Japanese names associated with season: Spring

One of the most beautiful features about Japanese naming is that so many parents choose or create a name that is related to the season the child was born in.

For example, if a child was born in August, the parents might give the child a name that is associated with summer and its natural phenomena by using kanji that means ocean or bright sunshine.

It shows how important seasons and nature are to Japanese people. From the ancient times Japanese people have always honored and cherished each season to the fullest.

All the four seasons are remarkably distinct in Japan and each season has very striking contrast from one another.

In this series of articles, I’ll be introducing a lot of beautiful Japanese names that are associated with the seasons.

First of all, let me start with names associated with spring. In the traditional calendar, spring in Japan officially begins on Risshun (立春) around the 3^rd of February, and ends on Rikka (立夏) around the 5^th of May.

Names that are related to spring often have fresh, warm, gentle or sweet qualities. For Japanese people spring is not only the season of warmth, flowers and fresh green leaves, but also of the ending and beginning of the chapter of life because the school year and fiscal year end in March and begin in April.

Names with the kanji that represents spring

Spring is haru in Japanese and represented by this kanji: 春. Here are some names that include this kanji.

Boy names

Haruya 春弥 spring + more and more, a long time

Haruma 春馬 spring + horse

Haruo 春男 spring + man

Yoshiharu 良春 goodness + spring

Yasuharu 泰春 peace, calm + spring

Girl names

Haruka 春香 spring + scent

Haruna 春菜 spring + greens

Harumi 春美 spring + beauty

Miharu 実春 fruit + spring

Chiharu 千春 thousand + spring

Names with the kanji that represents freshness

Newly-emerging buds, flowers, green leaves, winds from the south… Everything is fresh in spring, so a lot of Japanese people use the kanji 爽 which represents freshness for names. It’s read “so” “saya” “soyo” “aoi” etc.

Boy names

Sou 爽 fresh

Souichi 爽一 fresh + one

Souta 爽汰 fresh + scour

Souma 爽真 fresh + truth

Sougo 爽吾 fresh + myself

Girl names

Sayaka 爽花 fresh + flower

Sonoka 爽乃花 fresh + as it is + flower

Sayano 爽乃 fresh + as it is

Soyoka 爽葉香 fresh + leaf + scent

Sakiko 爽季子 fresh + season + child

Warmth and wind for boys

In spring, temperature rises and strong winds from the south blow, so names associated with warmth and wind are popular for boys.

Hinata 日向 the Sun + facing

Atsuki 暖希 warmth + hope

Souta 颯太 breeze + big

Ruka 流風 flow, stream + wind

Beauty and bloom for girls

For girls, popular spring-related names are sweet names associated with beauty and bloom.

Hana 華 splendor, flower

Karin 花凛 flower + dignity

Reika 麗花 beauty, grace + flower

Madoka 円花 circle + flower

Satsuki 咲月 bloom + moon, month

Names with kanji for spring flowers

 Using kanji that represents flowers that bloom in spring is quite popular for both boys and girls. The biggest delight for Japanese people in spring may be seeing sakura in bloom around the beginning of April, which coincides with the beginning of the new school year and fiscal year.

Boy names

Ousuke 桜輔 cherry blossom + help, assistance

Shouichi 菖一 iris + one

Touya 藤矢 wisteria + arrow

Seriya 芹弥 dropwort + more and more, a long time

Girl names

Sakura 桜 cherry blossom

Sumire 菫 violet

Tsubaki 椿 camellia

Fujiko 藤子 wisteria + child

Momoe 桃恵 peach + blessings

I look forward to introducing names associated with summer in my next article!