meaning - How can I tell if a Japanese person's given name is male or female?

I am hoping that there may be some particular kanji and/or sounds used in determining if a persons given name is male or female.

Answer

There are a number of common suffixes you can use to try to guess. Here is an incomplete list of common suffixes which are a pretty safe bet:

Female

• ko 子


• mi 美


• ka 花・華


• e 江・恵


• na 奈・菜


• no 乃


• ri 里

Male

• rō 郎


• ta 太


• suke 介・助・祐


• o 男・夫・雄・生


• ya 哉・也


• kichi 吉


• hiko 彦


• nobu 信

Also, "girly" kanji—like 愛 "love", 幸 "happiness", 華 "flower", 美 "beauty" etc.—or hiragana will usually indicate a girl's name.

Similarly, "boyish" kanji—like 正 "righteous", 健 "health/strength", 勝 "win", 信 "honesty", etc., will usually indicate a boy's name.