given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
for males and females.
Name Meanings
The name's
meaning varies depending on its written form:
*薫/郁 — "fragrance", common for both males and females
*馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females
*かおる — purely phonetic form 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 contrast ...
; no inherent meaning
*かをる — same as above, using を as an archaic substitute for お
*カオル — phonetic form in
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 ...
As a distinctly unisex name, its usage in popular culture has risen in recent years to give the named character an air of androgyny. Such characters commonly have overt androgynous qualities as well.
A similar name, in terms of both pronunciation and meaning, is
Kaori
Kaori ( "scent/aroma, fabric/weave" and occasionally rendered "perfume", ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Kaori (voice actress) (born 1976), Japanese voice actress and singer
*, musician known as Bonn ...
. It is used exclusively for females.
People
*
Kaoru
Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males or females.
Name Meanings
The name's
meaning varies depending on its written form:
*薫/郁/芳 — "fragrance", common for both males and females
*馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females
...
薫 (m) (one of the guitarists of
Dir En Grey
Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitari ...
)
*
Kaoru Abe
(May 5, 1949 – September 9, 1978) was a Japanese avant-garde alto saxophonist. Self-taught at a young age, Abe performed with notables such as Motoharu Yoshizawa, Takehisa Kosugi, Yosuke Yamashita, Derek Bailey, and Milford Graves, althou ...
阿部薫 (m) (free Jazz saxophonist)
*, Japanese film director, producer and editor
*
Kaoru Fujino
is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Kōchi and raised in Tokyo. One of her lesser known roles is that of the heroine Cornett Espoire in the Nippon Ichi Software game '' The Puppet Princess of Marl Kingdom''. She voice acted both Rockman ...
かほる (voice actor)
*, Japanese speed skater
* Kaoru Hasuike 薫 (m) (academic, writer, translator, and Japanese national once abducted by North Korea)
*
Kaoru Hatoyama
was an educator and an administrator, the schoolmaster of Kyoritsu Women's University, which was founded by her mother-in-law, Haruko Hatoyama.Kaoru Ide, Japanese architect
* Kaoru Ikeya 薫 (m) (astronomer)
* Kaoru Inoue 馨 (m) (statesman)
*
Kaoru Ishibashi
Kaoru Ishibashi (born November 4, 1975), who performs as Kishi Bashi, is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter currently based in Athens, Georgia. He was a founding member of Jupiter One and, for a few years, was a member of t ...
Kaoru Ishikawa
was a Japanese organizational theorist and a professor in the engineering faculty at the University of Tokyo noted for his quality management innovations. He is considered a key figure in the development of quality initiatives in Japan, particul ...
(m) (business theorist, developer of the
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show the potential causes of a specific event.
Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product ...
)
*, Japanese musician
* Kaoru Kakudo (1947–2004), Japanese musician and violinist
*
Kaoru Kurimoto
was the pen name of , a Japanese novelist. Imaoka also used the pen name to write criticism and music. She was known for her record-breaking 130-volume ''Guin Saga'' series, which has been translated into English, German, French, Italian and Ru ...
(1953–2009), Japanese novelist
* Kaoru Kobayashi (m) (actor)
*
Kaoru Maeda
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by the ring name KAORU (stylized in all capital letters). Billed as the "Original Hardcore Queen", Kaoru is known for her wrestling style, which combines high-flying with hardcore wrestling. Tra ...
薫 (f) (professional wrestler)
*, Japanese sport shooter
*
Kaoru Mitoma
is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Japan national team.
Club career Early years
Born in Kanagawa, Mitoma grew up in the Kawasaki area and joined the Frontale aca ...
(m), Japanese footballer
*
Kaoru Mori
is a Japanese manga artist from Tokyo and the creator of the manga series ''Shirley'', '' Emma'', and ''A Bride's Story''. Many of her works are centered on female characters in the 19th century, such as a maid in Victorian Britain and a bride ...
薫 (f) (manga author)
*, Japanese lawyer and judge
*
Kaoru Otsuki
Kaoru Otsuki ( ja, 大月 薰, Ōtsuki Kaoru; 6 August 1888 – 21 December 1970) was the second wife of Sun Yat-sen, the founder and first president of the Republic of China.
Biography
Kaoru was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, ...
(1888–1970), Japanese politician
*, Japanese voice actress
*
Kaoru Sugayama
is a Japanese volleyball player. Although her nickname is "yuu", Ai Otomo already had that nickname on the All-Japan women's Team, so she was given the new nickname "kaoru". Her nickname in television broadcasts is "koushuni kagayaku Kaoru ...
かおる (f) (volleyball player)
*
Kaoru Tada
, (September 25, 1960 – March 11, 1999) was a Japanese manga artist.
Biography
Tada made her debut in 1977, when still a high school student, on Shueisha's "Deluxe Margaret" magazine. Tada's stories belong to the shōjo genre of manga and fe ...
(1960–1999), Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese novelist and essayist
*, Japanese footballer
*
Kaoru Uno
(born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's el ...
薫 (m) (mixed martial artist)
* Kaoru Usui 薫 (m) (photographer)
* Kaoru Kimura (f) Japanese astronomy educator; President, International Planetarium Society 2021-22
*
Kaoru Wada
is a Japanese composer and arranger. He has composed the scores for many anime series, including ''Inuyasha'', ''D.Gray-man'', '' Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas'', ''Samurai 7'' and, more recently, ''Tesla Note''.
He also became known to the We ...
薫 (m) (composer)
*, Japanese basketball player
*
Kaoru Yachigusa
was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, she was active in film, television, and narration.
She famously quit part way through the filming of the televi ...
(1931–2019), Japanese actress
*
Kaoru Yosano
(August 22, 1938 – May 23, 2017) was a Japanese politician. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Sunrise Party of Japan and former member of the House of Representatives, serving his ninth term in the Lower House represe ...
馨 (m) (politician)
Fictional characters
*Kaoru (f) - ''
Rilakkuma and Kaoru
is a 2019 stop-motion animation series created by Dwarf Studio in cooperation with San-X that premiered on Netflix on April 19, 2019. In October 2020, it was announced another stop-motion series ''Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure'' would be rele ...
Zettai Karen Children
''Psychic Squad'', known in Japan as is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takashi Shiina. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from July 2005 to July 2021, with its chapte ...
''
*Kaoru (f) - ''
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
''Daughter of Smoke and Bone'' is a fantasy novel written by Laini Taylor. Published in September 2011 by Hachette Book Group, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. The story follows Karou, a seventeen-year-old Prague art student. Karou w ...
Junjo Romantica
is a Japanese boys love manga series by Shungiku Nakamura. It focuses on four storylines: the main couple, which comprises the bulk of the books, and three other male couples that provide ongoing side stories ("Junjo Egoist", "Junjo Terror ...
''
*Fujiwara no Kaoru a.k.a. Murasaki Shikibu (m) - ''Akane-sasu Sekai de Kimi to Utau''
*
Kaoru Genji
Kaoru is a fictional character in '' The Tale of Genji'' (''Genji Monogatari''). He only appears as the lead for the novel's third act, called the 'Uji Jujo' (Uji Chapters). Kaoru has been called the first anti-hero in literature and is known f ...
薫 (m) - ''
Tale of Genji
Tale may refer to:
* Narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, ...
Ai Yori Aoshi
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kou Fumizuki. The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's '' Young Animal'' magazine from 1998 to 2005 and the chapters collected into 17 ''tankōbon'' volumes. It is a love story betwee ...
''
*
Kaoru Hitachiin
This is a list of characters from the shōjo manga series ''Ouran High School Host Club'', created by Bisco Hatori. Ouran Academy is an elite upper school catering to the ultra-rich. Haruhi Fujioka is a middle-class scholarship student, a rarity ...
馨 (m) - ''
Ouran High School Host Club
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Bisco Hatori, and serialized in Hakusensha's '' LaLa'' magazine between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran Ac ...
Aibō
is a Japanese television detective series that first aired on TV Asahi on June 3, 2000. It has been adapted into six films: '' AIBOU: The Movie'' (2008), ''AIBOU: CSI Files'' (2009), '' AIBOU: The Movie II'' (2010), ''AIBOU: X-DAY'' (2013), '' A ...
Rurouni Kenshin
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...
''
*Kaoru Kiryuu 薫 (f) - ''
Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star
, often shortened simply to ''PreCure Splash Star'', is a magical girl anime series produced by Toei Animation, and aired on TV Asahi between February 5, 2006 and January 28, 2007. It is the third series in Izumi Todo's ''Pretty Cure'' met ...
''
*Kaoru Kiryūin (m) - ''
Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2
is a rhythm video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the third of three rhythm games developed by iNiS for the DS, and is the sequel to ''Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan'' while incorp ...
Hikaru no Go
is a Japanese manga series based on the board game Go, written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Week ...
Flame of Recca
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from April 1995 to February 2002, with its chapters collected in 33 ''tankōbon'' volumes.
The series was ad ...
''
*Kaoru Kondo (f) - ''Saido Kā ni Inu''
*Kaoru Kurusu (m) - Uta no Prince-Sama
*Kaoru Maki カオル (f) - ''Puella Magi Kazumi Magica''
*Kaoru Matoba 薫 (m) -
Area no Kishi
is a Japanese manga series written by Hiroaki Igano and illustrated by Kaya Tsukiyama. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from April 2006 to March 2017, with its chapters collected in ...
*Kaoru Matsubara 松原かおる (f) - ''
Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
is a 2006 Japanese magical girl anime series directed by Megumu Ishiguro, based on the American animated television series ''The Powerpuff Girls''. The anime was co-produced by Cartoon Network Japan and Aniplex and was animated by Toei Ani ...
Mirmo!
is a manga series written by Hiromu Shinozuka and serialized in ''Ciao'' magazine from July 2001 through December 2005. It was also published in twelve collected volumes by Shogakukan. The manga series was awarded in the 2003 Kodansha Manga ...
Pita Ten
is a Japanese manga by Koge-Donbo. It was serialized in the shōnen manga magazine ''Dengeki Comic Gao!'' between the October 1999 and August 2003 issues and was later collected into eight tankōbon volumes. The eight volumes were localized f ...
Gakuen Heaven
is a Japanese media franchise originating from the Windows game ''Gakuen Heaven: Boy's Love Scramble'', originally released by the company SPRAY. The franchise gradually expanded to include more games, drama CDs, manga, and anime.
Plot
...
Marumo no Okite
is a Japanese television series which premiered on Fuji TV on April 24, 2011. This television series stars Sadao Abe as Mamoru Takagi, a public relations officer with a stationery company. It also stars child actor Fuku Suzuki and child actres ...
''
*Kaoru Sayama (f) -''
Yakuza 2
is an action-adventure game by Sega, the sequel to ''Yakuza''. It was released on December 7, 2006, for the PlayStation 2 in Japan and in September 2008 in North America and Europe. The game focuses on the former ''yakuza'' Kazuma Kiryu who receiv ...
'' & ''
Yakuza 3
is the third main entry in the '' Yakuza series'', released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009. It was developed by Sega's CS1 Team and published by Sega. It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009, and in North America and ...
''
*Kaoru Seo (m) - ''
Sekirei
is a Japanese manga series by Sakurako Gokurakuin. The manga was serialized in Square Enix's ''seinen'' magazine ''Young Gangan'' between December 2004 and August 2015. A sequel to the manga began serialization in the same magazine in May 2 ...
''
*Kaoru Shiba (f) - ''
Samurai Sentai Shinkenger
is the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It premiered on February 15, 2009, the week following the finale of ''Engine Sentai Go-onger'', and ended on F ...
''
*Kaoru Sugimura (m) - ''
Nana to Kaoru
is a Japanese erotic romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Ryuta Amazume. It was serialized on Hakusensha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young Animal Arashi'' (2008–2009) and ''Young Animal'' (2009–2016), with its ...
Welcome to the NHK
is a Japanese novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan in January 2002, and in English by Tokyopop in October 2007. The story revolves around a 22-year-old ''hikikomori'', an asocial recluse, who gets ...
BanG Dream!
''BanG Dream!'', also known as , is a Japanese music media franchise owned by Bushiroad. Created by Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani in January 2015 with original story by Kō Nakamura, the project began as a manga before e ...
Ensemble Stars!
is a Japanese game franchise developed by Cacalia Studio and published by Happy Elements K.K., the Japanese division of the Chinese company Happy Elements. It is a spin-off of the 2012 game ''Ensemble Girls!'' It was first released as a li ...
''
All names (except for Fujiwara no Kaoru and Kamiya Kaoru) are in western naming order.