Japanese names starting with R
66 Japanese girl and boy names that start with R, grouped by their first sound, with kanji, meanings and popularity.
R- names cover the Japanese r, a light tap between an English r and l. They are short, modern and very popular: Ren, Rin, Riku, Rio and Ruka have all ranked highly in recent years.
If you are looking for Japanese names that start with an L sound, these are them: Japanese writes that sound with R.
Across all 66 names, the kanji that most often begin a R name are 琉 (lapis lazuli), 良 (good), 龍 (dragon).
On this page
Names starting with Ri-
24 names. Ri- is most often written 理 (reason), 莉 (jasmine), 里 (village).
Names starting with Ryu-
13 names. Ryu- is most often written 龍 (dragon), 琉 (lapis lazuli), 竜 (dragon).
Names starting with Re-
10 names. Re- is most often written 玲 (jingle of jewels), 蓮 (lotus), 怜 (wise).
Names starting with Ryo-
10 names. Ryo- is most often written 良 (good), 亮 (clear), 涼 (cool).
Names starting with Ru-
6 names. Ru- is most often written 瑠 (lapis lazuli), 琉 (lapis lazuli), 塁 (fort).
Names starting with Ra-
3 names. Ra- is most often written 蘭 (orchid), 來 (to come).
How R names are written
Japanese names are chosen for their kanji as much as their sound. These are the kanji that most often begin a R name, counting every spelling on this page. 34 of these names are popular today, and 1 are classics from before 1990.
| Kanji | Meaning | Spellings |
|---|---|---|
| 琉 | lapis lazuli, gem | 16 |
| 良 | good | 15 |
| 龍 | dragon | 15 |
| 理 | reason, logic | 13 |
| 莉 | jasmine | 12 |
| 里 | village, home | 12 |
| 梨 | pear | 10 |
| 亮 | clear, bright | 10 |
Questions
What is a popular Japanese girl name starting with R?
Riko (莉子) is one of the best-known: 莉 jasmine + 子 child. Popular now · best No. 2.
What is a popular Japanese boy name starting with R?
Ren (蓮) is one of the best-known: 蓮 lotus. Popular now · best No. 1.
Which R names sound old-fashioned in Japan?
Names that were popular before 1990 and have since dropped out of the rankings, such as Rie, now sound like names of parents and grandparents.