Minako

Minako

Pronunciation	Mi-na-ko
Gender	Female
Origin
Word/name	Japanese
Meaning	many different meanings depending on the kanji used
Region of origin	Japan
Other names
Related names	Mina

Minako (みなこ, ミナコ) is a Japanese feminine given name. Minako can be written using different kanji characters:

• 美奈子, "beauty, apple tree, child"
• 美那子, "beauty, unknown, child" or "beauty, child"
• 美菜子, "beauty, (green) vegetable, child"
• 美名子, "beauty, name, child"
• 美梨子, "beauty, pear, child"
• 聖名子, "holy, name, child"
• 聖奈子, "holy, apple tree, child or holy child"
• 皆子, "everybody/all, child"
• 水奈子 "water, apple tree, child" or "water, child"
• 実奈子 "truth, apple tree, child"
• 実菜子 "truth, (green) vegetable, child"
• 実那子 "truth, unknown, child" or "truth, child"
• 実名子 "truth, name, child"

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People

• Minako (美奈子), a member of the Japanese musical group Kome Kome Club
• Minako Honda (本田 美奈子, 1967–2005), Japanese singer
• Minako Inoue (井上 美奈子, born 1977), Japanese singer
• Minako Iwasaki (岩崎 美奈子, born 1975), a Japanese illustrator, game character designer, and manga artist
• Minako Komukai (小向 美奈子, born 1985), Japanese gravure model
• Minako Kotobuki (寿 美菜子, born 1991), a Japanese voice actress and singer
• Minako Nishiyama (西山 美なコ, born 1965), a Japanese contemporary artist
• Minako Oba (大庭 みな子, 1930–2007), Japanese author and social critic
• Minako Sato (佐藤 美奈子, born 1955), Japanese archer
• Minako Takashima (高嶋 美奈子), Japanese women's footballer

Fictional characters

• Minako Aino (also Sailor Venus), a character in the Sailor Moon series and the main protagonist of Codename: Sailor V
• Minako Arisato, one of the given names to the female protagonist in Persona 3 Portable
• Minako Yurihara, a character in the light novel series Boogiepop

References

2. http://www.baby-vornamen.de/Maedchen/M/Mi/Minako/

3. http://www.vorname.com/name,Minako.html