Speaking and pronunciation
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Speaking and pronunciation
Japanese Girl Names and Meanings: Kanji, Sounds and Styles
Japanese girl names are usually written with one to three kanji chosen for their meaning, such as 陽葵 (Himari, sunshine and hollyhock) or 結衣 (Yui, tie and robe). The same name can be written in many ways, so the meaning depends on the kanji the family picked, not only on the sound.
11 min readJapanese Boy Names and Meanings: Kanji, Endings and Classics
Japanese boy names are built from kanji chosen for meaning and sound, such as 蓮 (Ren, lotus), 陽翔 (Haruto, sunshine and soar) or 湊 (Minato, harbour). Endings like -to, -ta, -ki and -suke often mark a name as a boy's, and the same name can be written with many different kanji.
9 min readUnisex Japanese Names: Names for Any Gender and Their Kanji
Unisex Japanese names are names used for both boys and girls, such as Aoi, Hikaru, Makoto, Rin, Sora and Nagisa. Often the sound is shared and the kanji differ: Makoto is 誠 for many boys and 真琴 for many girls, so the spelling can lean a name one way.
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Moon: Tsuki Names and Their Kanji
Japanese names that mean moon usually contain the kanji 月, read tsuki or zuki, as in 美月 (Mizuki, beautiful moon) or 結月 (Yuzuki). Others use moon-related kanji such as 朔 (Saku, the new moon) or 望 (Nozomi, hope, also the full moon), and several come from the old names of the months.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Light: Hikari, Akira and Shining Kanji
Japanese names that mean light usually use the kanji 光 (light), 輝 (to shine), 明 (bright) or 灯 (lamplight). Common examples are 光 (Hikari or Hikaru), 明 (Akira), 灯 (Akari) and 大輝 (Daiki, great brightness), and the kanji chosen gives each name a slightly different kind of light.
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Flower: Hana, Sakura, Yuri and More
Japanese names that mean flower include 花 or 華 (Hana), 桜 (Sakura, cherry blossom), 咲 (Saki, to bloom), 百合 (Yuri, lily) and 椿 (Tsubaki, camellia). Most flower names are girls' names, but some, such as 蓮 (Ren, lotus) and 葵 (Aoi, hollyhock), are popular for boys too.
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Star and Sky: Sora, Subaru and Nanase
Japanese names that mean sky usually use 空 (Sora), 天 (heaven, as in Amane) or 宙 (space, also read Sora), and names that mean star use 星, as in 七星 (Nanase) or 流星 (Ryūsei), or a star's own name, such as 昴 (Subaru, the Pleiades) and 北斗 (Hokuto, the Big Dipper).
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Ocean and Water: Umi, Kaito and Mio
Japanese names that mean ocean usually use 海 (sea), read Umi for girls and Kai in boys' names such as 海斗 (Kaito), or 洋 (ocean), as in Hiroshi. Water names use kanji with the water radical 氵, such as 渚 (Nagisa, shore), 澪 (Mio) and 湊 (Minato, harbour).
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Snow and Winter: Yuki, Miyuki, Shū
Japanese names that mean snow use the kanji 雪, as in 雪 (Yuki), 美雪 (Miyuki, beautiful snow) and 小雪 (Koyuki), and winter names use 冬, as in 冬美 (Fuyumi) or 冬馬 (Tōma). Poetic snow words such as 六花 (Rikka) and winter plants such as 柊 (Shū, holly) give more choices.
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Love and Hope: Ai, Nozomi and Yume
Japanese names that mean love usually use 愛, as in 愛 (Ai), 愛子 (Aiko) and 愛菜 (Mana), while names that mean hope use 希 or 望, as in Nozomi, and names of dreams and wishes use 夢 (Yume), 叶 (Kanae, fulfilled) or 未来 (Mirai, future).
9 min readJapanese Names That Mean Fire and Sun: Yōta, Hiyori and Homura
Japanese names that mean sun usually contain 陽 or 日, as in 陽太 (Yōta, a boy's name) or 日和 (Hiyori, a girl's name), and they feel warm, bright and cheerful. Names that mean fire are much rarer: parents usually borrow the warmth of fire through kanji such as 煌 (dazzling) or 灯 (lamp) rather than writing 火 itself.
11 min readJapanese Names That Mean Spring and Cherry Blossom: Haruka to Mio
Japanese names that mean spring usually contain 春 (haru), as in 春香 (Haruka, spring fragrance) or 春樹 (Haruki, spring tree), and cherry blossom names use 桜, as in 美桜 (Mio) or 桜子 (Sakurako). Spring also hides in names of buds, new leaves and peach blossoms, such as 萌 (Moe) and 桃 (Momo).
10 min readPractical guides
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