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

Kōtarō

亘多朗

Given-name classification varies across source records.

こうたろうコウタロウKōtarō
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 spellings117

group-level written forms

Source spelling/reading rows117

records contributing to this reading group

Coverage levelExtended

based only on the imported source footprint

Pronunciation & romanization

How to read Kōtarō

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こうたろう

Normalized to hiragana for comparison.

Katakana formコウタロウ

The same reading converted to katakana.

RomanizationKōtarō

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

Mora segmentationこ · う · た · ろ · う

5 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 Kōtarō 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 “Kōtarō”, this page explains each recorded spelling separately.

Kanji spellings12

character meanings available

Kana-only spellings0

no kanji meaning attached

InterpretationBy spelling

based on the exact written form

Kanji spelling

光多朗

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
光ray, light多many, frequent, much朗clear, bright, distinct
Kanji spelling

光多郎

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
光ray, light多many, frequent, much郎son, counter for sons
Kanji spelling

光太郎

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
光ray, light太plump, thick, big around郎son, counter for sons

Showing meaning context for the first 12 distinct written forms out of 117. 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 Kōtarō 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 readings1

こうたろう

Kanji-based spellings117

among the forms analyzed on this page

Kana characters5

in the primary dictionary reading

Morae5

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

3-kanji forms117

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

こうたろう in the imported JMnedict corpus

Given-name written forms132

141 source spelling/reading rows

Surname written forms1

1 source spelling/reading row

Given-name labelsmale 138 · unspecified 3

row counts carrying each JMnedict source label

Exact readingGiven-name evidenceGiven-name labelsSurname evidence
こうたろうKōtarō132141 source rowsmale 138 · unspecified 3source rows · distinct forms: male 129 · unspecified 311 source row

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.

Spelling anatomy

Corpus structure behind Kōtarō

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 data117

17–30 strokes observed span

Median total strokes23

among forms with complete KANJIDIC2 stroke data

All-kanji name-classified forms112

all component kanji loaded as jōyō/jinmeiyō classes

Other/unclassified kanji forms5

contains at least one character outside that loaded classification

Source-reading distribution
ReadingRomanizationMoraeForms
こうたろうKōtarō5117
Recurring adjacent kanji sequences
太郎48 analyzed forms太朗25 analyzed forms多朗21 analyzed forms多郎21 analyzed forms亘多2 analyzed forms亘太2 analyzed forms

Shown only when the same adjacent two-kanji sequence occurs in at least two analyzed source forms. Open a sequence in Kanji Pair Research for corpus co-occurrence context.

Reading ambiguity

Can the same writing be read another way?

20 of 80 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 checked80

distinct spellings displayed on this page

Multiple recorded readings20

exact written forms with 2+ source readings

Single recorded reading60

within this active given-name corpus

Largest reading set4

distinct kana readings for one displayed writing

亘太郎
3 source-recorded readings
Kōtarōこうたろう · this pageSentarōせんたろうWatatarōわたたろう

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 Kōtarō 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
太plump, thick, big around73007304おお, たか, ひろJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2
郎son, counter for sons70070009いら, お, とう, もん +2Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
朗clear, bright, distinct470470011—Jinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 10
多many, frequent, much42004206—Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2
亘span, range, extend over440006のぶ, とうる, わたる, ひさしJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
光ray, light440006あき, あきら, こお, てる +3Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2
功achievement, merits, success440005いさ, かつ, くぬ, ぐう +5Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4
厚thick, heavy, rich440009あ, あっJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 5
垢dirt, grime, earwax440009—Unclassified in the loaded KANJIDIC grade field
孝filial piety, child's respect440007たか, たかし, のり, よしJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 6
宏wide, large440007あつ, ひろ, ひろしJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
嵩be aggravated, grow worse, grow bulky4400013たかし, たか, たけJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9

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.

Showing research maps for the first 10 distinct written forms out of 117. Every detailed spelling card below still links to exact-writing search and its component kanji.

Corpus pattern

Kanji recurring across Kōtarō 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.

太plump, thick, big around73 of 117 analyzed forms郎son, counter for sons70 of 117 analyzed forms朗clear, bright, distinct47 of 117 analyzed forms多many, frequent, much42 of 117 analyzed forms亘span, range, extend over4 of 117 analyzed forms光ray, light4 of 117 analyzed forms功achievement, merits, success4 of 117 analyzed forms厚thick, heavy, rich4 of 117 analyzed forms垢dirt, grime, earwax4 of 117 analyzed forms孝filial piety, child's respect4 of 117 analyzed forms
Same reading, different writing

Explore written forms of Kōtarō

117 source-recorded forms use the primary source reading こうたろう. 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.

Showing the first 80 spelling/reading records out of 117 loaded records for this reading group. The group contains 117 distinct written spellings.

Spelling comparator

Compare Kōtarō 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
亘多朗こうたろう亘 — span, range · 多 — many, frequent · 朗 — clear, bright23All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
亘多郎こうたろう亘 — span, range · 多 — many, frequent · 郎 — son, counter for sons21All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
亘太朗こうたろう亘 — span, range · 太 — plump, thick · 朗 — clear, bright21All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
亘太郎こうたろう亘 — span, range · 太 — plump, thick · 郎 — son, counter for sons19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
光多朗こうたろう光 — ray, light · 多 — many, frequent · 朗 — clear, bright23All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
光多郎こうたろう光 — ray, light · 多 — many, frequent · 郎 — son, counter for sons21All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
光太朗こうたろう光 — ray, light · 太 — plump, thick · 朗 — clear, bright21All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
光太郎こうたろう光 — ray, light · 太 — plump, thick · 郎 — son, counter for sons19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
公太朗こうたろう公 — public, prince · 太 — plump, thick · 朗 — clear, bright19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
公太郎こうたろう公 — public, prince · 太 — plump, thick · 郎 — son, counter for sons17All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
剛太郎こうたろう剛 — sturdy, strength · 太 — plump, thick · 郎 — son, counter for sons23All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
功多朗こうたろう功 — achievement, merits · 多 — many, frequent · 朗 — clear, bright22All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
功多郎こうたろう功 — achievement, merits · 多 — many, frequent · 郎 — son, counter for sons20All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
功太朗こうたろう功 — achievement, merits · 太 — plump, thick · 朗 — clear, bright20All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
功太郎こうたろう功 — achievement, merits · 太 — plump, thick · 郎 — son, counter for sons18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
厚多朗こうたろう厚 — thick, heavy · 多 — many, frequent · 朗 — clear, bright26All 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 Kōtarō 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 こう

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

Kōji

268 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōichirō

164 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōnosuke

148 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōjirō

145 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited reference

Kōki

138 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōsaburō

128 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōsuke

104 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōichi

101 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōzō

97 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited reference

Kōsei

78 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited reference

Kō

77 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · male · limited reference

Kōshō

64 recorded spellings

Explore →
Shared-kanji relationships

Other names sharing kanji with Kōtarō

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

Kōichirō

亘光功厚垢孝朗郎

8 shared kanji · 161 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kōjirō

亘光功厚垢孝朗郎

8 shared kanji · 129 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kōsaburō

亘光功厚垢孝朗郎

8 shared kanji · 128 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kōzaburō

亘光功垢孝朗郎

7 shared kanji · 37 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kōnosuke

亘光功厚垢孝

6 shared kanji · 37 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kōko

亘光功厚垢孝

6 shared kanji · 7 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Takao

多太孝朗郎

5 shared kanji · 45 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Sentarō

亘多太朗郎

5 shared kanji · 23 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Kō

亘光功厚孝

5 shared kanji · 6 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Shōtarō

多太朗郎

4 shared kanji · 82 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Sōtarō

多太朗郎

4 shared kanji · 67 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →Given-name relationship

Seitarō

多太朗郎

4 shared kanji · 66 matching source-recorded spellings

Inspect name →
Continue research

Where to go next from Kōtarō

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

Exact reading

Search こうたろう

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

Continue →Reading family

Ko / こ

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

Continue →Character reference

太 — plump, thick

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

Continue →Character reference

郎 — son, counter for sons

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

Continue →Interactive discovery

Open Name Explorer

Use the same name type and 5-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 →