MEANING & HISTORY
What does Hanako mean?
Hanako is a Japanese name reading. The documented spelling 花子 combines hana, flower, with ko, child.
This gives a concrete floral interpretation for that particular written form. Other combinations of kanji can also be read Hanako, so the Roman spelling alone cannot settle the characters of an individual’s name. The child element is familiar in Japanese feminine naming; it is part of the name formation rather than a statement about the bearer’s age.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Tagalog
- /haˈnako/Standard-Tagalog
- [hɐˈn̪aː.x̠o]Standard-Tagalog
Ha · na · ko3 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from Japanese はなこ (Hanako).
a female given name from Japanese
Wiktionary: Hanako (Tagalog) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
Borrowed from Japanese はなこ (Hanako).
A female given name from Japanese.
Wiktionary: Hanako (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Hanako in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Hanako
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Ayako♀Kanji-dependent: color or design with child in common forms
- Haruko♀Spring + child in the 春子 spelling
- Minako♀Kanji-dependent; beauty and child in an illustrated spelling
- Takako♀Japanese Takako; 孝子 combines filial devotion and child
- Handum·To remember fondly; to yearn
- Hann·Short name associated chiefly with Johan or John
- Hanna♀Grace; a form of Hannah
- Hannah♀Grace or favour
What rhymes with Hanako?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Explore Hanako further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Hanako (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Hanako (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Behind the Name — Hanako (opens in a new tab)
Consulted account of the name’s formation, relevant root elements, or explicitly linked base name.