76 Jaw-Dropping Japanese Dragon Names From Mythology

Japan has a plenty of native giant serpentine water deities that are in the form of dragons with their heads looking towards the sky or heaven since birth.

In Japanese, dragons are called as ‘Ryū or Tatsu’. Ryunjin is the name of Japan's dragons and serpent’s god. They are considered mythical creatures related to Chinese lóng and Korean yong.

It is also believed that Japan's dragons originated from Chinese culture. You can see traces of Chinese beliefs and culture in the traditions of Japan.

There are more Chinese dragons than Japanese dragons in Buddhist temples and stories. Japanese dragons have serpent-like bodies and are more on the monstrous side while Chinese dragons are depicted as kind.

As per Chinese mythology, dreaming of water dragons brings luck, and rain for agriculture. Japanese dragon myths are inspired by Buddhist, Shinto culture, and ancient folklore as well. There is a story that when the 12 Kamiyonanayo emerged, they created many deities and gods for heaven.

They also created dragons who could shapeshift into human form. Dragons also symbolize strength, wisdom, and success.

Read on for some of the best names for old Japanese dragons and water gods.

Fire Dragon Names In Japanese

There are many dragons that are common in Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. Many Chinese dragons are also mentioned in Japanese myths under different names. Check out the list below of popular fire dragon names in Japanese and Chinese dragons as well.

Byakko (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘white tiger’, is a constellation dragon and one of the Japanese dragons that appear in the legend.

Genbu (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘black tortoise’, is one of the four constellation dragons.

Hexijing (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘hot chest’, is a famous Chinese dragon.

Houlong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘thick dragon’, is one of the fierce large red Japanese dragons.

Julong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘hurricane dragon’, is a dragon of chaos.

Qinglong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘azure dragon’, in Chinese culture is considered one of the highest deities.

Relian (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘hot cheeks’, has a hothead-like fire and is one of the well-known Japanese dragons.

Shillong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘lion dragon’, is a very feisty Chinese dragon in the legend.

Suzaku (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘vermillion bird’, is a fire dragon that appears both in Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology.

Tailong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘fire dragon’, is a dragon that breathes fire and can be seen in many paintings. Tailong is also called sun dragon.

Xilong (Chinese Origin) means ‘wind dragon’. As per the Chinese myths, this dragon is faster than the wind.

Xinglong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘star dragon’, is a dragon that guides the stars in the sky.

Japanese Water Dragon Names

Japanese dragons are water gods and can change themselves into human form. These gods protect the seas from the threat and bless people with rain and security. Some of the dragons are monstrous as well and their sole purpose is to make the lives of humans hard. Read on to know more about Japanese water dragons.

Azure Dragon (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘protector of Kyoto’, is said to be a water dragon that lives in a river and is responsible for protecting the famous Japanese city of Kyoto.

Gōjun (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon of west’. Out of the dragon kings, this water dragon rules the west of the sea.

Gojun (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon of north’, is the fourth dragon king that protects the north of the sea.

Gōkin (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘ dragon of south’. This Dragon king keeps the South direction of the sea safe.

Gōkō (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon of east’. This dragon king rules the east sea and protects it from evil powers.

Hushen (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘lake sea monster’, is a monster that lives in the lake and is a river dragon.

Kiyohime (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘the purity princess’. Kiyohime is believed to be the daughter of a rich family, Shoji. Kiyohime turned into a water dragon because of rage within her. The word holds great importance in Buddhist temples and stories.

Seiryu (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘blue dragon’, is one of the four dragons that protect the city of Kyoto.

Toyotama-Hime (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘jewel princess’, is a descendant of Watatsumi. According to the legend of Toyotama-Hime, she is associated with the luck of mountain and sea.

Watatsumi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘water god’. Watatsumi is also known as Ryunjin, who is a legendary water Japanese dragon that can change into human form as well. It has a snake-like body with scales all over, from head to tail, and three claws on the legs.

Xingshen (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘sea star monster’, is a good water dragon in Chinese mythology.

Zennyo Ryūō (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘by myself’, is a Japanese rain god. He is described as a human with the tail of a snake.

Top Japanese Dragon Names

Japnese mythology and Asian culture have many legends and myths associated with dragons. Japanese dragons made their first appearance around the first century. They play important role in influencing Japanese culture. Go through the list and search for the top Japanese dragon names with meanings.

Enoshima Engi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘five-headed dragon', terrorized the people of the island for thousands of years.

Ikeuchi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘Youkai’, is a water dragon in Japanese mythology.

Kuraokami (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘darkness’. Kuraokami originated from the Shinto religion, a god of rain and snow. There are so many shrines of this water deity and Shinto God across Japan.

Kuzuryū (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘nine-headed dragon’, is a famous water dragon that makes an appearance in many legends and tales.

Mizuchi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘hornless dragon’, is a famous water dragon and has poisonous breath. Mizuchi has the shape of a serpent and is also worshipped as a water deity.

Nure-onna (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘wet woman’. Nure-onna is a famous dragon that haunts the river. A human-headed dragon with sharp claws and a serpent.

Wani (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘crocodile shape dragon', is known as a sea monster in Japanese culture.

Yamata-no-Orochi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘serpentine’. Yamata-no-Orochi is an eight-headed dragon with each head representing different elements, fire, water, wind, thunder, earth, poison, light, and darkness. The eight-headed dragon god is highly revered as a king.

Dragon Japanese Mythology Names

Throughout history, dragons and serpentines appear in folktales, sometimes haunting the people and other times protecting them from the invaders. The first time dragons were introduced in Japanese culture was in the Kojiki, a collection of Japanese myths.

This mythical creature was elaborated in Nihongi. To know more about these creatures, check out the names of mythological dragons from China and Japan.Daija (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘serpent’, is kanji for Orochi. In many legends, Orochi is called Daija.

Hai Riyo (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon bird’. Hai Riyo has claws, wings, and a body like a bird but has a head of a dragon.

Nureyomijo (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘wet woman’. In some legends, it is mentioned that this monster hunts humans at sea.

Orochi (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘big snake’, is the name of a famous mythological dragon. Orochi is a large dangerous demonic god whose body can cover eight valleys and eight hills.

Raiju (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘thunder animal’, is an indigenous dragon from Japan that carries messages.

Schachihoko (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘hybrid creatures', is a mythical creature from Japan who has a head of a tiger and a body of a carp.

Tobi Tatsu (Japanese Origin) means ‘dragon bird’. Tobi Tatsu is another name for the Hai Riyo dragons that appear in a folk story from Japan.

Xiongjong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘jade dragon’, is associated with bad luck.

Yaozui (Chinese Origin) means ‘herb dragon’. This dragon is associated with the intelligence of medicine and herbs.

Yingzui (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘responsive mouth’, has a power of wisdom that it shares with humans as a messenger.

Yulong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘rain dragon’, is a dragon from China and has the power to bring rain.

Zhang long (Chinese Origin) means ‘husband dragon’. This husband dragon is related to the rain of China.

Traditional Japanese Dragon Names

If you are looking for traditional Japanese dragon names to name your little one, check out this list of Japanese male names meaning dragon as well as names that mean dragon.

Akazawa Heizo (Japanese Origin) is a unique Japanese dragon name.

Arita Kamatari (Japanese Origin) is a fascinating Japanese dragon name.

Ashikaga Kichibei (Japanese Origin) is a great Japanese dragon name.

Dewa Yuriko (Japanese Origin) is a fun Japanese dragon name.

Fujii Katsue (Japanese Origin), is a popular Japanese dragon name.

Glycon (Greek Origin), meaning ‘snake god’, makes a good traditional dragon name.

Hanazawa Kazuhiko (Japanese Origin) is a fun Japanese dragon name.

Helong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘hippo dragon’. This dragon can swim and fly.

Hulong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘fox dragon’, is a dragon that looks like a fox. As per the myths, this particular dragon rose from the ashes of a fox.

Ishii Nikko (Japanese Origin) is a Japanese dragon name for a dragon king.

Kaliyah (Indo-Japanese Origin), meaning ‘naga’, has many heads and was a venomous snake.

Kawamura Tashiro (Japanese Origin) is one of the best Japanese dragon names.

Kuramoto Erize (Japanese Origin) can be a fun Japanese dragon name.

Kyoy Nakagawa (Japanese Origin) is a popular fictional Japanese dragon name.

Lucia (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘green snake’, is a dragon that is covered in green scales.

Lumpy Pine (Japanese Origin) is a great name for a white dragon.

Matsuoka Tamasaburo (Japanese Origin) is a fascinating Japanese dragon name.

Mihara Yuna (Japanese Origin) is a unique Japanese dragon name.

Mizusawa Namie (Japanese Origin) is a fantastic Japanese dragon name.

Mucalinda (Indo-Japanese Origin), meaning ‘naga’. This naga-serpent is related to Buddhism. Lord Buddha was protected by naga after his enlightenment.

Mulong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘mother dragon’, is a dragon that brings luck during harvest.

Nakagawa Rin (Japanese Origin) can be a unique Japanese dragon name.

Nakata Arisa (Japanese Origin) is one of the popular names for a dragon.

Niaolong (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘bird dragon’, is a dragon that has features like that of a bird.

Nishi Eichiro (Japanese Origin) is a fascinating Japanese dragon name.

Rin Poa (Japanese Origin) is an interesting Japanese dragon name.

Ryu (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon kings’, is the best Japanese dragon name. It is also a famous Japanese last name that means dragon.

Sawa Tetsuyuki (Japanese Origin) is a great Japanese dragon name.

Suoh (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘abundance’, is a popular Japanese dragon name for a boy.

Takamaru Naomichi (Japanese Origin) is an interesting Japanese dragon name.

Tamaasa Toyozo (Japanese Origin) is a fascinating Japanese dragon name.

Tamai Kofuyu (Japanese Origin) is a unique Japanese dragon name.

Taniuchi Fuji (Japanese Origin) can be a great Japanese dragon name.

Tatsuo (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘woman dragon’, is among the famous Japanese female dragon names.

Tatsuya (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘intelligence’. This dragon's name is a sign of smartness and wisdom.

Tsujita Harunobu (Japanese Origin) is a popular Japanese dragon name.

Uwibami (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘giant snake’, is a traditional Japanese dragon name.

Uyemura Kuniyoshi (Japanese Origin) is an interesting name for a white dragon.

Wyvern (Japanese Origin), meaning ‘dragon’, is one of the best Japanese girls' names with the meaning dragon. It also represents leadership and strength.

Xiuhcoatl (Aztec Origin), meaning ‘weapon of destruction', is a gender-neutral name and it usually refers to a dragon-like serpent.

Yanagisawa Umeko (Japanese Origin) is a fun Japanese dragon name.

Yang (Chinese Origin), meaning ‘brave’, is a name that shows traits associated with dragons.

Yasui Ruru (Japanese Origin) is a name you can consider.

Yong-sun (Korean Origin), meaning ‘hardworking’, is a good name.