is a Japanese male's personal name; used increasingly as a female's personal name, as a shortening of
Keiko.
Written forms
Kei 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 (with Wiktionary links):
* (
圭), "square jewel"
* (
恵), "blessing"
* (
慧), "wise"
* (
慶), "jubilation"
* (
敬), "respect"
* (
佳), "excellent"
* (
桂
桂 (pinyin: ''guì'', Japanese: ''kei'' or ''katsura'') may refer to:
*The abbreviation for Guangxi
*Gui (surname)
*''Cercidiphyllum japonicum'', known in Japanese as ''katsura''
*Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''), postal map ro ...
), "Japanese Judas-tree"
* (
啓), "disclose"
* (
硅), "silicon"
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", ...
or
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 with the name
*, Japanese singer
*, Japanese-American jazz pianist
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese actress
*, Japanese footballer
*
Kei Cozzolino
Kei Francesco Cozzolino (born in Shinjuku, Tokyo, November 9, 1987) is a Japanese-Italian professional racing driver from Shinjuku, Tokyo. He competes in motorsport championships including the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), 24 Hours of L ...
(born 1987), Japanese-born Italian racing driver
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese actress, cinematographer, editor, writer and film director
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese football manager and coach
*, Japanese shogi player
*, Japanese actor and film director
*, Japanese actor and musician
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese basketball player
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese singer and actor
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese photographer and installation artist
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, better known as Kobametal, Japanese music producer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese film director
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese synchronized swimmer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese adult film actress
*, Japanese film director
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese writer and academic
*, Japanese tennis player
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese singer-songwriter and composer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese photographer
*, Japanese businesswoman
*
Kei Pilz (died 2001), Japanese chef
*, Japanese speed skater
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese comedian
*, Japanese voice actress
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese luger
*, Japanese sprinter
*, Japanese dancer
*, Japanese television personality and motoring journalist
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese comedian, actor and musician
*, Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator
*
Kei Tomozawa (born 1999), American soccer player
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese singer, musician and actress
*, Japanese actor and voice actor
Other people
*
Kei (singer)
Kim Ji-yeon (; born March 20, 1995), known professionally as Kei (), is a South Korean singer and musical actress. She rose to fame as a member of South Korean girl group Lovelyz in November 2014. Kei officially made her solo debut with the EP, ...
(birthname Kim Ji-yeon, born 1995), South Korean singer of the girl group Lovelyz
*
Kei Kamara
Kei Ansu Kamara (; born 1 September 1984) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a striker for FC Cincinnati. He is one of 13 players to have scored 100 goals in MLS history, achieving the landmark in 300 appearances. He is ...
(born 1984), Sierra Leonean footballer
*
Kei Miller
Kei Miller (born 24 October 1978) is a Jamaican poet, fiction writer, essayist and blogger. He is also a professor of creative writing.[Prétear
, also called ''Prétear - The New Legend of Snow White'', is a manga series written by Junichi Sato and illustrated by Kaori Naruse. Spanning four volumes, the manga series was originally published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten from May 2000 t ...]
''
*Kei, a character in the film ''
Moon Child''
*Cyberdoll Kei, a character in the anime series ''
Hand Maid May
is a Japanese anime television series created by Jūzō Mutsuki and Wonderfarm and produced by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, Pioneer Entertainment (USA) LP., and TNK. It is directed by Shinichiro Kimura and Tetsuya Yanagisawa, with Kazu ...
''
*, the protagonist of the light novel series ''
Sagrada Reset
, also known as ''Sakurada Reset'', is a Japanese light novel series written by Yutaka Kōno and illustrated by You Shiina. The series was published by Kadokawa Shoten between 2009 and 2012. A manga adaptation was published in ''Monthl ...
''
*, a character in the light novel series ''
Yumemiru Danshi wa Genjitsushugisha''
*, a character in the visual novel series ''
Muv-Luv
is a Japanese visual novel developed by âge and originally released as an adult game for Windows on February 28, 2003. Consisting of two parts, and the gameplay in ''Muv-Luv'' follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined ...
''
*, the protagonist of the visual novel ''
Akai Ito''
*, a character in the video game ''
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side
is a dating sim video game targeted towards women and girls (an ''Otome'' game) released by Konami for the PlayStation 2 game console on June 20, 2002. It was also re-released with enhancements for the Nintendo DS as ''Tokimeki Memorial Girl's ...
''
* Kei Karasuma, a character from ''
Kamen Rider Blade
is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the fourteenth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It aired on TV Asahi from January 25, 2004 to January 23, 2005. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toe ...
''
*, a character in the light novel series ''
Classroom of the Elite
, abbreviated as ''Yōjitsu'' (よう実) in Japan, is a Japanese light novel series written by Shōgo Kinugasa, with Book illustration, illustration by Shunsaku Tomose.
It was published from May 2015 to September 2019 under Media Factory ...
''
*, a character in the manga series ''Gantz''
*, a character in the manga series ''
Flying Witch
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chihiro Ishizuka. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'' since August 2012, with its chapters collected in 14 volumes as of June 2025. An anime television ser ...
''
*, a character in the manga series ''Gantz''
*, the protagonist of the anime series ''Please Teacher!''
*, a character in the PS2 video game ''
Forbidden Siren
known as ''Forbidden Siren'' in the PAL region, is a 2003 survival horror stealth video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was originally released in Japan on November 6, 2003, and in other re ...
''
*, a character in the video game series ''
Ace Combat
is an Arcade video game, arcade-style Combat flight simulation game, combat flight simulation video game series by Project Aces, an internal development team of Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Debuting in 1995 with ''Air Combat'' fo ...
''
*, a character in the light novel ''Boogiepop and Others''
*, a character in the manga series ''Yuyushiki''
*, a character in the visual novel ''
Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two''
*, a character in the manga series ''
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War''
*, a character in the manga series ''S · A: Special A''
*, a character in the anime series ''
Soar High! Isami
is an anime series made by Group TAC and directed by Gisaburō Sugii. The anime is based on ''The Hakkenden'' but is set in the future. The anime was broadcast on NHK between April 8, 1995 and March 30, 1996. It was licensed by Hirameki Inter ...
''
*, a character in the manga series ''
Haikyu!!
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 volumes. The story f ...
'' with the position of middle blocker from Karasuno High
*, the protagonist of the manga series ''
The Day of Revolution
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda. The series was serialized in Shinshokan's manga magazine ''South'' between April 1998 and February 2001. The manga is licensed in English by Digital Manga Publishing and has been rele ...
''
*, a character in the manga series ''
Space Pirate Captain Harlock
, also titled Captain Harlock, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Play Comic'' from January 1977 to June 1979, with the chapters collected into five volumes. The ser ...
''
References
{{given name
Japanese unisex given names