Japanese Names That Start with O: Boys, Girls & Last Names

Japanese has a short o and a long ō, and romaji drops the macron, so 大野 and 小野 both look like Ono. I have hand-picked a list of Japanese names that start with O and their meanings.

Japanese Boy Names That Start With O And Their Meanings:

Osamu

“To govern,” “to study,” “reason,” or “to collect.”

Ozora

It comes from 大空, great sky.

Otoya

From 音, sound, and 也, to be.

Otokichi

“Sound” and “luck.” Otokichi was a castaway who helped translate John’s Gospel into Japanese.

Okuninushi

Okuninushi, “great land master,” is pronounced oh-KOO-nee-noo-shee.

Osuke

Cherry blossom helper, or central helper.

Ohiko

Great prince, first ancestor on an Inariyama sword.

Onaobi

“Great correction,” a god born when Izanagi washed after a visit to the underworld.

Oma

“Cherry blossom, truth” in Japanese, and “grandma” in German.

Okitsugu

From 意, intention, and 次, next.

Oga

“Cherry blossom elegance,” or “cherry river.”

Oyamatsumi

“Great mountain spirit,” worshipped on Omishima island.

Ojin

応神, answer of gods, and an emperor also worshipped as Hachiman.

Okume

“Great Kume,” ancestor of a warrior clan in Jimmu’s myths.

Omoikane

Omoikane (“holder of thoughts”) plans Amaterasu’s return from her cave.

Otaro

Cherry blossom, big son.

Okura

Yamanoue no Okura (“remember, good”) wrote Dialogue on Poverty.

Oama

大海人, “great sea person.” Prince Oama won the Jinshin War and became Emperor Tenmu.

Orochimaru

“Great serpent”. Orochimaru’s a snake master in Naruto.

Oribe

Green-glazed Oribe pottery comes from tea master Furuta Oribe. Meaning: “weaving office.”

Okinori

興宣, rise and proclaim.

Otsu

“Great harbor,” as well as capital of Shiga, on Lake Biwa.

Otakemaru

Great and mighty, and an oni of Mount Suzuka in legend.

Ozunu

“Small horn”. En no Ozunu, legendary founder of mountain asceticism.

Omi

Retainer in Japanese, and water in Yoruba. Save

Otojiro

音二郎, sound and second son. Kawakami Otojiro toured America and Europe with his troupe.

Otoshi

“Great harvest year.” Otoshi is a grain god and son of Susanoo.

Omononushi

“great master of things.”

Osakabe

刑部, a court office of justice, as well as a prince who helped compile the Taiho Code.

Okitsuhiko

Inner prince, god of a kitchen hearth.

Girl Names:

Okiku

Okiku is pronounced oh-KEE-koo and is meaning “chrysanthemum.” Save

Orihime

Orihime is my favorite here: “weaving princess,” the star Vega.

Otoha

Sound feather, young leaf, sound leaf, or young feather.

Oei

“Glory.” Hokusai’s daughter Oi, born Ei, painted lantern-lit night scenes.

Orie

Weave, blessing, or weave, inlet.

Oyuki

Snow, and a Kyoto geisha who married into the Morgan banking family.

Ochiyo

A long-life wish: “thousand generations,” with polite O.

Otohime

“Younger princess.” Otohime’s a sea princess who gives Urashima a box which she’s not allowed to open.

Otora

Tiger.

Oiwa

Rock. Oiwa is a ghost whose shrine actors visit before Yotsuya Kaidan.

Otoka

“Sound flower,” “sound fragrance,” “young blossom,” or “sound song.”

Otome

乙女, maiden, and source of otome games, romance games for women.

Orina

“Weave, greens,” or “weave, south.” Save

Oriha

“Weave, feather,” “weave, leaf,” “weave, wave,” or “weave, splendor.”

Oshichi

“Seven.” Yaoya Oshichi set fire to Edo hoping to see her lover.

Otoku

徳, virtue.

Okuni

“Country”. Izumo no Okuni, who started kabuki on a Kyoto riverbed.

Otomi

“Sound beauty,” or “young beauty.”

Oto

Oto is symbolizing ”sound.”

Orino

織乃, weave and a classical possessive.

Oteru

“Shine/light up.”

Oshin

Faith. NHK’s drama Oshin reached an audience rating near sixty-three percent.

Ogetsuhime

“Great food princess,” and is pronounced oh-GEH-tsoo-hee-meh. It is sometimes spelled as Ōgetsuhime. Save

Ohana

“Flower” in Japanese, and “family” in Hawaiian.

Otone

乙音, young sound.

Ofusa

Tassel/cluster.

Oriko

“Weaving child,” as well as a star of a Madoka Magica spin-off manga.

Ohatsu

“First.” Chikamatsu based a love suicide play on a real Ohatsu.

Okichi

Luck. Okichi was sent to serve US consul Townsend Harris in Shimoda.

Oeyo

Inlet. Oeyo married Tokugawa Hidetada and mothered shogun Iemitsu.

Orine

From 織, weave, and 音, sound.

Otsuru

“Crane.”

Otoki

Time.

Ofuku

“Good fortune,” like Otafuku, a round-cheeked mask of plenty.

Oume

“Plum.”

Ohirume

“Great sun woman,” an early title of Amaterasu.

Otsuu

Otsuu waits years for Musashi in Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel. Meaning: “to pass through.”

Oshige

茂, lush.

Oharu

Spring. Kenji Mizoguchi filmed The Life of Oharu from a Saikaku novel.

Osakabehime

Osakabehime (“court office princess”) is haunting a floor of Himeji Castle.

Omatsu

Pine.

Ori

“Weave” in Japanese, “my light” in Hebrew, “head” in Yoruba and “stallion” in Finnish.

Ogin

“Chant.” Kon Toko won a Naoki Prize for a novel about Rikyu’s daughter Ogin.

Omitsu

Omitsu is meaning “brightness.”

Otsune

“Constant/always.”

Otoyo

Abundant. In Nabeshima legend, a cat spirit kills Otoyo and wears her shape.

Osono

Garden.

Otono

From 音, sound, and 乃, a classical possessive.

Okitsuhime

“Inner princess,” a hearth goddess paired with Okitsuhiko.

Osaki

Cape. A Kei Kumai film follows Osaki, who is sold into a Borneo brothel.

Otama

“Jewel.”

Oyae

Here’s a spring one: “double-petaled,” as in yae cherry blossoms.

Osuzu

鈴, bell.

Ocho

蝶, butterfly.

Osayo

小夜, little night.

Oshizu

“Quiet/calm.”

Okoto

Koto, a long zither.

Last Names:

Ono

“Small field,” or “tail field.”

Ozaki

尾崎, tail cape. Ozaki Yukio sent Washington its cherry trees.

Ohno

大野, “big field.” Apolo Ohno won eight Olympic medals in short track.

Okane

大金, big gold.

Ota

“Thick rice paddy.” Ota Dokan raised the first castle at Edo.

Ogawa

“Small river.”

Oroku

Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is Oroku Saki. Meaning: “small stipend.”

Otsuchi

大槌, big mallet. A disconnected phone booth in Otsuchi lets visitors talk to lost relatives.

Okakura

岡倉, hill storehouse. Okakura Kakuzo wrote The Book of Tea in English.

Okamoto

“Base of a hill.” Okamoto Taro made the Tower of the Sun for Osaka’s world expo.

Okubo

“Big, long-lasting, keep”. Okubo Toshimichi, assassinated at Kioizaka.

Ohtani

Its etymology is 大谷, big valley, and it’s a variant spelling of Otani.

Oyama

“Big mountain,” or “small mountain.” Mas Oyama founded Kyokushin karate.

Okitsu

興津, rising harbor, and a post town on the Tokaido road.

Omura

“Big village.” Omura Satoshi shared a Nobel Prize for work on ivermectin.

Okuma

“Big bear.” Okuma Shigenobu founded what became Waseda University.

Ogami

拝, worship. Ogami Itto is a wandering swordsman in Lone Wolf and Cub.

Ouchi

”Big, inside.” Ouchi is a clan that supervised Ming trade from Yamaguchi.

Oishi

Big stone. Oishi Kuranosuke headed the forty-seven ronin.

Ogushi

Small skewer.

Ozone

小曽根, small, former root. Makoto Ozone is a jazz pianist from Kobe.

Otake

“Big bamboo,” or “big warrior.”

Omori

大森, “big forest.” Edward Morse dug the Omori shell mound, a Japanese archaeology site.

Oku

Interior.

Oe

大江, big inlet, and Nobel novelist Kenzaburo Oe.

Ohira

Big and flat, and a prime minister who died in office.

Otomo

Otomo (“big friend”) Katsuhiro wrote Akira.

Ooka

Its etymology is 大岡, big hill, and is a variant of Ōoka.

Okochi

Inside a big river.

Orikasa

Folded hat.

Otsuki

“Big zelkova,” or “big moon.” Otsuki Gentaku hosted a Dutch New Year party in Edo.

Ohara

“Big meadow,” or “small meadow.” The Ohara Museum was Japan’s first museum of Western art.

Okutsu

Inner harbor.

Osugi

“Big cedar.” Anarchist Osugi Sakae was killed by military police.

Ozawa

“Small marsh,” or “big marsh.” Seiji Ozawa conducted in Boston for twenty-nine years.

Oya

“Big house” in Japanese, and “needle lace” in Turkish.

Okonogi

小此木, small, this, tree.

Owada

It combines 小, small, 和, harmony, and 田, rice paddy. Empress Masako was born an Owada.

Oshiro

Big castle, among Okinawa’s most common surnames.

Onozato

“Small field village.”

Onogi

Small field tree.

Osumi

大隅, big corner, and Japan’s first satellite.

Omiya

大宮, great shrine. There’s a bonsai village of nurseries in Omiya.

Ogaki

大垣, big fence. Basho ended The Narrow Road to the Deep North at Ogaki.

Ogata

“Cord direction,” or “tail shape.” Ogata Korin painted Irises screens.

Ozeki

“Big barrier,” or “small barrier.” Ozeki’s also sumo’s second-highest rank.

Oi

“Big well,” or “big dwelling.” Oi Racecourse in Tokyo runs its races at night.

Omine

大嶺, big peak, an Okinawan surname.

Otori

“Big bird.” Otori Keisuke commanded troops of a short-lived Ezo Republic.

Oura

Big bay. Oura Kei was a Nagasaki merchant who shipped tea abroad.

Obata

“Small banner,” or “small dry field.”

Okido

大城戸, big castle gate.

Obinata

大日向, big sunny place.

Obuchi

“Small deep pool.” Obuchi Keizo unveiled era title Heisei on television.

Oda

“Weaving field” in Japanese, “room” in Turkish, and “ode” in Spanish and Polish.

Odaka

“Small and high.”

Ochi

越智, “cross, wisdom.”

Ochiai

Where rivers meet. Ochiai Hiromitsu won batting’s Triple Crown three times.

Ogasawara

“Small hat field.” The Ogasawara Islands lie a thousand kilometers south of Tokyo.

Omuro

大室, big chamber.

Ogura

“Small storehouse.” Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a hundred-poem set used for karuta cards.

Oyafuso

親富祖, “parent, wealth, ancestor”.

Ogino

荻野, “reed field.” Ogino Kyusaku’s ovulation research resulted in a birth control method.

Ogiwara

Reed meadow.

Onna

恩納, grace and receive, and an Okinawan village on its west coast.

Oikawa

“Reach, river.”

Oguri

“Small chestnut,” or “big chestnut.” Oguri Tadamasa started Yokosuka shipyard.

Okazaki

Okazaki is Tokugawa Ieyasu’s birthplace castle.

Okazawa

Hill marsh.

Okabe

“Hill group.”

Okawachi

大川内, “big river, inside.” Okawachiyama near Imari fired porcelain for Nabeshima lords.

Okuda

“Inner rice paddy.”

Okuno

“Inner field.”

Okumura

Inner village.

Oinomikado

大炊御門, “gate of an imperial kitchen,” a court noble family.

Onaga

翁長, “elder, long,” an Okinawan surname.

Onizuka

鬼塚, “demon mound.” Ellison Onizuka was the first Asian American in space.

Onoda

“Small field, rice paddy.”

Ogyu

荻生, reed and life. Ogyu Sorai was a Confucian scholar of Edo.

Onda

Onda is symbolizing ”grace and rice paddy.”

Obana

尾花, a plume of pampas grass.

Onoe

尾上, “tail top.” Onoe Kikugoro is a kabuki stage title passed down since Edo.

Osada

長田, long field.

Osanai

“Inside a small mountain.” Osanai Kaoru co-founded the Tsukiji Little Theatre.

Orihara

Fold meadow.

Owari

“Tail, stretch,” and a province around Nagoya ruled by a Tokugawa branch.

Onagi

小名木, small, title, tree.

Ozu

Small harbor, and director Yasujiro Ozu of Tokyo Story.

Otaka

“Tail, high.”

Ogimi

大宜味, an Okinawan village known for its long-lived residents.

Orikuchi

Fold mouth. Orikuchi Shinobu studied folklore and wrote poetry.

Oyadomari

“Parent, overnight stay,” an Okinawan surname.

Oshio

“Big salt.” Oshio Heihachiro rose up for Osaka’s hungry poor.

Onimaru

Onimaru Kunitsuna is one of the five swords under heaven. Meaning: “demon circle.”

Otabe

Small field group.

Obayashi

大林, big woods. Obayashi Corporation put up Tokyo Skytree.

Okudera

奥寺, “inner temple.” Okudera Yasuhiko was Japan’s first pro in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Oki

“Offshore.” It isn’t written like the Oki Islands, where Emperor Go-Toba died in exile.

Oyamada

Small mountain field.

Oniki

“Demon tree.”

Onizawa

Demon marsh.

Otobe

Second group.

Osafune

長船, “long boat.” Osafune in Bizen gave its title to a school of swordsmiths.

Okita

沖田, offshore rice paddy, and Shinsengumi swordsman Okita Soji.

Ojima

“Tail island.”

Okaya

岡谷, “hill valley.” Okaya in Nagano was a center of silk reeling.

Onchi

恩地, grace and earth. Onchi Koshiro made some of Japan’s first abstract prints.

Okabayashi

Hill forest.

Okayama

Hill mountain, and a prefecture of Momotaro legend.

Otagaki

Big field fence. Otagaki Rengetsu was a Buddhist nun who carved poems into pottery.

Obama

小浜, “small beach.” Obama city in Fukui partied when Barack Obama won.

Ogimachi

正親町, a sixteenth-century emperor and a court family.

Oshikiri

“Push, cut.”

Ototake

乙武, “second, warrior.” Hirotada Ototake wrote a bestseller about life without arms or legs.

Okugawa

“Inner river.”

Osako

大迫, “big narrows.” Osako Yuya scored Japan’s winner against Colombia at a World Cup.

Otowa

音羽, sound feather. Kiyomizu-dera’s Otowa waterfall splits into three streams.

Onozuka

“Small field mound.”

Omoto

Source.

Omagari

“Big bend,” and host city of a national fireworks contest in Akita.

Ozasa

Small bamboo grass.

Okinaga

息長, “long breath,” and legendary Empress Jingu’s clan.

Oyakawa

親川, parent river, an Okinawan surname.

Onozawa

Small field marsh.

Oshino

忍野, endure field. Oshino village has several ponds under Mount Fuji.

Osaragi

大仏, “great Buddha.” Novelist Osaragi Jiro took the name of Kamakura’s Great Buddha.

Omata

Small fork.

Ogi

Fan.

Okashita

Below a hill.

Odawara

小田原, small field meadow. The Hojo clan kept Odawara Castle until a siege by Hideyoshi.