OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Studio Ghibli Name Generator
Forest Spirits, Young Heroes, Witches and Wanderers in Ghibli Style
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How the Studio Ghibli-style Name Generator works
A Studio Ghibli name generator for young heroes, forest and river spirits, witches and wizards, and sky pirates. Names mix the Japanese names of Miyazaki's rural films with the European names of his flying-machine adventures, each with a village, a spirit's domain or a ship. Pick a kind and gender for your own gentle, strange world.
How the Studio Ghibli name generator works
Ghibli films draw on two naming traditions. Stories set in Japan, like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, use everyday Japanese names and surnames: Satsuki Kusakabe, Chihiro Ogino. Stories set in an imagined Europe, like Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso, use Western names: Sophie, Howl, Porco, Gina. The generator gives Young heroes Japanese names with a surname or village, and Witches, Wizards and Sky pirates European ones with a town, title or ship.
Spirits and wanderers
The Spirit option gives the forest, river and household kami of Ghibli films: a river spirit with the honorific -sama, a Grandmother of the bathhouse, an Old spirit of the camphor tree. The Sky pirate option gives the aviators and wanderers who fill Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso and Nausicaä, with a captain's name and an aircraft to go with it.
Using the names
The names suit Ghibli-inspired OCs, cosy games, fan fiction and gentle fantasy. Some familiar names appear in the lists for flavour, so combine them with a new place or title for an original character. This site is not affiliated with Studio Ghibli.
FAQ
Why do some Ghibli characters have Japanese names and others European?
It depends where the film is set. Miyazaki set many films in Japan, from Totoro's countryside to Spirited Away's bathhouse, and others in an imagined Europe of flying machines and wizards. The generator splits its kinds the same way.
What does -sama mean in a spirit's name?
It is a very respectful Japanese honorific, used for gods, spirits and people of high standing. In Ghibli films, spirits and river gods are often addressed with -sama, as the stink spirit is in Spirited Away. The generator adds it to some spirit names.
What are kodama and susuwatari?
Kodama are tree spirits from Japanese folklore, shown as small white figures in Princess Mononoke. Susuwatari are the soot sprites of Totoro and Spirited Away. Both are traditional spirits, and the generator uses their names as roots for new spirits.
Can I use these names for my own story?
Yes, for original characters. Japanese and European given names are free to use, and the generated combinations are new. Avoid naming a character with an exact Ghibli name and title, such as Howl of the moving castle, if you plan to publish.
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