A Japanese name has been chosen for you
香
かおる
Kaoru
kah-OH-roo · a unisex name
“Fragrance”
Warm · Familiar · Timeless
The story of Kaoru
The warm Kaoru — the scent of somewhere kind.
Kaoru has been carried by men and women since the classics — it names the moment scent arrives on the air: new leaves, early wind, someone good approaching.
Kanji by kanji
fragrance
The kanji of scent — the 'ka' of incense and blossoming air.
How it feels
The full story
About 香
香 is the homelier fragrance: rice steaming, incense at grandmother's, tea poured twice. It suits a warmth people return to.
Popularity in Japan
A literary constant rather than a chart-chaser, Kaoru appears in every generation, including a hero of The Tale of Genji.
Through the decades
A name that has simply never gone away.
Deep dive
Kaze kaoru — 'the wind is fragrant' — is the season-word for early summer. Kaoru borrows that verb whole: a person you sense arriving, like green air through a window.
Names like Kaoru
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