Japanese boys’ names are written in kanji, so the same pronunciation can carry different meanings depending on the characters chosen. Parents often pick characters tied to nature, strength, or hopes for a child’s character. Haruto (often written 陽翔, “sun” + “soar”), Ren (蓮, “lotus”), and Sora (空, “sky”) have ranked among the most popular names in recent years, while Kenji (健二, for example, “healthy” + “second son”) and Daiki (大輝, “great” + “radiance”) are longstanding favourites.