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Evidence-led referenceJapanese names, readings and kanji
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ReferenceNamesKayako
Canonical reference record
JMnedict-backedKANJIDIC2 character context
Japanese given name

Kayako

かやこ

Female-classified given-name records.

かやこカヤコKayako
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 spellings86

group-level written forms

Source spelling/reading rows86

records contributing to this reading group

Coverage levelExtended

based only on the imported source footprint

Pronunciation & romanization

How to read Kayako

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かやこ

Normalized to hiragana for comparison.

Katakana formカヤコ

The same reading converted to katakana.

RomanizationKayako

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

Mora segmentationか · や · こ

3 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.

Reading profile

How Kayako 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

かやこ

Kanji-based spellings85

among the forms analyzed on this page

Kana characters3

in the primary dictionary reading

Morae3

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

Kana-only1

recorded spelling

1-kanji forms1

recorded spelling

2-kanji forms3

recorded spellings

3-kanji forms81

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

かやこ in the imported JMnedict corpus

Given-name written forms86

86 source spelling/reading rows

Surname written forms0

0 source spelling/reading rows

Given-name labelsfemale 86

row counts carrying each JMnedict source label

Exact readingGiven-name evidenceGiven-name labelsSurname evidence
かやこKayako8686 source rowsfemale 86source rows · distinct forms: female 8600 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.

Spelling anatomy

Corpus structure behind Kayako

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 data85

3–29 strokes observed span

Median total strokes18

among forms with complete KANJIDIC2 stroke data

All-kanji name-classified forms85

all component kanji loaded as jōyō/jinmeiyō classes

Other/unclassified kanji forms0

contains at least one character outside that loaded classification

Source-reading distribution
ReadingRomanizationMoraeForms
かやこKayako386
Recurring adjacent kanji sequences
弥子11 analyzed forms耶子11 analyzed forms伸子10 analyzed forms允子10 analyzed forms冶子10 analyzed forms也子10 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?

9 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 readings9

exact written forms with 2+ source readings

Single recorded reading71

within this active given-name corpus

Largest reading set7

distinct kana readings for one displayed writing

佳也子
2 source-recorded readings
Kayakoかやこ · this pageKeyakoけやこ
可允子
2 source-recorded readings
KamikoかみこKayakoかやこ · this page
夏悦子
2 source-recorded readings
Kayakoかやこ · this pageNayakoなやこ
花野子
2 source-recorded readings
KanokoかのこKayakoかやこ · this page
華也子
2 source-recorded readings
Kayakoかやこ · this pageHayakoはやこ
華冶子
2 source-recorded readings
Kayakoかやこ · this pageHayakoはやこ

A reading shown without a link is still source-recorded, but its destination group does not currently meet the canonical publication standard. Strong reference pages do not promote limited records merely to create extra internal links.

Kanji role reference

How recurring characters function across Kayako 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
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM84084003い, き, ぎ, く +2Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 1
弥all the more, increasingly11001108わたる, みつ, ひろ, よJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
耶question mark11001109—Jinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
伸expand, stretch, extend10001007のぶ, よぼるJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
允license, sincerity, permit10001004まこと, のぶ, まさ, みつ +4Jinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
冶melting, smelting10001007じJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
也to be (classical)10001003しJinmeiyō · KANJIDIC grade 9
夏summer9900010—Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2
佳excellent, beautiful, good880008けい, よしJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8
加add, addition, increase880005—Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4
野plains, field, rustic7007011ずけ, つけ, ぬJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2
花flower770007わJōyō · KANJIDIC grade 1

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

かやこ

Search exact writing →
Source-recorded full-name readings in this name class
Kayakoかやこ · this page
Characters in order
かKanaやKanaこKana

Showing research maps for the first 10 distinct written forms out of 86. Every detailed spelling card below still links to exact-writing search and its component kanji.

For VPS safety, contiguous-sequence lookups are limited to six 2–4 kanji forms per canonical page and cached for 12 hours per active JMnedict generation.

Corpus pattern

Kanji recurring across Kayako 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.

子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM84 of 86 analyzed forms弥all the more, increasingly11 of 86 analyzed forms耶question mark11 of 86 analyzed forms伸expand, stretch, extend10 of 86 analyzed forms允license, sincerity, permit10 of 86 analyzed forms冶melting, smelting10 of 86 analyzed forms也to be (classical)10 of 86 analyzed forms夏summer9 of 86 analyzed forms佳excellent, beautiful, good8 of 86 analyzed forms加add, addition, increase8 of 86 analyzed forms
Same reading, different writing

Explore written forms of Kayako

86 source-recorded forms use the primary source reading かやこ. 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.

かやこ

かやこ · Kayako

Katakana カヤコMorae 3Strokes —

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

Showing the first 80 spelling/reading records out of 86 loaded records for this reading group. The group contains 86 distinct written spellings.

Spelling comparator

Compare Kayako 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
かやこかやこKana-only spelling—Kana spelling
かや子かやこ子 — child, sign of the rat3All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽伸子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 伸 — expand, stretch · 子 — child, sign of the rat17All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽允子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 允 — license, sincerity · 子 — child, sign of the rat14All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽冶子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 冶 — melting, smelting · 子 — child, sign of the rat17All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽弥子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 弥 — all the more, increasingly · 子 — child, sign of the rat18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽椰子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 椰 — coconut tree · 子 — child, sign of the rat23All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
伽耶子かやこ伽 — nursing, attending · 耶 — question mark · 子 — child, sign of the rat19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳也子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 也 — to be (classical) · 子 — child, sign of the rat14All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳伸子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 伸 — expand, stretch · 子 — child, sign of the rat18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳允子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 允 — license, sincerity · 子 — child, sign of the rat15All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳冶子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 冶 — melting, smelting · 子 — child, sign of the rat18All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳弥子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 弥 — all the more, increasingly · 子 — child, sign of the rat19All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳矢子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 矢 — dart, arrow · 子 — child, sign of the rat16All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳耶子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 耶 — question mark · 子 — child, sign of the rat20All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified
佳野子かやこ佳 — excellent, beautiful · 野 — plains, field · 子 — child, sign of the rat22All 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 Kayako 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 かや

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 · female · limited reference

Kaya

80 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kayano

29 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kayana

24 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kayami

12 recorded spellings

Explore →Given name · female · limited reference

Kayaka

4 recorded spellings

Explore →
Continue research

Where to go next from Kayako

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

Exact reading

Search かやこ

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

子 — child, sign of the rat

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

Continue →Character reference

弥 — all the more, increasingly

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

Continue →Interactive discovery

Open Name Explorer

Use the same name type and 3-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.

JMnedictChecked 17 Sep 2026Active data built 16 Sep 2026Stored status: downloaded
KANJIDIC2Checked 17 Sep 2026Active data built 17 Sep 2026
Japan Ministry of Justice — characters usable in children’s namesChecked 17 Sep 2026
Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs — Romanization Rules (2025)Checked 17 Sep 2026
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 →