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Ayu 鮎 – Japanese girl given name

Ayu (鮎) is read あゆ and has 2 syllables. It is mostly used for girls. Written as 鮎, the characters mean: freshwater trout. This reading can be written with at least 137 different kanji combinations (the 6 most common are shown below), with 8 to 20 strokes in total.

About the name Ayu

Ayu (鮎) is the sweetfish, a river fish eaten in summer. Spelled 歩, it means to walk. It is also a popular name in pop music.

How to write Ayu in Japanese

Kanji	Reading	Literal meaning	Strokes
鮎	あゆ	freshwater trout	16
歩	あゆ	walk	8
亜由	あゆ	Asia + wherefore	12
明結	あゆ	bright + tie	20
安結	あゆ	relax + tie	18
明由	あゆ	bright + wherefore	13

Meanings are literal translations of each kanji. Names are often chosen for sound, so the intended meaning can differ.

The kanji in Ayu

鮎

freshwater trout, smelt

16 strokes, an approved name kanji

On: デン、ネン Kun: あゆ、なまず

歩

walk, counter for steps

8 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 2

On: ホ、ブ、フ Kun: ある、あゆ

亜

Asia, rank next, come after, -ous

7 strokes, taught in secondary school

On: ア Kun: つ

由

wherefore, a reason

5 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 3

On: ユ、ユウ、ユイ Kun: よし、よ

Ayu in different scripts

Romaji	Ayu
Hiragana	あゆ
Katakana	アユ
Kanji (most common)	鮎

Full name examples

Ayu Yuki (Japanese order: 結城鮎, ゆうきあゆ)
Ayu Kono (Japanese order: 河野鮎, こうのあゆ)
Ayu Maki (Japanese order: 牧鮎, まきあゆ)

How to pronounce Ayu

Break it into 1 parts: ayu. Japanese has no stressed syllables like English, so say each part with the same length and the same weight. The 2 sound units are written あゆ.

Questions about Ayu

What does Ayu mean in Japanese?

Ayu has no single fixed meaning: it depends on the kanji. The most common spelling, 鮎, combines these meanings: freshwater trout. Other spellings include 歩 (walk), 亜由 (Asia + wherefore), 明結 (bright + tie).

How do you write Ayu in kanji?

The most common way is 鮎 (あゆ). It can also be written 歩, 亜由, 明結, 安結, 明由.

How do you write Ayu in katakana?

Ayu is アユ in katakana and あゆ in hiragana.

Is Ayu a boy or girl name?

Ayu is mostly used for girls.

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Themes: Light and sun

Names with a similar sound

Ayuka 歩加 Ayuki 歩生 Ayuko 歩子 Ayumi 歩美 Ayuna 歩和 Ayuri 渉理 Ayusa 歩早

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