How can I tell if a Japanese person's given name is male or female?


I am hoping that there may be some particular kanji and/or sounds used in
determining if a persons given name is male or female.




There are a number of common suffixes you can use to try to guess. Here is an
incomplete list of common suffixes which are a pretty safe bet:

### Female

  * _ko_ 子
  * _mi_ 美
  * _ka_ 花・華
  * _e_ 江・恵
  * _na_ 奈・菜
  * _no_ 乃
  * _ri_ 里

### Male

  * _rō_ 郎
  * _ta_ 太
  * _suke_ 介・助・祐
  * _o_ 男・夫・雄・生
  * _ya_ 哉・也
  * _kichi_ 吉
  * _hiko_ 彦
  * _nobu_ 信

Also, "girly" _kanji_ —like 愛 "love", 幸 "happiness", 華 "flower", 美 "beauty"
etc.—or _hiragana_ will usually indicate a girl's name.

Similarly, "boyish" _kanji_ —like 正 "righteous", 健 "health/strength", 勝 "win",
信 "honesty", etc., will usually indicate a boy's name.




There are a number of common suffixes you can use to try to guess. Here is an
incomplete list of common suffixes which are a pretty safe bet:

### Female

  * _ko_ 子
  * _mi_ 美
  * _ka_ 花・華
  * _e_ 江・恵
  * _na_ 奈・菜
  * _no_ 乃
  * _ri_ 里

### Male

  * _rō_ 郎
  * _ta_ 太
  * _suke_ 介・助・祐
  * _o_ 男・夫・雄・生
  * _ya_ 哉・也
  * _kichi_ 吉
  * _hiko_ 彦
  * _nobu_ 信

Also, "girly" _kanji_ —like 愛 "love", 幸 "happiness", 華 "flower", 美 "beauty"
etc.—or _hiragana_ will usually indicate a girl's name.

Similarly, "boyish" _kanji_ —like 正 "righteous", 健 "health/strength", 勝 "win",
信 "honesty", etc., will usually indicate a boy's name.

