102 Beautiful Japanese Unisex Names With Meaning

Japan, known as the “Land of the Rising Sun”, is famous for not only beautiful landscape and unique cuisine but also a variety of adorable names with different deep meanings which can be used for both boys and girls. Those Japanese unisex names do not just express ancient Japanese beliefs, but they also reflect Japanese artistic forms such as gardening haiku poetry, architecture and the noble lifestyles like the Samurai Bushido Code. Besides, some Japanese names also represent the birth order. However, each name in Japanese possesses its complicated meaning whether it is a traditional or a modern one. One Japanese name can even have an excess of meanings.

One interesting thing in Japan is that six days after the birth, a baby is given an informal name. When the child is 16 years old, he or she has a formal name that is given in a proper naming ceremony.

Below is a list of more than one hundred Japanses unisex names along with their meanings. Let’s check it out and create your own list of favourite names for your babies.

List Of 102 Japanese Unisex Names

When born, a baby in Japan can be given one name with many layers of meaning

Why do parents choose unisex Japanese name for their newborns?

It is popular for Japanese baby names to have a connection to nature or deliver meanings that reflect family and culture. Due to the fact that names for Japanese newborns are in most cases closely linked to their literal meanings, it is quite easy for people to indicate  what a Japanese baby name implies only through looking or hearing it.

A unisex name is neutral in gender, which means it could be used to name both baby boys and girls without any difference. There are a lot of reasons why parents ponder on giving their children a non-binary name. You may consider the names are distinctive, adorable and fresh. Moreover, if you do not want to reveal your child’s sex at birth time, you can use a genderless name because it will work either both ways. And lastly, it avoids gender stereotyping concept and not to bound your little baby in one gender before birth. 

What to pay attention 

Distinction 

Distinction is of importance when giving names for a baby. Try to pick those that are unique enough so that your baby won’t have the same name with some of his/her classmates. In case your youngster has a similar name, use the last name to avoid any mistake or embarrassment. 

Religion

Religion is definitely one thing that you need to pay attention to when choosing a name. If you want something that relates to the holy people or your religion, go for spiritual names. Besides, remember to check the name carefully because some are totally fine to use in the modern world but refer to bad things in some religions. 

Meanings

There is a wide range of Japanese unisex name with beautiful meaning. Yet, you likewise need to ensure that you should select a name with proper meaning.

Spelling and length

While choosing a unisex name, try to make sure that the name isn’t too entangled in spelling and short enough to remember. 

List of Japanese gender neutral names

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FAQs

1. What are the most common unisex names in Japan?

1. Akari: “lights” or “brightness”.
2. Chihiro: “thousand, abundance”. 
3. Hayami: “rare beauty”.
4. Masa: “just or true”.
5. Toshiro: “talented or intelligent”. 
6. Tsukasa: “mound, (small) hill”.
7. Yamato: “old Japan.”
8. Yoshi: “silent or quiet.” 
9. Yū: “tenderness” or “superiority”.
10. Yukio: “happy or fortunate.”

2. What is the rarest neutral name in Japan?

Unlike some of the other names on the list mentioned above, Mami does not have one fixed meaning. Instead, the Kanji combinations lead to several meanings that include terms like “real”, “love”, “see” , “genuine” and even “ten thousand”. This might be due to Mami’s unisex status, which means that traditionally masculine or feminine attributes are not as applicable with this name. It’s quite rare to use for babies nowadays, but people named Mami today were probably born between the 1940s and 1970s.

3. How can you tell if a Japanese name is gendered?

In Japan, you can easily recognize one’s gender based on their name as there are certain patterns contained in one name that have been assigned to one particular gender. For instance, first names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are prefered to use for females.

Interestingly enough, there are names that are pronounced in the same way but differ in meaning because they use different Kanji characters in writing. There are also different writing systems, therefore a name translated into the Latint alphabet may have multiple meanings depending on which system is used, or within the kanji system itself which characters are used. It’s always best to research names that fit well for your family and child, to make sure you find the perfect one for your child.

4. Are all Japanese names unisex?

The answer is NO. In fact, most of Japanese given names tend to be gender-specific, except from a small number of names that you call non-binary.

5. Are Japanese unisex names considered unisex based on how they sound or the Kanji?

The fact is that it varies. In most cases, you can recognize one’s gender when reading his or her name because the word itself contains certain patterns (kanji) that can be possibly used for both sexes. 

There are still cases where you can not be sure whether a person is masculine or feminine. A typical example is Kaoru. Interestingly, the kanji commonly used for kaoru (薫) can be used for both sexes so you can’t make sure about the person’s gender until you actually see his/her face. A rather extreme case is names ending in “mi”. The character mi (美) means beauty, as such, it is very common in female names. But the names Naomi and Akemi can be used for males as it is written in different kanji.

6. Are unisex names popular in Japan?

Generally, unisex names are becoming popular in Japan these days. Especially, you can see many renowned celebrities who have gender-neutral names in Japan. According to Wikipedia, there are a lot of celebrities who have unisex names. For example, “Jun Matsumoto”, “Izumi Sakai”, and “Hikaru Utada.”

Conclusion

If you are expecting a baby or considering having a child, then you must research names carefully. We have already gathered a lot ideas for the best Japanese unisex names. There are charming, trendy, cute and even cool ones. In conclusion, we hope you find out the most unique from the above lists.