Last names / M
Japanese Last Names Starting with M
100 Japanese surnames begin with M, from Mabuchi (間渕) to Murakami (村上). Most describe a place, such as a field, river or hill. Each links to a page with its kanji, reading and meaning.
The most varied is Maki, and these names average 3.3 syllables.
| Surname | Kanji | Reading | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mabuchi | 間渕 | まぶち | interval + edge |
| Machida | 町田 | まちだ | town + rice field |
| Madate | 間立 | まだて | interval + stand up |
| Maeda | 前田 | まえだ | in front + rice field |
| Magata | 真方 | まがた | true + direction |
| Majima | 間島 | まじま | interval + island |
| Maki | 牧 | まき | breed |
| Makimoto | 巻本 | まきもと | scroll + book |
| Makita | 真北 | まきた | true + north |
| Manabe | 間部 | まなべ | interval + section |
| Manaka | 間中 | まなか | interval + in |
| Mando | 万度 | まんど | ten thousand + degrees |
| Maria | 山野内 | まりあ | mountain + plains + inside |
| Maruyama | 円山 | まるやま | circle + mountain |
| Masaka | 真下 | まさか | true + below |
| Masao | 政尾 | まさお | politics + tail |
| Mase | 真勢 | ませ | true + forces |
| Mashima | 間島 | ましま | interval + island |
| Mashita | 間下 | ました | interval + below |
| Masubuchi | 増渕 | ますぶち | increase + edge |
| Masuda | 増田 | ますだ | increase + rice field |
| Masugata | 増形 | ますがた | increase + shape |
| Masui | 真水 | ますい | true + water |
| Masujima | 増島 | ますじま | increase + island |
| Masumori | 増守 | ますもり | increase + guard |
| Masumoto | 増本 | ますもと | increase + book |
| Masunaga | 増長 | ますなが | increase + long |
| Masuya | 増谷 | ますや | increase + valley |
| Masuzaki | 増崎 | ますざき | increase + promontory |
| Masuzawa | 増沢 | ますざわ | increase + swamp |
| Matsubara | 末原 | まつばら | end + meadow |
| Matsuda | 松田 | まつだ | pine tree + rice field |
| Matsui | 真対 | まつい | true + vis-a-vis |
| Matsumoto | 松本 | まつもと | pine tree + book |
| Matsuo | 松生 | まつお | pine tree + life |
| Matsuoka | 末岡 | まつおか | end + mount |
| Mazawa | 間沢 | まざわ | interval + swamp |
| Mekata | 目方 | めかた | eye + direction |
| Michiyo | 三代 | みちよ | three + substitute |
| Mihara | 三原 | みはら | three + meadow |
| Mihiro | 見広 | みひろ | see + wide |
| Mikami | 三上 | みかみ | three + above |
| Mikata | 三方 | みかた | three + direction |
| Mikimoto | 幹本 | みきもと | tree trunk + book |
| Mikita | 三北 | みきた | three + north |
| Mimoto | 三本 | みもと | three + book |
| Mimura | 三村 | みむら | three + village |
| Minagawa | 水川 | みながわ | water + stream |
| Minai | 水内 | みない | water + inside |
| Minami | 南 | みなみ | south |
| Minamoto | 南本 | みなもと | south + book |
| Minobe | 三部 | みのべ | three + section |
| Minoshima | 箕島 | みのしま | winnowing + island |
| Minowa | 三野 | みのわ | three + plains |
| Misaka | 三阪 | みさか | three + heights |
| Misaki | 美咲 | みさき | beauty + blossom |
| Mita | 三田 | みた | three + rice field |
| Mitake | 三宅 | みたけ | three + home |
| Mitani | 三谷 | みたに | three + valley |
| Mitomo | 三共 | みとも | three + together |
| Mitsuda | 三田 | みつだ | three + rice field |
| Mitsuhara | 三原 | みつはら | three + meadow |
| Mitsui | 三位 | みつい | three + rank |
| Mitsuko | 三古 | みつこ | three + old |
| Mitsuma | 三間 | みつま | three + interval |
| Mitsumoto | 三本 | みつもと | three + book |
| Mitsushima | 満島 | みつしま | full + island |
| Mitsuta | 三田 | みつた | three + rice field |
| Mitsuya | 三野 | みつや | three + plains |
| Mitsuzawa | 三沢 | みつざわ | three + swamp |
| Miura | 三浦 | みうら | three + bay |
| Miyake | 三宅 | みやけ | three + home |
| Miyamoto | 都元 | みやもと | metropolis + beginning |
| Miyazaki | 宮前 | みやざき | Shinto shrine + in front |
| Miyoko | 三横 | みよこ | three + sideways |
| Miyoshi | 三好 | みよし | three + fond |
| Mizuki | 水木 | みずき | water + tree |
| Mizuno | 水野 | みずの | water + plains |
| Mochizuki | 望月 | もちずき | ambition + month |
| Moka | 真岡 | もおか | true + mount |
| Momoka | 百家 | ももか | hundred + house |
| Mori | 森 | もり | forest |
| Morii | 守井 | もりい | guard + well |
| Morikawa | 守川 | もりかわ | guard + stream |
| Morimoto | 守本 | もりもと | guard + book |
| Morisaki | 守先 | もりさき | guard + before |
| Morishige | 護重 | もりしげ | safeguard + heavy |
| Morishita | 守下 | もりした | guard + below |
| Morita | 護田 | もりた | safeguard + rice field |
| Morito | 守人 | もりと | guard + person |
| Moriya | 守屋 | もりや | guard + roof |
| Morizumi | 守住 | もりずみ | guard + dwell |
| Moro | 師尾 | もろお | expert + tail |
| Morozumi | 諸住 | もろずみ | various + dwell |
| Motochi | 本地 | もとち | book + ground |
| Motoko | 本光 | もとこう | book + ray |
| Motoya | 本家 | もとや | book + house |
| Mukai | 向日 | むかい | yonder + day |
| Munekata | 宗方 | むねかた | religion + direction |
| Murakami | 村上 | むらかみ | village + above |
Kanji most used in M surnames
These characters appear most often in the surnames above.
| Kanji | Meaning | Readings | Strokes | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 三 | three (taught in grade 1) | サン、ゾウ、み、みっ | 3 | Miyu, Hitomi, Emi |
| 本 | book, present, main (taught in grade 1) | ホン、もと | 5 | Motomi, Motoki, Komoto |
| 増 | increase, add, augment (taught in grade 5) | ゾウ、ま、ふ | 14 | Masuo, Masue, Masuya |
| 間 | interval, space (taught in grade 2) | カン、ケン、あいだ、ま | 12 | Mayu, Maho, Harima |
| 守 | guard, protect, defend (taught in grade 3) | シュ、ス、まも、もり | 6 | Komori, Mamoru, Moriya |
| 田 | rice field, rice paddy (taught in grade 1) | デン、た | 5 | Koda, Kida, Toda |
Questions
What is the most common Japanese surname starting with M?
Maki (牧) can be written in the most ways of the M surnames here. It means: breed.
How long are Japanese surnames starting with M?
They average 3.3 syllables.
What do surnames starting with M usually mean?
Most describe a place, such as a field, river, hill or village. The table lists the literal meaning of each.