A Japanese name has been chosen for you
光
ひかる
Hikaru
hee-KAH-roo · a unisex name
“Light”
Radiant · Swift · Open
The story of Hikaru
The elemental Hikaru — light, verb and noun at once.
Hikaru is the verb 'to shine', worn whole. From Genji's shining prince to modern stars of music and shogi, it belongs to no gender — only to brightness.
Kanji by kanji
light
The elemental kanji of light itself — sun on water, the first thing seen.
How it feels
The full story
About 光
光 is the whole idea in one stroke-cluster: be the brightness in the room. Ancient, direct and impossible to outgrow.
Popularity in Japan
Hikaru recurs on both boys' and girls' charts, spiking whenever a famous bearer shines.
Through the decades
A name kept current by generation after generation of its holders.
Deep dive
Japan's oldest hero of prose is Hikaru Genji — 'the Shining Prince'. To name a child with a verb is unusual and confident: not 'light', but the act of giving it.
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