Yumi

Yumi is one of the most widely exported Japanese girls' names, short enough to travel anywhere without losing its shape. The kanji most often used for it include characters meaning bow (as in the archer's weapon), reason, or beauty, individually or in combination. Two syllables, both open, both soft. The name has the clean-lined feel of a woodblock print. Pop singer Yumi Matsutoya and designer Yumi Katsura gave it cultural presence through the late twentieth century, and it remains a familiar choice among Japanese families abroad. Compact, lyrical, and entirely unfussy. A small bright name.