Japanese names that mean beautiful
Japanese names meaning beautiful: 美, the single most used kanji in girls' names, plus 麗, 佳 and 綺.
美 mi, bi: beautiful麗 rei: lovely佳 ka, kei: fine, beautiful
美 (mi) is probably the most used kanji in Japanese girls' names. It means beautiful, and its sound mi fits the beginning or end of countless names: Miyu, Misaki, Mio, Mika, Ayumi and Emi among them. Its popularity has held for generations, from Mieko and Yumiko to today's Miu.
麗 (rei) is a more elaborate lovely, used in Rei and Reina. 佳 means fine or beautiful and gives Kana and Yoshika. 綺 means figured silk and, by extension, beauty.
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The kanji behind beautiful names
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning | In names |
|---|---|---|---|
| 美 | うつく, び, み | beautiful | 47 ranked names |
| 麗 | うるわ, うら, れい | lovely, beautiful | 2 ranked names |
| 佳 | か | beautiful, good | 4 ranked names |
| 綺 | あや, き | beautiful, figured silk | Rare in ranked names |
Popular names with a beautiful kanji
Spellings that have made Japan's yearly baby name rankings, most popular first.
Beautiful names of real people
Given names with a beautiful kanji carried by notable Japanese people. The number shows how many notable people share each one.
More beautiful names
Rarer spellings found in Japanese name records. In each one the beautiful kanji keeps its own reading, so the meaning is really there, not just the sound.
Last names with a beautiful meaning
Questions
What Japanese name means beautiful?
Names with 美 (mi) mean beautiful: Miyu, Mika, Misaki and many more. Rei written 麗 means lovely.
Is 美 only for girls?
Almost. 美 appears in a few boys' names, such as Yoshimi, but it is overwhelmingly a girls' kanji.