Japanese names that mean sea or ocean
Japanese names of the sea, waves, shores and harbours, from Kaito and Umi to Minato, recently the No. 1 boy name in Japan.
海 umi, kai: sea湊 minato: harbour凪 nagi: calm sea
Japan is an island country, and the sea runs through its names. 海 (sea) gives Kai, Kaito and Umi, and girls' names like Nanami (七海, seven seas). 洋 is the wide ocean, 波 is a wave, 汐 the tide and 帆 a sail.
The harbour has become especially fashionable. 湊 (Minato) means a harbour where ships gather, and it reached the top of the boys' ranking in recent years. 凪 (Nagi), the stillness of the sea when the wind drops, and 渚 (Nagisa), the shore, are popular for their calm.
On this page
The kanji behind sea names
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning | In names |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海 | うみ, かい | sea | 13 ranked names |
| 洋 | よう | ocean | 2 ranked names |
| 汐 | しお, うしお, せい, せき | tide | Rare in ranked names |
| 渚 | なぎさ, しょ | shore | 1 ranked name |
| 波 | なみ, は | wave | 1 ranked name |
| 湊 | みなと, あつ, そう | harbour | 8 ranked names |
Names chosen for their sea meaning
Popular names with a sea kanji
Spellings that have made Japan's yearly baby name rankings, most popular first.
Sea names of real people
Given names with a sea kanji carried by notable Japanese people. The number shows how many notable people share each one.
洋三
Yōzō洋 ocean + 三 three
Boy2 people陸海
Mutsumi陸 land + 海 sea
Unisex1 person洋吉
Yōkichi洋 ocean + 吉 good luck
Boy1 personMore sea names
Rarer spellings found in Japanese name records. In each one the sea kanji keeps its own reading, so the meaning is really there, not just the sound.
Last names with a sea meaning
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 波多野 | Hatano | 波 wave + 多 many + 野 field |
| 難波 | Nanba | 難 difficult; impossible + 波 wave |
| 松波 | Matsunami | 松 pine + 波 wave |
| 藤波 | Fujinami | 藤 wisteria + 波 wave |
| 海野 | Unno | 海 sea + 野 field |
| 鳴海 | Narumi | 鳴 chirp; cry + 海 sea |
| 内海 | Utsumi | 内 inside + 海 sea |
| 斯波 | Shiba | 斯 this; thus + 波 wave |
| 新海 | Shinkai | 新 new + 海 sea |
| 鳥海 | Toriumi | 鳥 bird + 海 sea |
| 丹波 | Tanba | 丹 red + 波 wave |
| 成海 | Narumi | 成 to become + 海 sea |
| 井波 | Inami | 井 well + 波 wave |
Questions
What Japanese name means ocean?
Kai and Umi (海) mean sea, Hiroshi written 洋 means wide ocean, and Nanami (七海) means seven seas.
What does Minato mean?
Minato (湊) means harbour. It has been one of the most popular boy names in Japan in the 2020s.