Cute Japanese Names Kawaii – Female and Male

In this article, we will share a list of Japanese names that are cute or Kawaii (the Japanese word for cute). We will use various criteria for cuteness, including Japanese criteria. The list of names below will include cute female and male names.

This article was not easy to make at all, as when searching for cute Japanese names, we only found random lists of common names. I don’t want to do the same as everyone else, so I had to research a lot in the limbo. I appreciate it if you share!

We have already written several articles and lists about names that can be read in our Guide to Japanese Names. If this list is not enough, perhaps this guide will be of great help to the reader. I hope you enjoy!

How to Choose a Kawaii Name?

Choosing a Kawaii or Cute name is not an easy task. We recommend that before everything, you have a basic understanding of the meaning of the word kawaii. After that, we can really understand how to choose a cute name.

Generally, a cute name is composed of ideograms that remind us of cute and beautiful things, such as flowers, fruits, animals, repetition of syllables, onomatopoeias, and others. You might want to use these requirements to choose a cute Japanese name.

Generally, female names are already cute by themselves, as the vast majority have ideograms of love, child, flower, beauty, and others. Of course, they are common names that do not stand out much in their cuteness. Throughout this article, you will learn much more.

Other ways to make a cute name can be by:

• Sounding names are cuter;
• Including the month or season of birth in the name;
• Using an uncommon and old-fashioned name;
• Names written in Hiragana are popular and cute;
• Foreign names can also sound cute;
• Two-syllable names are the most popular;
• Three-syllable names can sound beautiful;

Another beautiful thing about Japanese names is the nicknames. There are several secrets involving Japanese nicknames and their ways of choosing. We recommend reading: All About Japanese Nicknames.

Cute Names According to the Japanese

A survey was conducted in high school to understand which names the Japanese find cuter and what criteria were used. The survey starts by saying which names sounded cute to the students, see what the young people said:

16-year-old boys said that the names Mei [芽郁] and Kotoha [琴葉] are cute and elegant. Another 17-year-old boy found the name Ichika [一花] cute, simple, and elegant, just a flower. The 17 and 16-year-old girls chose Yume [結愛] and Kanon [花音].

According to the survey, another thing that makes Japanese names cute and beautiful is the combination of the ideogram of beauty [美] in names like Mio, Mika, Mirei, and Kotomi. Flower names were also mentioned in the survey.

Old-fashioned names that are familiar to the Japanese are popular. Names that directly convey three phonemes in a single ideogram are considered cute. We have the cases of Miyabi [雅], Tsumugi [紬], and Aoi [葵].

Popular names associated with nature that have a warm and gentle image like Shizuku, Kaede, and Miku. Names with bright images that use ideograms of brightness like Ayumi, Miyuu, Asahi, and Kana.

Girl Power names were also mentioned in the survey, those that make a woman seem strong and sparkling like Airi, Rena, and Karen. Strong names like Hiyori, Tsubaki, and Nanase. Also gentle names like Hina and Manaka.

Japanese Flower Names

It is common for Japanese people to choose flower names for their babies and pets. Names related to flowers are also popular due to the idea of “being bright and splendid like a flower.”

Some of these names have only one ideogram, while others try to create the phoneme of the flower with different ideograms. Generally, flower names are mostly feminine. Here are some Japanese flower names:

• Hana [花] – Means Flower;
• Sakura [桜] – Cherry Blossom;
• Tsubaki [椿] – Camellia;
• Saki [咲] – Bloom;
• Yuzu – [柚] – Type of Lemon;
• Momo [桃] – Peach;
• Ayame [菖] – Iris;
• Anzu [杏] – Apricot;
• Sumire [菫] – Violet;
• Minori [実] – Seed, Fruit, Nut;
• Tsubomi [蕾] – Bud (of plants);
• Shizuku [雫] – Drip;
• Momiji [椛] – Autumn Foliage, Birch, Maple;
• Kiri [桐] – Paulownia;
• Nazuna [薺] – Shepherd’s Purse;

Don’t think that just because there is a lemon on the list, that this name is masculine. Generally, flower names are feminine and for women. There are many other flower names and their meanings that you can see in our article about Hanakotoba.

Other cute feminine Japanese flower names are: Karin, Ayame, Shion, Momiji, Momoka, Anna, and Serika. Now, the most popular kanji used to indicate cute girls is ri [莉]. The name Riko, for example, ranked 4th in the cute names category in 2017.

These are names of the jasmine flower which in Japanese is called Matsurika [茉莉花], we have several options like Mari, Marikan, Risa, Yuri, Rio, Marino, Karina, and others. The same can be done with other ideograms from this article.

Cute Japanese Names Associated with Sound and Music

Many of the beautiful words that have been passed down in Japan since ancient times are associated with sound and music, so they are a good choice for cute and kawaii female names.

For example, the koto [琴], a traditional Japanese musical instrument shows all the delicacy and skill of the Japanese with music. Other ideograms that fit into a cute name include the ideogram of sound oto [音] or song [歌]. Here are some:

• 美琴（Mikoto）
• 琴音（Kotone）
• 朱音（Akane）
• 歌子・詩子（Utako）
• 響子（Kyouko）
• 律子（Ritsuko）
• 琴都音（Kotone）
• 天舞音（Amane）
• 由歌里（Yukari）
• 詩津歌（Shizuka）
• 帆乃歌（Honoka）

Short and Easy Cute Japanese Names

The Japanese names below are short and easy. Some names from the list below can be unisex or sound better as male names. They are uncommon names that refer to a certain word or Japanese ideogram.

• 安（An）
• 純（Juun）
• 優（Yuu）
• 恵（Kei）
• 塁（Rei）
• 聖（Sei)
• 怜（Rei）
• 晴（Haru）
• 茗（Mei)
• 尚（Shou）
• 藍（Ran）

Something that makes the name cute and beautiful is its writing, which is why today many write their names using Hiragana or Katakana, as they are prettier and less complicated. Simplicity has everything to do with cuteness. Therefore, here are some kanji names with few strokes that are easy to write:

• 司（Tsukasa）
• 央（Hiro)
• 永（Ei）
• 夕 (Yuu)
• 才 (Mitsu)
• 光 (Hikari)
• 七（Nana)

Cute Japanese Names Using Parents’ Names

The Japanese syllabary allows us to take the initials or final parts of the parents’ names and combine them to form a new name that can sound cute and beautiful. Here are some examples of parents who named their daughters using their initials:

• “A” from Akira + “I” from Mai → Ai
• “Ka” from Kazuki + “Na” from Naho → Kana
• “Ya” from Tatsuya + “Mi” from Miiko → Miya
• “Ki” from Taiki + “Natsu” (mother’s name) → Natsuki

You can also take the initial or final ideograms of a parent’s name to create the child’s name, but you don’t necessarily have to use the same phonemes. If the name doesn’t make any sense, there are thousands of ways to read an ideogram.

Japanese names are infinite, which increases cuteness. Perhaps the article about the meaning of Japanese names can help you decide on ideograms and names for your child. We also recommend the video below:

Cute Male Japanese Names

The criteria for male Japanese names that are cute may be different from female ones. No man will want to have the name of a flower or something feminine, but there are many male names that can sound cute, especially to girls.

• Akira – clear and bright;
• Daiki – This name in Japanese means born for great glory;
• Eiji – A popular name for the second child, means prosperity, peace, and eternity;
• Eriko – Child;
• Ren (蓮) – Lotus;
• Hiroto (大翔) – Great flight;
• Haruto (陽翔) – Good flight;
• Minato (湊) – Protected Port;
• Yuma (悠真) – Calm Truth;
• Riku (俐空) – Wise Sky;
• Kaito – Among pear trees;
• Asahi – Morning sun;