Japanese names that mean fire

火, the kanji for fire, is rare in Japanese given names. Parents who want warmth and light in a name usually reach for 灯 (a lamp) or the brightness of 輝 and 煌 instead. 炎 (flame), read homura, does appear as a name, but it is uncommon and feels dramatic. Its twin 焔, also flame, cannot be used at all: it is not on Japan's list of kanji allowed in names.

The gentlest fire name is Akari, written 灯: the light of a lamp in the dark. Hotaru (蛍) is another favourite: the firefly, whose summer light has been a symbol of fleeting beauty in Japanese poetry for centuries.