Takashi

Takashi spans a rich field of possible kanji, most often meaning noble, praiseworthy, or tall. Artist Takashi Murakami has carried the name into international galleries with his superflat aesthetic, while filmmaker Takashi Miike keeps it present in global cinema with his prolific body of work. The sound moves in three unhurried syllables, the t firm at the start, the middle softened by a, the final shi settling quietly. Widely popular in mid-twentieth-century Japan and still in respectable use, it holds both classical dignity and contemporary ease. A name that suggests bearing without requiring show. Composed, capable, understated.