名 — “name” in Japanese

Grade 1めい, みょう, な

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“name” in Japanese is 名, read mei, myou, na (めい, みょう, な). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 名前 (name).

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What does 名 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	名
Meaning	name
Readings	めい, みょう, な
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	名前 (name)

How to read 名

名 is read mei (めい) or myou (みょう) or na (な) depending on the word.

Words with 名

有名ゆうめい
名所めいしょ
名前なまえ
氏名
名称
名誉
名簿
姓名
匿名

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Kanji read the same way as 名

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28