotoha (mist island + koto leaf), Tsukishiro Mio (moon castle + waterway). For many more, see anime names with meanings or the anime name generator.
Tips for choosing a Japanese girl name
- Check each kanji. Beautiful sounds can hide kanji with unlucky meanings.
- Hiragana is an option. Names like ひなた (Hinata) look soft and are easy to read.
- Use standard readings, since Japan’s family register has recorded name readings since May 2025.
- Match the era for characters: Keiko for a grandmother, Himari for a child today.
Looking for boys’ names? See Japanese names for boys. Need a family name? Browse Japanese last names and meanings.
