Japanese Names That Mean Rabbit

The Japanese word for rabbit is usagi (兎 or うさぎ), and the best-known rabbit names are Usagi, Usako (little rabbit, mostly a nickname), Uzuki (the month of the rabbit), Tsukiusagi (moon rabbit), Pyon (the sound of hopping) and Bunny (written Banii). Real baby names that mean rabbit are rare in Japan, so these names fit pets, characters, nicknames and creative projects best.

What Does Rabbit Mean in Japan?

In Japan, rabbits stand for luck, gentleness, fertility and long life. They are also tied to the moon, where legend says a rabbit pounds mochi.

The rabbit is the fourth animal of the zodiac. It is written 卯 (u) and links to spring and fresh beginnings.

Usagi: The Core Word

Usagi (兎) means rabbit. It is the most direct and best-known rabbit name.

It is mostly used as a nickname, pet name or character name. The character Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon made it famous worldwide.

Direct Rabbit Names

• Usagi (うさぎ): rabbit
• Usako: little rabbit, a pet-like form
• Usachan: dear rabbit
• Usa: short form of usagi
• Usamaru: rabbit, with a boyish ending
• Kousagi (子兎): baby rabbit
• Nousagi (野兎): wild hare
• Banii (バニー): bunny

Girl Names Linked to Rabbits

These names do not always mean rabbit, but they carry the moon and rabbit feeling.

• Uzuki (卯月): month of the rabbit, the old name for April
• Tsukiko (月子): moon child
• Tsukino (月乃): of the moon
• Mochiko: mochi child, tied to the moon rabbit
• Usagi: used in fiction and as a nickname
• Momoko (桃子): peach child, a soft and cute name

Boy Names Linked to Rabbits

• Uta: a short name often used with rabbit imagery in stories
• Tsukito (月人): moon person
• Usamaru: playful rabbit nickname
• Mochimaru: mochi rabbit nickname
• Tsukihiko (月彦): moon boy

Boy names tied to rabbits are mostly playful or inspired by the zodiac and the moon.

Unisex Rabbit Names

• Usagi
• Uzuki
• Tsuki (月): moon
• Mochi: rice cake
• Pyon: hop

The Moon Rabbit

Japanese folklore says a rabbit lives on the moon and pounds mochi. People see the rabbit shape in the dark patches of the full moon.

This story gives us lovely names like Tsukiusagi (moon rabbit), Tsukiko and Tsukino.

Names From the Rabbit Zodiac

The rabbit is linked to calm, kindness and good luck.

• Uzuki: month of the rabbit
• U (卯): rabbit, the zodiac character
• Hatsuu: first rabbit, for a rabbit year birth
• Mao: often chosen for rabbit year children for its soft sound

Rabbit years include 1999, 2011 and 2023.

Cute Pet Names for Rabbits

• Mochi: soft rice cake
• Pyonkichi: hopping boy
• Pyoko: little hopper
• Kinako: soybean flour
• Daifuku: soft rice dessert
• Momo: peach
• Yuki: snow
• Fuwa: fluffy
• Kuri: chestnut

Rabbits in Anime and Pop Culture

• Usagi Tsukino: lead of Sailor Moon
• Usagi Yojimbo: a rabbit samurai
• Usahana: a rabbit character from Sanrio
• Tsukimi rabbit: the symbol of the moon-viewing festival
• Tewi Inaba: rabbit in the Touhou games

Surnames With Rabbit Links

• Usami (宇佐美): looks like usagi but usually comes from the place name Usa
• Usui (臼井): mortar well, the tool used to pound mochi

Few real surnames mean rabbit directly, so these are links through sound or imagery.

Bunny Names in Katakana

Katakana is often used for modern or foreign-style names.

• Banii (バニー): bunny
• Rabitto (ラビット): rabbit
• Raby: short and cute
• Usa-pyon: rabbit hop

How to Choose a Rabbit Name

• Decide if it is for a pet, character or person
• Pick a short name that is easy to call
• Match the name to color or personality
• Check the kanji and reading for a real baby name
• Say it aloud with the surname

FAQs

What Japanese name means rabbit?

Usagi means rabbit in Japanese. Usako, Kousagi and Uzuki are other names tied to rabbits or the rabbit zodiac.

What is the Japanese word for rabbit?

The word is usagi, written 兎 or うさぎ. Baby rabbit is kousagi, and bunny is banii.

Is Usagi a real Japanese name?

Usagi is mainly a nickname or character name. It is famous from Sailor Moon, but it is very rare as a registered baby name.

What does Uzuki mean?

Uzuki is the old name for the fourth month, April, and uses the rabbit zodiac character 卯. It has a soft, spring feeling.

What Japanese name means moon rabbit?

Tsukiusagi means moon rabbit. Tsukiko and Tsukino mean moon child and of the moon.

What is the rabbit sound in Japanese?

Pyon pyon is the sound of hopping. It is the source of cute names like Pyon, Pyoko and Pyonkichi.

What does Usagi Tsukino mean?

Usagi means rabbit, and Tsukino means of the moon. Together the name suggests a rabbit of the moon.

What are cute Japanese rabbit names?

Mochi, Kinako, Momo, Yuki, Fuwa and Daifuku are all cute names loved by rabbit owners.

Why is the rabbit linked to the moon in Japan?

Japanese folklore says the dark patches on the moon look like a rabbit pounding mochi. It is a favorite theme at the autumn moon-viewing festival.

What is the rabbit zodiac sign in Japanese?

It is called U (卯) and is the fourth sign. People born in rabbit years are seen as gentle, kind and lucky.