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Japanese Last Names

Japanese surnames are almost all compounds of two kanji, and most of them describe a place or a landscape feature — a mountain, a rice field, a river, a forest. Below are the most common ones, with what each one literally means.

291 entries shown

A

  • Abe阿部

    section, corner

  • Akimoto秋本

    base of autumn

  • Akita秋田

    autumn rice field

  • Akiyama秋山

    autumn mountain

  • Amamiya雨宮

    rain shrine

  • Amano天野

    heaven field

  • Ando安藤Andō

    peaceful wisteria

  • Aoki青木

    blue-green tree

  • Aoyama青山

    blue mountain

  • Arai新井

    new well

  • Arakawa荒川

    wild river

  • Araki荒木

    wild tree

  • Arima有馬

    possessing horses

  • Arita有田

    possessing rice fields

  • Asahi朝日

    morning sun

  • Asai浅井

    shallow well

  • Asano浅野

    shallow field

B

  • Baba馬場

    horse riding ground

C

  • Chiba千葉

    thousand leaves

E

  • Endo遠藤

    distant, wisteria

  • Enomoto榎本

    base of the hackberry tree

F

  • Fujii藤井

    wisteria well

  • Fujimoto藤本

    base of the wisteria

  • Fujita藤田

    wisteria rice field

  • Fukuda福田

    fortune rice field

  • Fukuhara福原

    lucky plain

  • Fukui福井

    lucky well

  • Furukawa古川

    old river

  • Furuta古田

    old rice field

G

  • Goto後藤

    later, wisteria

H

  • Hagiwara萩原

    bush clover plain

  • Hara原

    plain

  • Harada原田

    plain rice field

  • Hase長谷

    long valley

  • Hasebe長谷部

    long valley section

  • Hasegawa長谷川

    long valley river

  • Hashimoto橋本

    base of the bridge

  • Hata畑

    dry field

  • Hattori服部

    clothing department

  • Hayakawa早川

    early river

  • Hayashi林

    forest

  • Hida飛田

    flying rice field

  • Higashi東

    east

  • Hirai平井

    flat well

  • Hirakawa平川

    flat river

  • Hirano平野

    flat field

  • Hiraoka平岡

    flat hill

  • Hirata平田

    flat rice field

  • Hirayama平山

    flat mountain

  • Hirose広瀬

    wide rapids

  • Honda本田

    root rice field

  • Honma本間

    root space

  • Hori堀

    moat

  • Horiuchi堀内

    inside the moat

  • Hoshi星

    star

  • Hoshida星田

    star rice field

  • Hoshikawa星川

    star river

  • Hoshino星野

    star field

  • Hoshizaki星崎

    star cape

  • Hosokawa細川

    thin river

I

  • Ichikawa市川

    city river

  • Igarashi五十嵐

    fifty storms

  • Ihashi井橋

    well bridge

  • Iida飯田

    cooked rice field

  • Iizuka飯塚

    cooked rice mound

  • Ijima井島

    well island

  • Ikeda池田

    pond rice field

  • Imai今井

    present well

  • Imamura今村

    present village

  • Inagaki稲垣

    rice fence

  • Inoue井上

    above the well

  • Ioka井岡

    well hill

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  • Irie入江

    entering inlet

  • Ishibashi石橋

    stone bridge

  • Ishida石田

    stone rice field

  • Ishiguro石黒

    stone black

  • Ishihara石原

    stone plain

  • Ishii石井

    stone well

  • Ishikawa石川

    stone river

  • Ishizuka石塚

    stone mound

  • Ito伊藤

    that, wisteria

  • Iwai岩井

    rock well

  • Iwao岩尾

    rock tail

  • Iwasaki岩崎

    rock cape

  • Iwata岩田

    rock rice field

  • Izumi泉

    spring (water)

K

  • Kakuta角田

    corner rice field

  • Kamata鎌田

    sickle rice field

  • Kamiya神谷

    god valley

  • Kanda神田

    god rice field

  • Kaneko金子

    golden child

  • Kanzaki神崎

    god cape

  • Kasahara笠原

    bamboo hat plain

  • Katagiri片桐

    one-sided paulownia

  • Katayama片山

    one-sided mountain

  • Kato加藤

    increase, wisteria

  • Kawahara川原

    river plain

  • Kawakami川上

    above the river

  • Kawamura川村

    river village

  • Kawasaki川崎

    river cape

  • Kawashima川島

    river island

  • Kido木戸

    wooden door

  • Kikuchi菊地

    chrysanthemum earth

  • Kimura木村

    tree village

  • Kinoshita木下

    under the tree

  • Kobayashi小林

    small forest

  • Koga古賀

    old congratulation

  • Koike小池

    small pond

  • Kojima小島

    small island

  • Komatsu小松

    small pine

  • Kondo近藤

    near, wisteria

  • Konishi小西

    small west

  • Koyama小山

    small mountain

  • Kubo久保

    long time protect

  • Kudo工藤Kudō

    craft wisteria

  • Kumagai熊谷

    bear valley

  • Kurata倉田

    storehouse rice field

  • Kurihara栗原

    chestnut plain

  • Kuriyama栗山

    chestnut mountain

  • Kuroda黒田

    black rice field

  • Kurokawa黒川

    black river

  • Kuroki黒木

    black tree

  • Kuwahara桑原

    mulberry plain

M

  • Machida町田

    town rice field

  • Maeda前田

    front rice field

  • Maruyama丸山

    round mountain

  • Masuda増田

    increased rice field

  • Matsubara松原

    pine plain

  • Matsuda松田

    pine rice field

  • Matsui松井

    pine well

  • Matsumoto松本

    base of the pine

  • Matsumura松村

    pine village

  • Matsunaga松永

    pine eternity

  • Matsuo松尾

    pine tail

  • Matsuoka松岡

    pine hill

  • Matsushima松島

    pine island

  • Matsushita松下

    below the pine tree

  • Matsuura松浦

    pine bay

  • Matsuyama松山

    pine mountain

  • Matsuzaki松崎

    pine cape

  • Matsuzawa松沢

    pine swamp

  • Miki三木

    three trees

  • Miura三浦

    three bays

  • Miyakawa宮川

    shrine river

  • Miyake三宅

    three houses

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  • Miyamoto宮本

    base of the shrine

  • Miyata宮田

    shrine rice field

  • Miyazaki宮崎

    shrine cape

  • Miyoshi三好

    three goodness

  • Mizoguchi溝口

    ditch mouth

  • Mizuno水野

    water field

  • Mochizuki望月

    full moon

  • Mori森

    forest

  • Morimoto森本

    base of the forest

  • Morishita森下

    below the forest

  • Morita森田

    forest rice field

  • Moriyama森山

    forest mountain

  • Motoyama本山

    root mountain

  • Murakami村上

    above the village

  • Muramatsu村松

    village pine

  • Murata村田

    village rice field

  • Murayama村山

    village mountain

  • Muto武藤Mutō

    warrior wisteria

N

  • Nagai長井

    long well

  • Nagashima長島

    long island

  • Nakagawa中川

    middle river

  • Nakahara中原

    middle plain

  • Nakajima中島

    middle island

  • Nakamura中村

    middle village

  • Nakanishi中西

    middle west

  • Nakano中野

    middle field

  • Nakao中尾

    middle tail

  • Nakata中田

    middle rice field

  • Nakatani中谷

    middle valley

  • Nakayama中山

    middle mountain

  • Nanba難波

    difficult waves

  • Narita成田

    become rice field

  • Nishida西田

    west rice field

  • Nishikawa西川

    west river

  • Nishimoto西本

    west root

  • Nishimura西村

    west village

  • Nishio西尾

    west tail

  • Nishioka西岡

    west hill

  • Nishiyama西山

    west mountain

  • Noda野田

    field rice field

  • Noguchi野口

    field mouth

  • Nokura野倉

    field storehouse

  • Nomura野村

    field village

O

  • Obata小畑

    small field

  • Oda小田

    small rice field

  • Odagiri小田切

    small rice field cut

  • Ogasawara小笠原

    small bamboo hat plain

  • Ogawa小川

    small river

  • Ohashi大橋Ōhashi

    large bridge

  • Oikawa及川

    reaching river

  • Oishi大石Ōishi

    large stone

  • Okabe岡部

    hill section

  • Okada岡田

    hill rice field

  • Okamoto岡本

    base of the hill

  • Okamura岡村

    hill village

  • Okawa大川Ōkawa

    large river

  • Okazaki岡崎

    hill cape

  • Okubo大久保Ōkubo

    large long time protect

  • Okumura奥村

    inner village

  • Omori大森Ōmori

    large forest

  • Omura大村Ōmura

    large village

  • Onishi大西Ōnishi

    large west

  • Ono小野

    small field

  • Oshima大島Ōshima

    large island

  • Ota太田

    big rice field

  • Otani大谷Ōtani

    large valley

  • Otsuka大塚Ōtsuka

    large mound

  • Otsuki大月Ōtsuki

    large moon

  • Oyama大山Ōyama

    large mountain

  • Ozaki尾崎

    tail cape

  • Ozawa小沢

    small swamp

S

  • Sagara相良

    mutual goodness

  • Saito斎藤

    purification, wisteria

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  • Sakai酒井

    sake well

  • Sakamoto坂本

    base of the slope

  • Sakurai桜井

    cherry blossom well

  • Sano佐野

    assist field

  • Sasaki佐々木

    helper tree

  • Sato佐藤

    helper, wisteria

  • Sawada沢田

    swamp rice field

  • Seki関

    barrier

  • Sekiguchi関口

    barrier mouth

  • Shibata柴田

    brushwood rice field

  • Shibuya渋谷

    astringent valley

  • Shiina椎名

    chinquapin name

  • Shimizu清水

    clear water

  • Shimoda下田

    lower rice field

  • Shimura志村

    intention village

  • Shinohara篠原

    bamboo grass plain

  • Shirai白井

    white well

  • Shiraishi白石

    white stone

  • Suda須田

    essential rice field

  • Sudo須藤Sudō

    essential wisteria

  • Sugano菅野

    sedge field

  • Sugawara菅原

    sedge plain

  • Sugihara杉原

    cedar plain

  • Sugimoto杉本

    base of the cedar

  • Sugiura杉浦

    cedar bay

  • Sugiyama杉山

    cedar mountain

  • Suzuki鈴木

    bell tree

T

  • Takada高田

    high rice field

  • Takagi高木

    tall tree

  • Takahashi高橋

    tall bridge

  • Takano高野

    high field

  • Takashima高島

    high island

  • Takayama高山

    high mountain

  • Takeda武田

    warrior rice field

  • Takemura竹村

    bamboo village

  • Takeuchi竹内

    inside the bamboo

  • Tamura田村

    rice field village

  • Tanaka田中

    inside the rice field

  • Tani谷

    valley

  • Taniguchi谷口

    valley mouth

  • Tashiro田代

    rice field generation

  • Toba鳥羽

    bird feather

  • Toda戸田

    door rice field

  • Tomita富田

    wealthy rice field

  • Tsuchiya土屋

    earth house

  • Tsuda津田

    port rice field

  • Tsuruta鶴田

    crane rice field

  • Tsutsumi堤

    embankment

U

  • Uchida内田

    inside the rice field

  • Uchiyama内山

    inner mountain

  • Ueda上田

    upper rice field

  • Uehara上原

    upper plain

  • Ueno上野

    upper field

  • Umino海野

    sea field

  • Utsumi内海

    inner sea

  • Utsunomiya宇都宮

    universe capital shrine

W

  • Wada和田

    harmonious rice field

  • Wakabayashi若林

    young forest

  • Watanabe渡辺

    ferry crossing area

Y

  • Yagi八木

    eight trees

  • Yamada山田

    mountain rice field

  • Yamaguchi山口

    mountain entrance

  • Yamamoto山本

    base of the mountain

  • Yamane山根

    mountain root

  • Yamashita山下

    below the mountain

  • Yamazaki山崎

    mountain cape

  • Yano矢野

    arrow field

  • Yashiro八代

    eight generations

  • Yasuda安田

    peaceful rice field

  • Yokoyama横山

    side mountain

  • Yoshida吉田

    lucky rice field

  • Yoshikawa吉川

    lucky river

  • Yoshimura吉村

    lucky village

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