is a feminine

Japanese given name in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expecta ...

which is occasionally spelled .

Possible writings

Naoko can be written using different

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

characters and can mean: *直子, "obedient, child" *尚子, "esteem, child" *奈緒子, "

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

, cord, child" *菜緒子, "greens, cord, child" *奈央子, "Nara, center, child" *菜穂子, "greens, ear (of grain), child" *奈保子, "Nara, keep, child" *奈生子, "Nara, fresh, child" The name can also be written in

hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contras ...

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived f ...

People with the name

*, Japanese tennis table player * Nahoko Kinoshita (菜穂子, born 1980), Japanese actress * Nahoko Kojima (奈保子, born 1981), Japanese paper cut artist *

Nahoko Uehashi (born July 15, 1962 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese writer, primarily of fantasy books, for which she has won many awards. Uehashi is also Professor of Ethnology at Kawamura Gakuen Women's University, having completed a PhD focusing on the Yama ...

(菜穂子, born 1962), Japanese writer *

Naoko Hayashiba , who is also known by the pen name , is a Japanese writer and manga author from Fukuoka. She had a successful career as professional shogi player but quit during a sex scandal with another professional player, Makoto Nakahara, in 1995. Since then ...

(直子, born 1968), Japanese writer and shogi player * Naoko Iijima (直子, born 1968), Japanese actress * Naoko Ishihara (奈央子, born 1974), Japanese sport shooter *

Naoko Imoto is a former freestyle swimmer from Japan, who competed for her native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There she finished in fourth place in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, alongside Aiko Miyake, Eri Yamanoi ...

(直歩子, born 1976), Japanese freestyle swimmer *

Naoko Ken (born July 7, 1953) is a Japanese singer and actress. She is well known for her comedy roles featuring idiosyncratic looks, and a string of successful torch songs that gained popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Biography In 1971, ...

(ナオコ, born 1953), Japanese singer and actress *

Naoko Kawai , (24 July 1963) is a 1980s era Japanese pop idol, singer-songwriter, and composer.『別冊近代映画　河合奈保子特集号』（近代映画社刊 1981年） Career Naoko was a regular on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, an annual television progra ...

(河合奈保子, born 1963), Japanese singer and actress *, Japanese tennis player * Naoko Kouda (直子, born 1959), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese swimmer *

Naoko Matsui is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Hakodate, Hokkaido. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. Matsui is most notable for the roles of Uru Chie in '' High School! Kimengumi'', Rem Ayanokō ...

(菜桜子, born 1961), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese swimmer *

Naoko Mori (born 29 November 1971) is a Japanese actress based in the United Kingdom. She is known for her roles as Toshiko Sato in ''Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', Yasuko Namba in ''Everest'', Sarah in ''Absolutely Fabulous'' and Nicola in '' Spice Wor ...

(尚子, born 1971), Japanese actress *, Japanese field hockey player *

Naoko Sakamoto (runner) (born 14 November 1980 in Nishinomiya) is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon race. In 2003, she competed in the women's marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics held in Paris, France. She finished in 4th ...

(直子, born 1980), Japanese long-distance runner *

Naoko Sakamoto (softball) is a Japanese softball player who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της ...

(直子, born 1985), Japanese softball player *

Naoko Sato is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. Career Naoko Sato best results came in the doubles. She reached final of 1978 Australian Open with Pam Whytcross which they lost to Betsy Nagelsen and Renáta Tomanová Renáta Tomanová (b ...

(直子, born 1955), Japanese tennis player *

Naoko Sawamatsu is a former professional tennis player. In her career, she won four singles titles on the WTA Tour. Sawamatsu reached a career-high ranking of world No. 14, on 6 February 1995. At the time of the 1995 Australian Open, her family survived the G ...

(奈生子, born 1973), Japanese professional tennis player *

Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:20:00 in 2001. Biography Tak ...

(尚子, born 1972), Japanese long-distance runner *

Naoko Takeuchi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to ...

(直子, born 1967), Japanese manga artist *

Naoko Yamano is a Japanese musician, best known as a founding member, singer/guitarist, and primary songwriter for the pop-punk band Shonen Knife. She is the only member of the band to have remained throughout its entire history. After briefly working as a ...

(直子, born 1960), member of the Japanese rock trio ''Shonen Knife'' * Naoko Yamazaki (直子, born 1970), Japanese astronaut * Naoko Watanabe (菜生子, born 1959), Japanese voice actress * Naoko Watanabe (渡辺奈緒子, born 1984), Japanese actress who appeared in ''

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...

'' *

Naoko Hashimoto Naoko Hashimoto (橋本直子 ''Hashimoto Naoko'', born July 11, 1984) is a Japanese volleyball player who plays for Il Bisonte Firenze. Career Hashimoto debuted with the senior national team in 2013. Clubs * Hisamitsu Springs (2003-2009) * ...

(born 1984), Japanese volleyball player * Naoko Kamio (born 1967), Japanese suit actor * Naoko Funayama, Japanese American sportscaster *

Naoko Yamada is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the anime series ''K-On!'' (2009-2010) and ''Tamako Market'' (2013), and the anime films '' A Silent Voice'' (2016) and ''Liz and the Blue Bird'' (2018 ...

, (尚子, born 1984), Japanese animator and film director

Fictional characters

*Naoko (直子), character in the novel '' Norwegian Wood'' by

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

* Naoko Akagi (ナオコ), minor character in the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' * Naoko Kamikishiro (直子), character in the light novel and manga ''Boogiepop and Others'' *Naoko Yamada (奈緒子), the main heroine of the Japanese TV drama series ''

Trick Trick(s) may refer to: People * Trick McSorley (1852–1936), American professional baseball player * Armon Trick (born 1978), retired German international rugby union player * David Trick (born 1955), former Ontario civil servant and univers ...

'' * Naoko Yanagisawa (奈緒子), character in the anime and manga series ''Cardcaptor Sakura'' *Naoko Satomi, a main character in the film ''

The Wind Rises is a 2013 Japanese animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI. It was rel ...

'' * Naoko Kawamata, character in the film, ''The Grudge 3'' *Naoko, character in '' The Revenge of Shinobi'' (''The Super Shinobi'') *Naoko, a character in the anime series ''

Bubblegum Crisis is a 1987 to 1991 cyberpunk original video animation (OVA) series produced by Youmex and animated by AIC and Artmic. The series was planned to run for 13 episodes, but was cut short to just 8. The series involves the adventures of the K ...

'' *Naoko Yasutani, a main character of the novel

A Tale for the Time Being ''A Tale for the Time Being'' is a metafictional novel by Ruth Ozeki narrated by two characters, a sixteen-year-old Japanese American girl living in Tokyo who keeps a diary, and a Japanese American writer living on an island off the coast of Bri ...

Ruth Ozeki Ruth Ozeki is an American-Canadian author, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. Her books and films, including the novels '' My Year of Meats'' (1998), '' All Over Creation'' (2003), '' A Tale for the Time Being'' (2013), and ''The Book of Form a ...

{{given name Japanese feminine given names