Type your name and get a real, attested Japanese name — drawn from a dictionary of 185,000+ Japanese given names — that sounds like yours or shares its meaning. Shows the Kanji, Kana reading and Hepburn romaji with the meaning of its characters. Browser-only — for fun, not your legal name.
Japanese Name Generator
MY JAPANESE NAME IS
How to use the Japanese Name Generator
Type your name and pick a gender lean
Enter any name in any script. Choose Feminine, Masculine, or Either. It's deterministic — the same name and gender always return the same Japanese name, so the card you share is what a friend gets when they try your name.
Choose "By sound" or "By meaning"
By sound finds a real Japanese name that echoes yours (David → 大気 / Daiki). By meaning finds one whose Kanji match your name's meaning. Every result is an attested Japanese name pulled from a 185,000-entry dictionary — a real name a Japanese person could have, not an invented spelling.
Read the Kanji, Kana and meaning
The card shows the name in Kanji (漢字), its Kana reading (the pronunciation) and Hepburn romaji, plus the meaning of its characters in up to three languages. Japanese names are subtle: the same Kanji can have several readings, so the reading shown is the one attested for that name.
Pick a background and share
Tap any background — zen minimal, matsuri lights, autumn momiji — and the card updates live. Download or Share the image, or Copy text to paste your name + reading + meaning. The links at the bottom carry your name into the Korean, Chinese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian generators.
What's your Japanese name? Real names from a 185,000-name dictionary
Type your name and get a real, attested Japanese name — one that either sounds like yours or shares its meaning. Every result is drawn from JMnedict, a dictionary of over 185,000 Japanese given names, so it's a name a Japanese person could genuinely have, not an invented transliteration. The card shows the Kanji, the Kana reading and Hepburn romaji, with the meaning of the characters.
Three scripts, and why Kanji carry the meaning
Japanese writes names with Kanji (漢字, Chinese characters), read with Kana (the phonetic syllabaries). A name like 大輝 (Daiki) pairs 大 "big, great" with 輝 "radiance"; 陽菜 (Hina) pairs 陽 "sun, light" with 菜 "greens, blossom". The Kanji carry the meaning; the Kana tell you how to read them. This matters because Japanese names are famously ambiguous: a single name can be written with many different Kanji, and a single Kanji can have many readings — so the reading shown here is the one actually attested for that name in the dictionary.
The same Kanji can be read several ways, and the same sound can be written with dozens of different Kanji. That's why even Japanese people exchange the written form of a new acquaintance's name — the spelling carries information the sound alone doesn't.
Choosing common, natural names
A 185,000-name dictionary includes plenty of rare and unusual names. To keep results natural, this tool weights toward common names — measured by how many different Kanji spellings share a given reading (a reading shared by dozens of writings, like あんな Anna, is a popular name; a one-off is a curio). It also prefers the typical two-Kanji given-name length and filters out odd mixed-script writings. The result is a name that reads as a real, everyday Japanese name rather than a dictionary obscurity.
Surnames, order, and romaji
In Japan the surname comes first (山田太郎 = Yamada Tarō, family name Yamada), though Japanese names are often reversed to given-surname order for Western audiences. Romanization here uses the Hepburn system, the most widely used standard internationally. There are over 100,000 Japanese surnames — vastly more than Korea's ~280 or China's handful — many describing places and landscapes: 田中 "middle of the rice field", 山本 "base of the mountain", 小林 "small forest".
For fun — and for the curious
This is an entertainment tool: the name is a playful match, not your legal name. But every name is real and attested, and the meanings come from the Kanji dictionary, so it's an accurate little window into how Japanese names work. Curious how your name lands elsewhere in Asia? The cross-links carry it into the other generators in one tap. A native-speaker review of meanings is ongoing.
10 Things to Know About Japanese Names
Japanese names are written in Kanji (漢字) and read with Kana — the characters carry the meaning, the kana tell you how to say it.
A single name can be written with many different Kanji, and a single Kanji can have many readings — Japanese names are famously hard to read on sight.
Because of that ambiguity, Japanese people often exchange the written form of a name — the spelling carries information the sound alone doesn't.
The surname comes first: 山田太郎 is Yamada Tarō, family name Yamada. Names are often reversed for Western audiences.
Japan has over 100,000 surnames — far more than Korea (~280) or China (a few hundred in common use).
Many surnames describe landscapes: 田中 "middle of the rice field", 山本 "base of the mountain", 小林 "small forest".
Only Kanji on the government's jinmeiyō + jōyō lists (about 3,000 characters) may legally be used in given names.
A reading shared by many Kanji spellings (like あんな, Anna) is a common name; a one-off spelling is a rare curio — this tool prefers the common ones.
Romanization uses the Hepburn system — the international standard, which is why しんじ is written "Shinji" rather than "Sinzi".
Names like 大輝 (Daiki) "big radiance" or 陽菜 (Hina) "sun + blossom" pack two meanings into two characters — compact and evocative.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
No — it's a playful match, for fun. The names are real, attested Japanese names from a 185,000-entry dictionary, but the assignment to you is entertainment, not your legal name or an official transliteration.
-
By sound finds a real Japanese name that echoes how yours sounds. By meaning finds one whose Kanji match what your name means. Both return genuine, attested names — neither is a letter-by-letter spelling.
-
From JMnedict, an open Japanese name dictionary of over 185,000 given names, joined with KANJIDIC for character meanings. So every result is a real, attested name — not an invented one.
-
A huge dictionary contains many rare names. The tool weights toward common ones — gauged by how many Kanji spellings share a reading — so you get a natural, everyday name rather than an obscure dictionary entry.
-
Because one reading can be written with many Kanji, and the tool prefers a common reading first. The reading shown is always a real, common name; the specific Kanji writing can occasionally be a less typical one. Click Another for alternatives.
-
With the Hepburn system, the most widely used international standard — which is why しんじ becomes "Shinji". The Kanji and Kana on the card are the authoritative forms.
-
Yes — it's deterministic. The same name + gender + mode always produce the same Japanese name. Click Another to step through alternative matches.
-
Yes. The exported PNG uses a self-hosted Japanese webfont, so Kanji and Kana rasterize as real glyphs (no boxes). Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
-
Yes — the links at the bottom carry your typed name into the Korean, Chinese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian generators, so you can compare how it lands across the region in one tap.
-
Yes — use the language bar at the top. The card and controls localize across English, 简体/繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia and ไทย, and the meaning shows in up to three languages on the card.
Related News
You may be interested in these recent stories from our newsroom.
No related news yet for this tool. Our editorial team publishes new pieces every week.
Browse all news →