80 Strong Japanese Boy Names And Their Meanings

Japan is an archipelago on the eastern edge of Asia. The biggest Japanese island is Honshu, with a land area of 88,020 sq mi. I have selected these 80 unique Japanese boy names so you can name your son more easily.

Note: Japanese names are usually written in kanji, a set of characters with Chinese origins. The number of kanji used in the last name and the first name depends. The more variations of kanji a name has the more common it is in Japan. Hiragana or katakana are sometimes also used.

Starting in 2020 Japan’s government will write Japanese surnames first when using the Roman alphabet.

List Of Strong Japanese Boy Names:

Heizō

Heizō means ”foundation of peace” or “peaceful foundation,” and is pronounced as HAY-zoh. A celebrity with this name was painter Heizo Kanayama.

Kaito

Kaito is made of kai (”sea” or ”ocean”) and to (”to soar”) and is pronounced as KAI-toh.

Zen

Zen is the meditation school the monk Eisai learned from China.

Ryūnosuke

”Dragon and helper.”

Katsuro

”Victory, son.” Katsuro has roots to the words katsu that means ‘victory’ and rō (‘son’).

Mamoru

”Protection,” from the verb 守る. Mamoru Mohri flew on Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Toru

”Clear” or penetrate.” Composer Toru Takemitsu wrote the score for Kurosawa’s Ran and more than 90 other films.

Isao

Merit, written 功. Golfer Isao Aoki holed a wedge shot on the final hole of the Hawaiian Open.

Aoshi

”Dark blue.” Shinomori Aoshi is a character in the Rurouni Kenshin manga series.

Shuto

Its kanji combination creates the meaning “winter” and “holly.” Shuto is pronounced SHA-TOH.

Taji

“Silver and yellow color.”

Arata

Arata is from the period when Japan was under feudal rule. It is also popular in Italy and in Japan it means ”fresh” or ”new.”

Harutaka

It comes from haru and is meaning ”quick and taka (noble). Nijō Harutaka was a court noble. Harutaka Ono is a former football player who played for Japan U-20.

Tadao

It is formed from tada (”loyal” or ”faithful”) and o (”man”). Architect Tadao Ando boxed for money in his youth and won the Pritzker Prize.

Takumi

”Master artisan.”

Tsunoda

It comes from tsuno and is symbolizing point and da (field). Its pronunciation is Tsoo-noh-dah. Fusako Tsunoda was a writer who studied at Sorbonne University.

Taiga

大河, a great river. NHK calls its yearlong historical series a taiga drama.

Harumichi

The pronunciation of Harumichi is Hah-roo-mee-chee. It is derived from haru (spring), which is combined with michi (path), and it signifies a path connected with nature or a spring road. Save

Seiji

”Sincere second son.” Conductor Seiji Ozawa led the Boston Symphony Orchestra for almost three decades.

Nagi

Nagi is the word for a dead calm at sea, 凪.

Noriaki

It combines the kanji nori (”law”) with aki (”bright light”) and is pronounced as noh-ree-ah-kee. Noriaki Yuasa was a director and is known as the “Father of Gamera.”

Minoru

“To bear fruit,” and it is found in the Marvel Comics series Runaways. Minoru Yano was an officer in the Imperial Navy.

Hideki

In 1949 Hideki Yukawa became the first Japanese person to win a Nobel Prize. Hide is ”excellent” or ”superior” and ki is ”tree.”

Makoto

”Truth” or ”sincerity.” Makoto Kawada created the manga series Zatch Bell!.

Kazuma

和 (harmony) and 真 (genuine).

Junpei

It combines the kanji jun (pure) with pei (level). Junpei Yoshino is a character from Jujutsu Kaisen (serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga) that is a manga series written by Gege Akutami.

READ MORE: 23 Unique Arabic Baby Boy Names

Akihito

Akihito is from the kanji aki (”bright” and the kanji hito (”benevolence”). I like this name since Sutoku was the 75th Emperor of Japan and his reign in the late Heian period spanned 1123 to 1142. Emperor Sutoku’s reign lasted for 19 years. His personal name was Akihito.

How to choose

Choose a name you already like.

If you are an anime lover you can pick an anime or kawaii-inspired baby name.

Naming your child after a historical person is also common. Another tactic used is to use an image as inspiration.

Note: It’s important that people can pronounce it, and you like the sound of it. English speakers can’t pronounce tsu or ryu/ryo well.

Kenzo

“Healthy” and “wise,” and it can be written using different kanji. Kenzo Hart is the son of comedian Kevin Hart and his wife Eniko Parrish. Kenzo Hart was born on November 21, 2017. Kenzo Tagawa is a judoka who won the gold medal at the 2018 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf.

Rui

It is a Japanese name that can mean “kind,” ”depth,” ”bright,” or “accumulate.” You should know that the name Rui is truly a unisex name. The meaning depends on the kanji character you pick. Rui Kamishiro is a character in the video game Project Sekai.

Yamato

”Great harmony.”

Soma

The city of Sōma (”real or genuine”) in Fukushima hosts Nomaoi each July.

Kaji

Kaji, depending on the kanji used, can mean oarsman and helmsman. Ryan Kaji is one of the highest-paid YouTube stars. He has twin sisters: Emma and Kate. Ryan has a net worth of $100 million. So, if you want to pick the name Kaji for your son it brings financial luck.

Kaimen

”Surface of the sea.” Save

Tadaaki

Light, loyal, devotion, or bright, depending on the kanji used in the writing. The pronunciation is something like Tah-dah-ah-kee.

Yukio

It can translate as snow, strong, to purify, or to grow. Yukio Hatoyama served as Prime Minister from September 2009 to June 2010.

Haruto

Haruto combines haru (”sun” or ”light”) and to (to ”soar” or ”fly”).

Satoshi

Handsome, talented, excellent, insightful, intelligent, or wisdom. Satoshi Nakamoto is the person who developed Bitcoin. Nakamoto has never revealed personal information.

Ren

Ren is the word for lotus.

Sora

”Sky”.

Takeshi

In 1997, Takeshi (”warrior”) Kitano was the recipient of the Golden Lion at Venice for his film Hana-bi.

Riku

”Shore” or ”land.”

Haruki

Novelist Haruki Murakami books appear in more than 50 languages. It is made of haru (”spring”) with ki (”tree”).

Akira

”Bright” or ”clear.” In 1990 filmmaker Akira Kurosawa collected an honorary Academy Award.

Hayao

Hayao Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and won the Oscar for best animated feature for Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron. It is symbolizing ”swift man.”

Osamu

Osamu means discipline or governing well (修 or 治).

Isamu

”Courage” or ”bravery.”

Shohei

In 2024 Shohei Ohtani was the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season. It combines sho (”soar” or ”to command”) and hei (”level” or ”peace”).

Yuzuru

It comes from a verb meaning to yield or give way. Skater Yuzuru Hanyu won back-to-back Olympic gold in 2014 and 2018.

Ichiro

”First son.”

Hachiro

Eighth son, from 八 (eight) and 郎 (son). Hachirōgata was the second-largest lake in the country after Lake Biwa.

Noboru

”To rise.” Noboru Takeshita served as prime minister from 1987 to 1989 and put in legislation Japan’s first consumption tax.

Sota

Sota consists of so (”a sudden gust of wind”) and ta (”thick” or ”big”).

Kohei

Gymnast Kohei Uchimura won six straight world all-around crowns. It means “balanced peace.”

Susumu

”Making progress.”

Shigeru

Shigeru Miyamoto created Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda. It is meaning “to grow thick and abundant”.

Hiroshi

”Prosperous” or ”generous,” depending on the kanji.

Masaru

It means victory or excelling. Masaru Ibuka co-founded Sony in 1946.

Michio

Michio combines the elements michi (path or the Way) and o (man).

Jiro

”Second son (次郎).” Sushi master Jiro Ono held three Michelin stars for years.

Kentaro

Kentaro (”strong eldest son”) Miura authored the dark-fantasy manga Berserk from 1989 until his death in 2021.

Eiji

”Prosperous peace”.

Benkei

Benkei combines 弁 (speech) and 慶 (celebration).

Kenji

Poet Kenji (wisdom and governing) Miyazawa wrote Ame ni mo Makezu in a notebook and his family found it after his death.

Genji

”Minamoto clan”, from 源 (source) and 氏 (clan).

Hotaka

Mount Hotaka (“high mountain or peak”) in the Northern Alps ranks 3rd in height in the “Land of the Rising Sun”.

Asahi

Written 朝日, means ”morning sun”. Asahi Shimbun newspaper launched in Osaka under this name.

Ryoma

Samurai Sakamoto Ryōma (”dragon horse”) brokered the 1866 alliance between the Satsuma and Chōshū domains.

Hokuto

北 (north) and 斗 (ladle).

Naoki

”Honest tree”, from 直 and 樹.

Raiden

Sumo wrestler Raiden (“thunder and lightning”) Tameemon finished his top division career with 254 wins and 10 losses.

Hideyoshi

It combines 秀 (excellence) and 吉 (luck). Toyotomi Hideyoshi stripped farmers of swords.

Hikaru

From 光, ”to shine.” Chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura won the US Championship five times.

Minato

Minato comes from 湊, a harbor where boats gather.

Kiyoshi

Bacteriologist Kiyoshi (”purity”) Shiga isolated the dysentery bacillus.

Itsuki

From 樹, a tree. The Itsuki Lullaby comes from Itsuki village in Kumamoto.

Tsubasa

Tsubasa is pronounced as tsoo-BAH-sah and means ”wing”.

Genki

”Someone lively and hale.” The greeting ”O-genki desu ka?” asks a friend how he is faring.

Keisuke

Midfielder Keisuke (“precious assistant”) Honda scored at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Shun

”Instant/blink of an eye”.

Yoichi

”To give” and ”one.”