Home / Last names / Murakami

Murakami 村上 – Japanese surname

Murakami (村上) is read むらかみ and has 4 syllables. It is a family name. Written as 村上, the characters mean: village + above. This reading can be written with at least 7 different kanji combinations (the 6 most common are shown below), with 10 to 23 strokes in total.

About the name Murakami

Murakami (村上) means above the village. The novelist Haruki Murakami is its best-known bearer abroad.

How to write Murakami in Japanese

Kanji	Reading	Literal meaning	Strokes
村上	むらかみ	village + above	10
村神	むらかみ	village + gods	16
村頭	むらかみ	village + head	23
村雄	むらかみ	village + masculine	19
群上	むらかみ	flock + above	16
邑上	むらかみ	village + above	10

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

The kanji in Murakami

村

village, town

7 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 1

On: ソン Kun: むら

上

above, up

3 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 1

On: ジョウ、ショウ、シャン Kun: うえ、うわ、かみ

神

gods, mind, soul

9 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 3

On: シン、ジン Kun: かみ、かん、こう

頭

head, counter for large animals

16 strokes, taught in elementary school, grade 2

On: トウ、ズ、ト Kun: あたま、かしら、がしら

Murakami in different scripts

Romaji	Murakami
Hiragana	むらかみ
Katakana	ムラカミ
Kanji (most common)	村上

Full name examples

Ayumi Murakami (Japanese order: 村上歩美, むらかみあゆみ)
Yurina Murakami (Japanese order: 村上百合奈, むらかみゆりな)
Yuki Murakami (Japanese order: 村上結城, むらかみゆうき)

How to pronounce Murakami

Break it into 4 parts: mu · ra · ka · mi. Japanese has no stressed syllables like English, so say each part with the same length and the same weight. The 4 sound units are written むらかみ.

Questions about Murakami

What does Murakami mean in Japanese?

Murakami has no single fixed meaning: it depends on the kanji. The most common spelling, 村上, combines these meanings: village + above. Other spellings include 村神 (village + gods), 村頭 (village + head), 村雄 (village + masculine).

How do you write Murakami in kanji?

The most common way is 村上 (むらかみ). It can also be written 村神, 村頭, 村雄, 群上, 邑上.

How do you write Murakami in katakana?

Murakami is ムラカミ in katakana and むらかみ in hiragana.

How do you pronounce Murakami?

Murakami is read むらかみ and has 4 syllables (morae).

Share: X Facebook Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp

Other surnames that use 村

村: village, town

Fujimura 藤村 Himura 日村 Imura 出村 Kashimura 梶村 Kawamura 川村 Kimura 木村 Kitamura 来村 Komura 小村 Mimura 三村 Nakamura 中村 Nishimura 西村 Nomura 野村