Aya is a male or female name with multiple meanings in many different languages. In Old German, Aya means "sword". Aya (あや, アヤ) is a common female

Japanese given name in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

meaning "design", "colorful" or "beautiful". Aya is also an

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

feminine name written as آية meaning "wonderful", "amazing", "miracle" or "verse" (of a religious scripture such as the Quran or Bible). Aya (איה) is also in use in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and means "to fly swiftly" or "bird". In Mongolian, similar to Turkish, it means "goodness", "music", and "melody". In

Chemehuevi The Chemehuevi ( ) are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute. Today, Chemehuevi people are enrolled in the following federally recognized tribes: * Colorado River Indian Tribes * Cheme ...

, Aya means "tortoise". In Baoule on the Ivory Coast, Aya is often given to a female born on Friday. In the Raute language of Nepal, Aya refers to one's sister-in-law. The word originates from the Proto-Tibeto-Burman ''’ay'' (alternate form ''yay'') meaning "mother". In the

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

language the word Aya refers to bees, caretaker, or nurse for young children. Typically in Pakistan ayas work in early childhood centres or primary schools. In Turkish-Altaic mythology, Aya symbolizes the good soul. All the seventeen types of benevolent angels who live in the sky are also called Ayas. They are seen as the source of abundance and creativity on Earth. The word comes from Ay ("moon" in Turkish). Ayaçı means "creative soul". There are several alternative spellings including Ayah and Aiya. There is also an African Adinkra symbol called an Aya, which is a fern. It is a symbol of endurance and resourcefulness.

Written forms in Japanese

Aya can be written using different

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

characters and can mean: *絢, "kimono design" *綾, "twill" "design" "complicated reason" *彩, "coloring" *理, "truth, logic" *亜矢, "sub-(''

Ateji In modern Japanese, principally refers to kanji used to phonetically represent native or borrowed words with less regard to the underlying meaning of the characters. This is similar to in Old Japanese. Conversely, also refers to kanji used s ...

''), arrow" *亜弥, "sub-(''

''), all the more" *亜夜, "sub-(''

''), night" *順, "order, sequence, turn" *文, "writings" The name can also be written in

hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' means "common" or "plain" kana (originally also "easy", ...

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 fr ...

People

Given name

Aya (queen) Aya was an ancient Egyptian king's wife of the early Thirteenth Dynasty (between 1803 and 1649 BCE).K.S.B. Ryholt, ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period'' (''Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications'', vol. 20. Cope ...

, Ancient Egyptian queen during the 18th century BCE * Saint Aya (died c. 711), Belgian catholic saint *Aya Stefanowicz (born 1983), Polish singer of the gothic-metal band UnSun *

Aya Cash Aya Cash (born July 13, 1982) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Gretchen Cutler in the FX/ FXX dark comedy series ''You're the Worst'' (2014–2019), as Stormfront in the Amazon Prime Video superhero drama series '' The Bo ...

(born 1982), American actress * Aya Chiry (born 1986/1987), Lebanese footballer *

Aya Domenig Aya Domenig (born 1972) is a Filmmaking, filmmaker and anthropologist of Japanese–Switzerland, Swiss origin. Early life and education Born in Kameoka, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, Aya Domenig has joint Swiss and Japanese citizenships. Her ...

(born 1972), Japanese-Swiss filmmaker * Aya Jamal Eddine (born 1997), Lebanese footballer *

Aya Endō is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Yamagata PrefectureMizukami, Jiro; Kyuki, Akihito; Onitsuka, Kanako; Fringe. "Voice Actress Spotlight". ''Newtype USA''. 6 (10) pp. 142–143. October 2007. . who is affiliated with Intention. ...

(綾, born 1980), Japanese voice actress *

Aya Fujita is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 2-dan. She holds the record for being the youngest person at age 11 years 6 months to have ever been awarded women's professional status by the Japan Shogi Association. Early life and appre ...

(綾, born 1987), Japanese shogi player * Aya Goda (彩, born 1967), Japanese painter *

Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first Voice acting in Japan, voice acting role in the anime television series ''Angel Tales'' (2001). In ...

(綾, born 1987), Japanese voice actress *

Aya Hirayama is a Japanese actress who has appeared in various films including '' Waterboys'' (2001) and Lovers' Kiss (2003). Hirayama was born in Kuroiso, Tochigi, Japan, which is now part of Nasushiobara. Aya made her acting debut in 1999 with '' Tengoku ...

(あや, born 1984), Japanese actress *

Aya Hisakawa is a Japanese voice actress and singer. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, Hisakawa is well known for her voice roles in anime and video games. Some of her major roles are Retsu Unohana in ''Bleach'', Sailor Mercury in ''Sailor Moon'', S ...

(綾, born 1968), Japanese voice actress *

Aya Ishiguro This page consists of all current and former members of the Japanese girl group Morning Musume. The group is known for their ever-fluctuating line-up, with "graduations" and auditions held nearly every year. Current members 9th generation (201 ...

(彩, born 1978), Japanese singer *

Aya Ishizu is a Japanese voice actress who works for Theater Echo. Notable filmography *Tomomi Mizuno in Dokyusei 2 * Barry the Chopper (female disguise) in Fullmetal Alchemist *Miyuki/Mrs. One in Magical Girl Pretty Sammy TV *Nikita in Romeo no Aoi Sora ...

(彩, born 1972), Japanese voice actress *Aya Itō, better known as

Luna Haruna , better known by her stage name is a Japanese singer and fashion model from Tokyo. Biography Luna Haruna was interested in anime and music from a young age. In her first year of junior high school, she became obsessed with Gothic Lolita manga ...

(born 1991), Japanese singer and fashion model *

Aya Jones Aya Jones N'Guessan (born 7 September 1994) is a French model. Early life Aya Jones was born from Ivorian father and French mother. She grew up in the 11th arrondissement of Paris where her family owns a restaurant. Growing up, she practiced bal ...

(born 1994), French model * Aya Al Jurdi (born 1998), Lebanese footballer *

Aya Kamikawa is a Tokyo municipal official. With her election in April 2003, she became the first openly transgender person to seek or win elected office in Japan. Life Aya Kamikawa was born on January 25, 1968, in Tokyo's Taitō Ward. She is the second c ...

(あや (born 1968), Japanese politician *

Aya Kamiki is a Japanese singer, actress and model. Her music ranges from pop, rock to R&B. She resides in Osaka, and is signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She is the vocalist of the rock band Uroboros and the rock duo Sonic Lover Reckless with ...

(彩矢, born 1985), Japanese singer *

Aya Kanno is a Japanese manga artist. After working as an assistant to Masashi Asaki of ''Psychometrer Eiji'' fame, she debuted as a professional manga artist in ''Hana to Yume'' in 2001 with her fantasy-action series '' Soul Rescue''. She has since publ ...

(文, born 1980), Japanese manga artist * Aya Kawai (彩, born 1975), Japanese figure skater * Aya Kida (綾, born 1974), Japanese photographer *

Aya Kiguchi is a Japanese race queen and gravure idol who is represented by the talent agency, Platinum Production is a Japanese talent agency headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It was founded in 2000 and focuses on talent management for ''tarento'', mo ...

(亜矢, born 1985), Japanese race queen and gravure idol *

Aya Kitō was a Japanese diarist. She wrote about her personal experiences living with spinocerebellar ataxia which was later published in the book '' ...

(亜也, 1962–1988), Japanese writer *

Aya Kōda was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories and essays. She was the daughter of writer Rohan Kōda. Among her most noted works is the 1955 novel ''Nagareru''. Biography Kōda was born in Terajima, Minami Katsushika-gun, Tokyo, as the secon ...

(文, 1904–1990), Japanese essayist and novelist * Aya Korem (born 1980), Israeli singer and songwriter * Aya Koren (born 1979), Israeli actress *

Aya Kyogoku is a Japanese video game director and producer. She is the current manager of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) Production Group No. 5, which oversees the ''Animal Crossing'', ''Splatoon'', and ''Wii Sports'' franchises. Ky ...

(あや, born c. 1981), Japanese video game director and producer *

Aya Liu Aya Liu (; born 14 September 1978) is a Taiwanese television host, singer and actress. Liu won the Best Host in a Variety Programme Award at the Golden Bell Awards in 2008. Early life Liu was born in Taipei, Taiwan on September 14, 1978, ...

(born 1978), Taiwanese actress and presenter *

Aya Majdi Aya Mohamed Majdi (born 1 August 1994) is an Egyptian born Qatari table tennis player. Trained by the Chinese coach Su Li, Aya won three gold medals – singles, doubles and team – at the 2010 GCC Championship in Doha. Majdi made her Olympic ...

(born 1994), Qatari table tennis player *

Aya Matsuura is a former Japanese pop singer and actress, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. Career 2000–2009: Hello! Project Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become ...

(亜弥, born 1986), Japanese singer *

Aya Medany Aya Medany (; born November 20, 1988) is an Egyptian modern pentathlete. She made her Olympic début at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as the youngest competitor both in the Egyptian team and competing in the pentathlon. Career Med ...

(born 1988), Egyptian pentathlete * Aya Mikami (彩, born 1984), Japanese volleyball player *

Aya Miyama is a Japanese former footballer who played for the Japan national team starting in 2003, and from 2012 to 2016 served as captain of the team. She appeared in four World Cups between 2003 and 2015, and was part of the team that won the 2011 W ...

(あや, born 1985), Japanese soccer player *

Aya Nakahara is a Japanese manga artist. She won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga for ''Lovely Complex'' ''Love Com'', a romance manga about a tall high school girl who falls in love with a short guy. Works * ''Haru to Kuuki Nichiyobi' ...

(アヤ, born 1973), Japanese manga artist *

Aya Nakamura Aya Coco Danioko (born 10 May 1995), known professionally as Aya Nakamura, is a French-Malian singer-songwriter. She began publishing her music online, gaining a following with the songs "Karma" and "J'ai mal". Dembo Camara, a longtime friend, ...

, Malian-born French pop singer * Aya Nakano (綾, born 1985), Japanese singer *

Aya Ohori is a Japanese badminton player from Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. She is affiliate with Tonami Transportation badminton club. Awards and nominations Personal life Aya Ohori is engaged to Malaysian double player, Ong Yew Sin. A ...

(彩, born 1996), Japanese badminton player *

Aya Okamoto is a Japanese actress. Filmography * ''School Ghost Stories'' (1995) as Kaori Komuro * ''Ogyā'' (2002) Hana * ''Azumi (film), Azumi'' (2003) Yae * ''Munraito jierifisshu'' (2004) Minamida Keiko * ''Metasequoia no ki no shita de'' (2005) Okamot ...

(綾, born 1982), Japanese actress *

Aya Ōmasa is a Japanese model and actress. Career Omasa co-starred with Shōta Sometani in Natsuki Seta's 2010 film ''A Liar and a Broken Girl''. She appeared in the 2011 film '' Paradise Kiss''. Filmography Films TV dramas * '' Tokyo Girl'' Episode ...

(大政絢, born 1991), Japanese model and actress * Aya Sameshima (彩, born 1987), Japanese soccer player *

Aya Shehata Aya Shehata (; born 16 February 2003) is an Egyptian taekwondo practitioner. She represented Egypt at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Career She competed at the 2022 Mediterranean Games held in Oran, Algeria, and won a bronze medal in the women's 6 ...

(born 2003), Egyptian taekwondo practitioner *

Aya Shibata is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48. She was a member of SKE48's Team E. She started her career as an announcer after graduation from SKE48. Career Shibata passed SKE48's 4th generation auditions in September 2010. Her au ...

(阿弥, born 1993), Japanese tarento and announcer *

Aya Shimokozuru is a former Japanese football player. She played for Japan national team. Club career Shimokozuru was born in Nagaokakyo on 7 June 1982. In 1999, she joined Matsushita Electric Panasonic Bambina (later ''Speranza FC Takatsuki'') from youth t ...

(綾, born 1982), Japanese soccer player *

Aya Sugimoto is a Japanese TV personality, actress, dancer, author, gravure idol and singer born in Kyoto. She also had a J-pop career in the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Career Early life Aya Sugimoto grew up in Kyoto under a "strict" upbringing, making ...

(彩, born 1968), Japanese actress *

Aya Sumika Aya Sumika (born August 22, 1980) is a former American actress best known for her semi-recurring role (which later turned into a regular role) as FBI Agent Liz Warner in the television series ''Numb3rs''. Personal life Sumika’s father is Ca ...

(born 1980), American actress *

Aya Suzaki is a Japanese voice actress and narrator affiliated with I'm Enterprise. She is widely known for her work, such as Tamako Kitashirakawa in '' Tamako Market''. Biography Suzaki is good at singing, and lists soft tennis and scuba diving as her ...

(綾, born 1986), Japanese voice actress *Aya Tademaru, better known as

Haruka Ayase better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress who started her career as a model in the year 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. Career 2000–2004: Early career Ayase was invited by a friend to parti ...

(born 1985), Japanese actress *

Aya Takano is a Japanese painter, Superflat artist, manga artist, and science fiction essayist. Aya Takano is represented by Kaikai Kiki, the artistic production studio created in 2001 by Takashi Murakami. Early life and influence Takano was born in S ...

(綾, born 1976), Japanese artist and science fiction essayist *

Aya Takano (swimmer) is a Japanese swimmer, who was selected to the national team to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, after having accepted an invitation from FINA, based on her B-standard time. She competed in the women's 400 m freestyle, where she ...

(綾, born 1994), Japanese swimmer * Aya Takeuchi (亜弥, born 1986), Japanese rugby sevens player *

Aya Tanimura Aya Tanimura is an Australian-Japanese writer and director, based in Los Angeles, California. Career Short films Her directorial credits include ''Mobius'' (2011), ''U-2074'' (2010), and ''Mrs. Kim'', (2010) which was a finalist in Los Angeles ...

(born 1980), Australian-Japanese writer and director * Aya Tarek, Egyptian artist *

Aya Terakawa (born November 12, 1984) is a retired Japanese backstroke swimmer; she announced her retirement from competitions in early December 2013. She is married to former swimmer Daisuke Hosokawa. Major achievements * 2001 World Aquatics Championships ...

(綾, born 1984), Japanese backstroke swimmer *

Aya Traoré Aya Traoré (born July 27, 1983) is a Senegalese female basketball forward and in 2011 captain of Senegalese women's national basketball team. She previously played with Polfa in the Torell Basket Liga in Poland. Personal Traore was born ...

(born 1983), Senegalese basketball player *

Aya Uchida is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She played Kotori Minami in ''Love Live! School Idol Project'' and Kaban in ''Kemono Friends''. She released the single "Sign/Candy Flavor", the song "Sign" was used as the ending theme for ''The Quintess ...

(彩, born 1986), a Japanese voice actress *

Aya Ueto is a Japanese actress, singer and television personality. In 1997, Ueto participated in the seventh Japan Bishōjo Contest, where she won the special jury prize. Soon thereafter, Ueto joined the talent agency Oscar Promotion and began taking s ...

(彩, born 1985), Japanese actress *, Japanese table tennis player *, Japanese voice actress and singer *, Japanese handball player

Surname

Ramzi Aya Ramzi Aya (; born 8 February 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Avellino. He is of Tunisian descent. Club career Born in Rome, capital of Lazio (and Italy), Aya started his career at "Roma Team Sport", ...

(born 1990) Italian footballer

Mythological figures

Aya (goddess) Aya was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with dawn. Multiple variant names were attributed to her in god lists. She was regarded as the wife of Shamash, the sun god. She was worshiped alongside her husband in Sippar. Multiple royal inscriptio ...

, Akkadian goddess

Fictional characters

* Aya of Yopougon, the protagonist of the comic book series ''Aya of Yop City'' *Aya Asagiri, main character from the

Magical Girl Site is a Japanese magical girl manga series written and illustrated by Kentarō Satō. It is a spin-off of '' Magical Girl Apocalypse''. The series is about a severely tormented, abused and suicidal high school student named Aya, who gains the a ...

series *Aya Ayano, a character in

Another (novel) ''Another'' is a Japanese mystery horror novel by Yukito Ayatsuji, published on October 29, 2009 by Kadokawa Shoten. The story focuses on a boy named Kōichi Sakakibara who, upon transferring into Yomiyama Middle School and meeting t ...

Aya Brea is the main protagonist of the video game adaptations of the 1995 novel ''Parasite Eve'' by Square Enix (formerly Square or SquareSoft). An original character created by producer Hironobu Sakaguchi for the 1998 role-playing video game ''Parasit ...

, a main character in the ''Parasite Eve'' video games *Aya Drevis, main character in the horror video game ''

Mad Father is a survival horror role-playing puzzle video game. The game was developed by Japanese developer Sen, published by Miscreant's Room and released on 10 December 2012. The game centers around an 11-year-old girl named Aya, who breaks into her fat ...

'' * Aya Ikeuchi (亜也), a protagonist in the Japanese television drama ''1 Litre no Namida'' * Aya Iseshima (綾), main character in ''

Master of Martial Hearts ''Master of Martial Hearts'', originally titled , is a 2008–2009 Japanese original video animation series created by Studio Kikan and Shochiku. It concerns a high school girl who gets involved in a series of fights against other young wome ...

'' *Aya Komichi, in the manga ''

Kin-iro Mosaic , also known by the abbreviation , is a Japanese four-panel manga written and illustrated by Yui Hara. The series began serialization in Houbunsha's '' Manga Time Kirara Max'' magazine in June 2010 issue and is licensed in English by Ye ...

'' *Aya Kominato (小湊亜耶), character in the manga and anime series "

Blue Spring Ride is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka. It began serialization in the February 2011 issue of Shueisha's ''Bessatsu Margaret'' and ended in February 2015. ''Ao Haru Ride'' received several adaptations during its ...

" (Ao Haru Ride) * Aya Natsume (亜夜), in the manga and anime series ''Tenjho Tenge'' *Aya Maruyama, from the ''

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 ex ...

'' franchise * Aya Mikage (妖), main character in ''

Ceres, Celestial Legend ''Ceres, Celestial Legend'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase. It was originally serialized in Shōgakukan's magazine '' Shōjo Comic'' from May 1996 to March 2000, with its chapters colle ...

'' *Aya Odagiri, from the television series ''

Chōjin Sentai Jetman is a Japanese tokusatsu television series produced by Toei Company. It is the fifteenth entry of the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries, following the previous series '' Chikyu Sentai Fiveman''. The series aired on TV Asahi on February 15, 1991, to Febr ...

'' *Aya Oosawa (綾), from the manga and anime series ''

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All , shortened as ''KiniOto'' or TGSWIIWAGAA and more popularly known as ''The Green Yuri'' due to its distinct green accent color, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sumiko Arai. Originating as a short story posted on Arai's ...

'' *

Aya Shameimaru The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by independent Japanese soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed programming, graphics, wr ...

(文), in the ''Touhou Project'' video game series *Aya Toujou, a main character in the manga and anime series ''

Strawberry 100% is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuki Kawashita. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2002 to August 2005, with its chapters collected in 19 volumes. The series was licensed in No ...

'' *Aya Valero, a main character in the fantasy movie ''

Wattpad Wattpad is a website for reading and publishing originally written fiction and connecting with fellow writers and readers. Its most popular genres are romance, teen fiction, and fan fiction. As of November 2021, Wattpad had more than 90 mill ...

'' * Aya (DC Comics), from ''Green Lantern: The Animated Series'' *Aya, the protagonist in the novel '' Extras'' *Aya, main character in the video game series '' Onechanbara'' * Aya of Alexandria, in the video game ''

Assassin's Creed Origins ''Assassin's Creed Origins'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' (20 ...

'' *Aya, in the video game ''

Infinite Undiscovery is an action role-playing game developed by tri-Ace and Microsoft Game Studios Japan and published by Square Enix for the Xbox 360 in September 2008. It tells the story of the main character Capell and his journey to sever the chains that are hol ...

'' *Kokudo Aya, a Sentinel

Miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as Shamanism, shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained ...

character in '' Kusunoki Mebuki is a Hero'' *Aya Fujisawa, a character in

Gundam Build Divers . often abbreviated as GBD. is a Japanese science fiction anime television series produced by Sunrise, a spiritual successor to the 2013 anime ''Gundam Build Fighters'', based on the long-running ''Gundam'' franchise. It is directed by Shin ...

References

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