Japanese Names Meaning Dragon, Tiger, Shark, Fox, Snake, Wolf

Japanese writes dragon with two kanji, 竜 and 龍, read ryu or tatsu. Its zodiac uses separate signs for three of these animals: 寅 for tiger, 辰 for dragon and 巳 for snake. Fox and shark never got a zodiac year, so their words come from folklore and family surnames.

I have selected a list of Japanese names meaning dragon, tiger, shark, fox and snake, each with its meaning.

List Of Japanese Names Meaning Dragon And Their Meanings:

Ryoma

Sakamoto Ryoma (“dragon horse”) helped bring down the Tokugawa shogunate.

Tatsuya

It combines 竜, dragon, with 也, “to be.”

Tatsue

“Dragon inlet,” or “dragon blessing.”

Hakuryu

Hakuryu has a meaning I like: “white dragon.”

Ryuki

“Dragon brightness,” “dragon hope,” “dragon joy” or “dragon rider.”

Ryuya

Same kanji as Tatsuya, 竜也, with the ryu meaning: dragon, “to be.”

Mizuchi

A water dragon from Japanese myth, written 蛟.

Ryuo

Dragon king. In shogi, it’s the promoted rook.

Ryuta

“Big dragon,” or “thick dragon.”

Ryunosuke

Ryunosuke (“dragon helper”) Akutagawa claimed a birth in the dragon year, month, day and hour. Save

Tatsu

Dragon, in its zodiac form 辰.

Ryugo

“Enlightened dragon,” or “dragon and parasol tree.”

Ryuko

“Dragon child.”

Tatsuo

“Dragon man.” Tatsuo is the first tatsu form to show up in US Social Security data.

Kokuryu

Black dragon. The Amur River is also known as Kokuryuko.

Seiryu

Azure dragon, guardian of the east.

Ryusuke

From ryu, dragon, and suke, “herald.”

Tatsumaki

Tatsumaki is meaning “dragon-like spiral storm”.

Ryuichi

Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto won an Oscar for The Last Emperor. Ryuichi is symbolizing “first dragon.”

Ryujin

“Dragon god.” Ryūjin is the lord of the sea as well as the father of the princess Otohime.

Tatsuki

Dragon tree. In Buddhism, 龍樹 is also Nagarjuna, the Indian thinker.

Ryuhei

Ryuhei is meaning “dragon peace/level.”

Ryugu

“Dragon palace.” 162173 Ryugu is a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.

Ryutaro

Big dragon son.

Ryusei

“Dragon star,” or “dragon life.” Its homophone 流星 means meteor. Save

Ryuji

“second dragon/dragon ruler.”

Ryuma

It is made of 竜, dragon, and 真, “genuine.”

Tatsuro

“Dragon son.”

Tatsunoko

Anime studio Tatsunoko chose it for founder Tatsuo Yoshida and its seahorse logo: “child of the dragon.”

Ryu

“Dragon.”

Tiger:

Kagetora

“Scenic tiger,” or “tiger in view.”

Torakusu

“Tiger camphor tree”. Torakusu was the founder of the Yamaha Corporation.

Torao

“Tiger man,” or “tiger hero.”

Torajiro

“Tiger, second son.” He’s Tora-san of the Otoko wa Tsurai yo film series.

Kotora

Little tiger.

Tora

Tora is pronounced TOH-rah: “tiger.” 寅 writes the zodiac sign, 虎 the animal.

Kotaro

It combines 虎, tiger, and 太郎, “big son.”

Toranosuke

Kato Kiyomasa was born as Toranosuke (“tiger helper”). He was one of Hideyoshi’s Seven Spears of Shizugatake.

Byakko

White tiger. Byakko is the guardian of the west. He controls the wind.

Torako

Torako is meaning “tiger child”.

Torachiyo

“Tiger of a thousand generations”.

Torakichi

“Lucky tiger.”

Torahiko

Tiger boy. Physicist Torahiko Terada studied with novelist Natsume Soseki.

Toramaru

Tiger with maru, a suffix for boys and ships.

Kotetsu

From 虎, tiger, and 徹, “pierce.” Nagasone Kotetsu is one the most famous swordsmith of the Edo period.

Toraya

“Tiger house.” Toraya became a purveyor to the Imperial Court of Emperor Goyozei.

Shark:

Wanizame

“Ferocious shark.” Save

Aozame

Blue shark, Japanese for the shortfin mako.

Sameshima

Shark island. Footballer Aya Sameshima played for Japan.

Hoshizame

“Star shark.”

Kisame

“Demon shark.” In Naruto Kisame Hoshigaki was a shinobi of Kirigakure’s Hoshigaki Clan.

Samegai

Shark well, a Japanese surname.

Hanazame

“Flower shark,” Japanese for the spinner shark.

Samehada

Samehada is symbolizing “shark skin.”

Fox:

Kitsune

“Fox.”

Senko

“Wizard fox,” another word for a kiko.

Kogitsunemaru

“Little fox.” A fox spirit helped smith Munechika forge his sword.

Yako

Field fox.

Tenko

Tenko means “heavenly fox.”

Ginko

“Silver fox,” a moon avatar in Buddhist fox legends.

Kiko

Spirit fox, a fox that has shed its flesh.

Zenko

“Good fox.” Inari’s messengers come from this group.

Kokuko

Kokuko, or kokko: black fox.

Kitsunebi

Fox fire, the ghost lights of folk tales.

Myobu

“Honored lady” or ”celestial foxes.”

Kinko

“Gold fox,” a servant of Dakini.

Chiko

“Earth fox.” Even Tamamo no Mae only reached this rank.

Kuko

“Sky fox,” a fox with zero tails left.

Snake:

Mamushi

“Pit viper.” Warlord Saito Dosan was the Viper of Mino.

Orochi

“Great serpent.” Yamata no Orochi had eight heads.

Shirohebi

White snake. In Iwakuni they’re albino and protected as a natural monument.

Kuchinawa

“Rotten rope,” a euphemism for snake.

Minosuke

It is meaning ”snake helper”. Bandō Minosuke II is the leading bassist of buyō Bandō-ryū.

Hebi

“Snake.” Early texts spell it hemi.

Daija

Big serpent, 大蛇.

Janome

“Snake’s eye.” A round bobbin that looked like one gave Janome sewing machines their title.

Uwabami

“Giant snake,” and a slang for a heavy drinker.

Jakotsu

“Snake bone.”

Hami

An archaic word for snake, still inside uwabami.

Tatsumi

“Dragon and snake,” the compass point for southeast.

Mi

“Snake” in the Japanese zodiac.

Orochimaru

Orochimaru (“great serpent boy”) is a snake sorcerer in Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari.

Wolf:

Makami

Makami is a divine beast in mythology and it is said that wolves became Makami. Save

Garou

“Hungry wolf.”

Ookamiza

“Wolf seat,” Japanese for the Lupus constellation which is situated in the southern hemisphere near Centaurus.

Hakurou

White wolf.

Ookami Shounen

“Wolf boy,” the Japanese term for the boy who cried wolf.

Okuri-ookami

“Sending-off wolf.” It’s a yokai that trails night travelers as well as a slang for a man with bad intent.

Rouken

Wolfdog.

Horkew Kamuy

In Ainu: Horkew Kamuy is symbolizing the wolf deity of Hokkaido.

Ezo Ookami

Ezo wolf, Hokkaido’s larger wolf.

Oinu

“Honorable dog”.

Ginrou

“Silver wolf,” and a beastman in the anime Brand New Animal.

Aoki Ookami

“Blue wolf,” and Yasushi Inoue’s novel about Genghis Khan.

Garo

Garo (“fanged wolf”) is the golden knight of Keita Amemiya’s tokusatsu series.

Ippiki Ookami

Lone wolf, someone who prefers to work alone.

Yamainu

“Mountain dog.”

Ookami

“Wolf,” and slang for a womanizer.

Rouga

“Wolf fang.”

Nihon Ookami

It is an extinct subspecies of the gray wolf. The last known one died in Nara Prefecture in the twentieth century. Nihon Ookami means “Japanese wolf.”

Okami

“Great god,” and a pun Capcom used for its game Okami.

Ookamiuo

Wolf fish, the Bering wolffish.

Rousou

“Wolf claw,” the word for a dog’s dewclaw.

Ookami Otoko

It is symbolizing ”werewolf.”