Girl name · Japanese
Hotaru
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: fireflyHotaru is a girl's name that comes from Japanese and means "firefly". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Firefly
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Girl
- Letters
- 6
Meaning and origin of Hotaru
As a girl's name, Hotaru comes from Japanese and means "firefly". It is used in Japanese.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Hotaru in Japanese
In hiragana, Hotaru is ほたる. Below is a kanji spelling used for the name, with what each kanji means. Parents can choose other kanji, and each choice gives the name its own meaning.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 蛍 | ほたる | 蛍 firefly |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Hotaru on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Hotaru on 3 lists.
“蛍: firefly. Summer-night magic”
From Anime girl names, anime girl names from sky, sea and seasons
“Firefly, the glow of early summer nights.”
From Japanese girl names, japanese nature names: sky, sea and seasons
“Firefly, the small light of summer nights.”
From Japanese names that mean shadow, night creatures, spirits and ninja words
Names spelled like Hotaru
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Middle names for Hotaru
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Japanese
- AiLove; indigo (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- AkariLamplight (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkemiBright beauty (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AkikoBright child; autumn child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkiraBright, clear (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AmaneHeavenly sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
Hotaru: common questions
What does the name Hotaru mean?
Hotaru comes from Japanese and means "firefly".
Is Hotaru a boy or girl name?
Hotaru is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Hotaru come from?
Hotaru comes from Japanese and means "firefly". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Hotaru in Japanese?
Hotaru is written ほたる in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 蛍 (firefly). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
What names are similar to Hotaru?
Names spelled like Hotaru include Haru and Hikaru.
What middle names go with Hotaru?
Middle names that flow well with Hotaru include Aoife, Jane, Leigh, Naomi and Opal. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.