Kaoru

Kaoru
Pronunciation	Kaoru
Gender	Unisex
Language(s)	Japanese
Origin
Word/Name	Japanese
Meaning	Fragrance
Other names
Variant form(s)	Kaori

Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males or females. The name's meaning varies depending on its written form:

• 薫/郁/芳 — "fragrance", common for both males and females
• 馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females
• かおる —　purely phonetic form in hiragana; no inherent meaning
• かをる — same as above, using を as an archaic substitute for お
• カオル — phonetic form in katakana

As a distinctly asexual name, its usage in popular culture has risen in recent years to give the named character an air of androgyny. Such characters commonly have overt androgynous qualities as well.

A similar name, in terms of both pronunciation and meaning, is Kaori. It is used exclusively for females.

People

• Kaoru 薫 (m) (one of the guitarists of Dir En Grey)
• Kaoru Abe 阿部薫 (m) (free Jazz saxophonist)
• Kaoru Fujino かほる (voice actor)
• Inoue Kaoru 馨 (m) (statesman)
• Kaoru Ikeya 薫 (m) (astronomer)
• Kaoru Ishikawa (m) (business theorist, developer of the Ishikawa diagram)
• Kaoru Izima (photographic artist specialising in 'bodies' in supposed murder scenes)^{[citation needed]}
• Kaoru Kobayashi
• Kaoru Kurosu (voice actor)
• Kaoru Maeda 薫 (f) (professional wrestler)^{[citation needed]}
• Kaoru Mori 薫 (f) (manga author)
• Kaoru Sugayama かおる (f) (volleyball player)
• Kaoru Uno 薫 (m) (mixed martial artist)
• Kaoru Usui 薫 (m) (photographer)
• Kaoru Wada 薫 (m) (composer)

Fictional characters

• Kaoru (m) - Uninhabited Planet Survive!
• Kaoru Akashi (f) - Zettai Karen Children
• Kaoru Amane 薫 (f) - Taiyou no Uta
• Kaoru Asahina (m) - Junjo Romantica
• Kaoru Genji 薫 (m) - Tale of Genji
• Kaoru Hanabishi (m) - Ai Yori Aoshi
• Kaoru Hitachiin 馨 (m) - Ouran High School Host Club
• Kaoru Hondobou (m) - Gyakuten Saiban 3^{[citation needed]}
• Kaoru Kaidoh 薫 (m) - Prince of Tennis
• Kaoru Kamiya 薫 (f) - Rurouni Kenshin
• Kaoru Kiryuu 薫 (f) - Futari_wa_Pretty_Cure_Splash_Star
• Kaoru Kiryūin (m) - Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2^{[citation needed]}
• Kaoru Kishimoto 薫 (m) - Hikaru no Go
• Kaoru Koganei 薰 (m) - Flame of Recca
• Kaoru Kondo (f) - Saido Kā ni Inu, deuteragonist^{[citation needed]}
• Kaoru Matsubara 松原かおる (f) - Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
• Kaoru Matsutake 香 (m) - Mirmo!
• Kaoru Mitarai (f) - PitaTen

• Kaoru Ōba (Wendy Oldbag) (f)- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• Kaoru Orihara (also known as "Kaoru-no-kimi") (f) - Oniisama e...
• Kaoru Saionji (m) - Gakuen Heaven
• Kaoru Sakurazuka - Yin-Yang! X-Change Alternative
• Kaoru Seo - Sekirei
• Kaoru Shiba (f) - Samurai Sentai Shinkenger
• Kaoru Yamazaki - Welcome to the NHK
• Kaoru Mido (f) - Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase

All names (except for Kamiya Kaoru) are in western naming order.

See also

• Kaworu
• Japanese names