Japanese Names Connected With Water

Japanese has several words and names connected with water, but as with other themes, the distinction between ordinary vocabulary and established personal names matters.

Minato — harbor

Minato (みなと / 湊) can mean harbor or port with relevant kanji and is used as a personal name.

Kai — sea with the kanji 海

Kai can mean sea when written with 海. Without the shown kanji, the meaning cannot be assumed from pronunciation alone.

Umi — sea

Umi (うみ / 海) is the ordinary Japanese word for sea. It is direct vocabulary and can potentially appear in creative naming.

Nagisa — shore or water's edge

Nagisa (なぎさ / 淵) means shore or water's edge and is used as a name.

Nami — wave

Nami (なみ / 波) means wave and can be used as a name.

Shizuku — droplet

Shizuku (しずく / 雫) means droplet and can appear as a name.

Ame — rain as vocabulary

Ame (あめ / 雨) is the ordinary Japanese word for rain. It is vocabulary rather than a conventional personal name.

Mizu — water as vocabulary

Mizu (みず / 水) is the ordinary Japanese word for water. It is direct vocabulary.

Best choices

• Minato: harbor/port, established name
• Nagisa: shore, name and word
• Nami: wave, name and word
• Umi: sea, direct vocabulary