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Evidence-led referenceJapanese names, readings and kanji
japanesenameatlas.infoJapanese name reference
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ReferenceNamesKai
Canonical reference record
JMnedict-backedKANJIDIC2 character context
Japanese given name

Kai

カイ

Recorded with both male and female given-name labels across dictionary entries.

かいカイKai
Compare spellings
Reference coverage

Extended source depth

This reading group has a comparatively broad dictionary footprint across source-recorded spellings or records. The counts describe corpus coverage, not real-world popularity.

Distinct recorded spellings58

group-level written forms

Source spelling/reading rows59

records contributing to this reading group

Coverage levelExtended

based only on the imported source footprint

Pronunciation & romanization

How to read Kai

The kana reading is source-recorded. Romanization and mora segmentation are deterministic reading aids generated from that kana; pitch accent is not inferred.

Source readingかい

Normalized to hiragana for comparison.

Katakana formカイ

The same reading converted to katakana.

RomanizationKai

Macron-style display. Vowel-sequence form: Kai. Personal spelling and true vowel boundaries can differ.

Mora segmentationか · い

2 morae in this reading. Small ゃ/ゅ/ょ-type kana join the preceding mora.

Audio note: the play button uses Japanese text-to-speech provided by the visitor’s browser/device. It is a convenience preview, not a recorded native-speaker pronunciation or pitch-accent authority.

Meaning by written form

What can Kai mean?

A Japanese name can be written in more than one way, and its meaning can change with the kanji used. Rather than assigning one English meaning to “Kai”, this page explains each recorded spelling separately.

Kanji spellings10

character meanings available

Kana-only spellings2

no kanji meaning attached

InterpretationBy spelling

based on the exact written form

Kana-only spelling

カイ

This spelling is written only in kana. Because it contains no kanji, there is no kanji meaning to interpret here. The kana record the name’s sound; any personal or cultural meaning would depend on context not supplied by the dictionary.

Characters and loaded glosses
カKana characterイKana character
Kana-only spelling

かい

This spelling is written only in kana. Because it contains no kanji, there is no kanji meaning to interpret here. The kana record the name’s sound; any personal or cultural meaning would depend on context not supplied by the dictionary.

Characters and loaded glosses
かKana characterいKana character
Kanji spelling

介

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
介jammed in, shellfish, mediate
Kanji spelling

伽衣

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
伽nursing, attending, entertainer衣garment, clothes, dressing
Kanji spelling

佳

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good
Kanji spelling

佳位

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good位rank, grade, throne
Kanji spelling

佳惟

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good惟consider, reflect, think
Kanji spelling

佳泉

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good泉spring, fountain
Kanji spelling

佳緯

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good緯horizontal, woof, left & right
Kanji spelling

佳衣

These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.

Characters and loaded glosses
佳excellent, beautiful, good衣garment, clothes, dressing

Showing meaning context for the first 12 distinct written forms out of 59. The recorded-spellings section below retains the wider source set.

How to read these meanings

The English words shown here are dictionary meanings of individual kanji. They help explain what a spelling can suggest, but they are not a guaranteed translation of the full name and do not establish why a particular person was given that name.

Reading profile

How Kai is represented

These counts describe records in the imported name corpus. They are not a ranking of how popular a spelling is among people in Japan.

Recorded kana readings2

かい · カイ

Kanji-based spellings57

among the forms analyzed on this page

Kana characters2

in the primary dictionary reading

Morae2

small ゃ/ゅ/ょ-type kana combine with the preceding mora

Kana-only2

recorded spellings

1-kanji forms15

recorded spellings

2-kanji forms42

recorded spellings

JMnedict classification evidence

How this reading is classified in the source corpus

This separates dictionary classification from popularity. The same exact kana reading can be recorded as a given name, a surname, or both, and given-name records can carry male, female or unspecified source labels.

Primary reading recorded asGiven name + surname

かい in the imported JMnedict corpus

Given-name written forms60

62 source spelling/reading rows

Surname written forms27

28 source spelling/reading rows

Given-name labelsmale 2 · female 53 · unspecified 7

row counts carrying each JMnedict source label

Exact readingGiven-name evidenceGiven-name labelsSurname evidence
かいKai6062 source rowsmale 2 · female 53 · unspecified 7source rows · distinct forms: male 2 · female 52 · unspecified 72728 source rows
かいKai00 source rows—source rows · distinct forms: —00 source rows

Classification boundary: male/female/unspecified are labels attached to imported JMnedict name records. They are not population shares, probabilities, identity claims, or evidence that a spelling is currently common in Japan. A source row can also be repeated across different written forms, so row counts and distinct-writing counts are shown separately.

JMnedict source text

Source-supplied text attached to Kai records

JMnedict can attach trans_det text to a name-classification block. This may be a Latin spelling, label or descriptor. It is shown only when it adds information beyond this site’s generated romanization.

Written formSource readingJMnedict source text
カイかいKaj
カイかいKhai

Meaning boundary: this is text supplied by JMnedict for the associated name-classification block. It is not an inferred kanji meaning, a translation of the written characters as a whole, proof of a person’s preferred Latin spelling, or evidence of popularity.

59 source-text items were omitted because they are equivalent to the generated romanization and would add no distinct information.

Spelling anatomy

Corpus structure behind Kai

This section summarizes the exact source-recorded forms loaded for this reading group. Stroke and character-position statistics are descriptive corpus properties, not popularity or style scores.

Kanji forms with complete stroke data57

4–28 strokes observed span

Median total strokes16

among forms with complete KANJIDIC2 stroke data

All-kanji name-classified forms54

all component kanji loaded as jōyō/jinmeiyō classes

Other/unclassified kanji forms3

contains at least one character outside that loaded classification

Source-reading distribution
ReadingRomanizationMoraeForms
かいKai259
Reading ambiguity

Can the same writing be read another way?

27 of 59 displayed written forms have more than one given-name reading somewhere in the active JMnedict corpus. This is dictionary-record ambiguity, not a prediction of how a particular person reads the name.

Written forms checked59

distinct spellings displayed on this page

Multiple recorded readings27

exact written forms with 2+ source readings

Single recorded reading31

within this active given-name corpus

Largest reading set14

distinct kana readings for one displayed writing

A reading shown without a link is still source-recorded, but its destination group does not yet meet the reference-depth standard used for the main library. Limited records are not promoted merely to create extra internal links.

Kanji role reference

How recurring characters function across Kai spellings

Position counts are calculated only from the distinct written forms analyzed for this page. KANJIDIC2 nanori are character-level name-reading references; they are not used here to decompose or assert the reading of a specific multi-kanji name.

KanjiCharacter glossesFormsFirstFinalInternalSoloStrokesKANJIDIC2 nanoriLoaded class
衣garment, clothes, dressing12012006—Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4
佳excellent, beautiful, good870018けい, よしJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
依reliant, depend on, consequently606008よ, よりJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
華splendor, flower, petal5500010わJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
香incense, smell, perfume550009こ, こお, ひゃん, よしJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4
嘉applaud, praise, esteem3300014ひろ, よし, よしみ, かず +1Jinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
生life, genuine, birth303005あさ, いき, いく, いけ +21Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 1
翔soar, fly3300012かJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
以by means of, because, in view of202005もちJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4
惟consider, reflect, think2020011ただ, よし, のぶJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
可can, passable, approval220005よしJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 5
維fiber, tie, rope2020014これ, たもつ, つぐ, ゆい +1Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8

Counts describe this source-recorded spelling set, not population use. A repeated kanji can contribute to more than one position role across different spellings.

Exact writing research map

Move from a spelling to its readings, characters and literal sequence context

These relationships are exact and source-backed. Whole-name readings shown in each card come from JMnedict within the current name class; exact-writing search can surface records from other name classes. Character links open KANJIDIC2-backed kanji pages. Sequence context means the same kanji string occurs contiguously in another recorded written form—it does not prove shared origin or meaning.

Exact written form

カイ

Search exact writing →
Source-recorded full-name readings in this name class
Kaiかい
Characters in order
カKanaイKana
Exact written form

かい

Search exact writing →
Source-recorded full-name readings in this name class
Kaiかい · this page
Characters in order
かKanaいKana

Showing research maps for the first 10 distinct written forms out of 59. Every detailed spelling card below still links to exact-writing search and its component kanji.

Corpus pattern

Kanji recurring across Kai spellings

Only characters appearing in at least two distinct analyzed spellings are shown here. Frequency describes this source-recorded spelling set, not real-world baby-name popularity.

衣garment, clothes, dressing12 of 59 analyzed forms佳excellent, beautiful, good8 of 59 analyzed forms依reliant, depend on, consequently6 of 59 analyzed forms華splendor, flower, petal5 of 59 analyzed forms香incense, smell, perfume5 of 59 analyzed forms嘉applaud, praise, esteem3 of 59 analyzed forms生life, genuine, birth3 of 59 analyzed forms翔soar, fly3 of 59 analyzed forms以by means of, because, in view of2 of 59 analyzed forms惟consider, reflect, think2 of 59 analyzed forms
Same reading, different writing

Explore written forms of Kai

59 source-recorded forms use the primary source reading かい. Other source readings can appear in this romanized group when the imported records converge on the same index form. Use Compare to inspect exact spellings side by side.

カイ

カイ · Kai

Katakana カイMorae 2Strokes —

This written form uses kana rather than kanji, so there are no character-level kanji glosses to combine.

Character-set checkKana spelling
Search this exact writing

かい

かい · Kai

Katakana カイMorae 2Strokes —

This written form uses kana rather than kanji, so there are no character-level kanji glosses to combine.

Character-set checkKana spelling
Search this exact writing

傀

かい · Kai

Katakana カイMorae 2Strokes 12
傀large
Character-set checkContains at least one kanji outside the loaded jōyō/jinmeiyō classification
Search this exact writing

帆

かい · Kai

Katakana カイMorae 2Strokes 6
帆sail
Character-set checkAll kanji are classified as jōyō/jinmeiyō in KANJIDIC2
Search this exact writing

貝

かい · Kai

Katakana カイMorae 2Strokes 7
貝shellfish
Character-set checkAll kanji are classified as jōyō/jinmeiyō in KANJIDIC2
Same writing, other recorded reading

Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.

Search this exact writing
Spelling comparator

Compare Kai forms side by side

Each exact written spelling appears once in this table even when JMnedict records more than one reading for that writing. Stroke totals and character glosses come from KANJIDIC2 when all component kanji are available.

SpellingOne source readingCharacter-level glossesTotal strokesLoaded character class
カイカイKana-only spelling—Kana spelling
かいかいKana-only spelling—Kana spelling
介かい介 — jammed in, shellfish4All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽衣かい伽 — nursing, attending · 衣 — garment, clothes13All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳かい佳 — excellent, beautiful8All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳以かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 以 — by means of, because13All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳位かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 位 — rank, grade15All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳依かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 依 — reliant, depend on16All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳惟かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 惟 — consider, reflect19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳泉かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 泉 — spring, fountain17All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳緯かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 緯 — horizontal, woof24All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳衣かい佳 — excellent, beautiful · 衣 — garment, clothes14All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
傀かい傀 — large12Includes unclassified/outside loaded jōyō-jinmeiyō class
加衣かい加 — add, addition · 衣 — garment, clothes11All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
可意かい可 — can, passable · 意 — idea, mind18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
可愛かい可 — can, passable · 愛 — love, affection18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified

The comparison table shows the first 16 distinct written forms; the detailed cards above show up to 80 spelling/reading records.

What does Kai mean?

There is not necessarily one fixed English meaning. The reading identifies the spoken name; different written forms can use different kanji. Character glosses describe individual kanji and should not be treated as proof of the intention behind a particular person’s name.

Related readings

More names beginning with かい

Related by the opening kana of the dictionary reading. This is a deterministic browsing relationship, not a claim that the names share the same meaning.

Given name · male · limited reference

Kaīchirō

54 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kaijirō

49 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kaiko

20 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kairi

19 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited reference

Kaito

18 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kaichirō

13 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kaiji

13 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kaina

11 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · limited reference

Kaizō

11 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kaira

9 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · limited reference

Kaichi

8 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · limited reference

Kaidō

8 recorded spellings

Explore →
Shared-kanji relationships

Other names sharing kanji with Kai

These links are calculated from exact characters appearing in source-recorded spellings on this page. Sharing a kanji does not mean two names have the same reading, origin, gender or intended meaning.

Given-name relationship

Aika

以佳依嘉生翔華衣香

9 shared kanji · 53 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Itsuka

以佳依嘉惟翔華衣香

9 shared kanji · 30 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kanae

佳依嘉生翔華衣香

8 shared kanji · 60 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Keiko

以佳依惟生華衣香

8 shared kanji · 30 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Ichika

以佳依嘉翔華衣香

8 shared kanji · 24 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Erika

佳依嘉翔華衣香

7 shared kanji · 154 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kae

佳依嘉翔華衣香

7 shared kanji · 53 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Reika

以佳依嘉華衣香

7 shared kanji · 40 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Maika

以佳依嘉華衣香

7 shared kanji · 39 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Yuika

以佳依惟華衣香

7 shared kanji · 32 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Eiko

以佳依惟生衣香

7 shared kanji · 28 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Saika

以佳依嘉華衣香

7 shared kanji · 15 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →
Continue research

Where to go next from Kai

Use literal reading, character and corpus relationships to continue without treating nearby records as automatically related.

Exact reading

Search かい

See source records matching this kana reading or beginning with it.

Continue →Reading family

Ka / か

Browse other public given names with the same opening reading family.

Continue →Character reference

衣 — garment, clothes

Open the kanji page for readings, classifications and literal name-use context.

Continue →Character reference

佳 — excellent, beautiful

Open the kanji page for readings, classifications and literal name-use context.

Continue →Interactive discovery

Open Name Explorer

Use the same name type and 2-mora reading length as a starting point.

Continue →
Evidence on this page

What each source establishes

JMnedict establishes recorded written forms, readings and name classifications; where safely associated, this page can also show JMnedict-supplied trans_det source text without treating it as a whole-name meaning. KANJIDIC2 supplies character readings, nanori, stroke counts, grade classes and English character glosses. The Ministry of Justice remains the official reference for Japanese child-name character rules. The Agency for Cultural Affairs romanization guidance is the reference for generated Latin-script reading aids.

Source boundary

The spelling-frequency and structural counts on this page are calculated from imported JMnedict records. They are corpus counts, not population-frequency claims. KANJIDIC2 supplies the kanji metadata used in character and stroke comparisons.

Review sources →