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 katakanaAs a distinctly unisex 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.
Kaoru 薫 (m) (one of the guitarists of Dir En Grey)Kaoru (YouTuber) (m) (a video producer popular for his skill in the rhythm game osu!)Kaoru Abe 阿部薫 (m) (free Jazz saxophonist)Kaoru Fujino かほる (voice actor)Inoue Kaoru 馨 (m) (statesman)Kaoru Ichinose 一ノ瀬薫 (f) (manga author)Kaoru Ikeya 薫 (m) (astronomer)Kaoru Ishibashi (m) (musician, Kishi Bashi)Kaoru Ishikawa (m) (business theorist, developer of the Ishikawa diagram)Kaoru Izima (photographic artist specialising in 'bodies' in supposed murder scenes)Kaoru KobayashiKaoru Kurosu (voice actor)Kaoru Maeda 薫 (f) (professional wrestler)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)Kaoru Ōshima (actress)Kaoru (m) - Uninhabited Planet Survive!Kaoru Akashi (f) - Zettai Karen ChildrenKaoru (f) - Daughter of Smoke and BoneKaoru Amane 薫 (f) - Taiyou no UtaKaoru Asahina (m) - Junjo RomanticaKaoru Genji 薫 (m) - Tale of GenjiKaoru Hanabishi (m) - Ai Yori AoshiKaoru Hitachiin 馨 (m) - Ouran High School Host ClubKaoru Hondobou (m) - Gyakuten Saiban 3Kaoru Kaidoh 薫 (m) - Prince of TennisKaoru Kameyama (m) - AibōKaoru Kamiya 薫 (f) - Rurouni KenshinKaoru Kiryuu 薫 (f) - Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash StarKaoru Kiryūin (m) - Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2Kaoru Kishimoto 薫 (m) - Hikaru no GoKaoru Koganei 薰 (m) - Flame of ReccaKaoru Kondo (f) - Saido Kā ni InuKaoru Kurusu (m) - Uta no Prince-SamaKaoru Maki カオル (f) - Puella Magi Kazumi MagicaKaoru Matoba 薫 (m) - Area no KishiKaoru Matsubara 松原かおる (f) - Demashita! Powerpuff Girls ZKaoru Matsutake 香 (m) - Mirmo!Kaoru Mitarai (f) - Pita TenKaworu Nagisa 渚カヲル (m) - Neon Genesis EvangelionKaoru Ōba (Wendy Oldbag) (f) - Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyKaoru Orihara (also known as "Kaoru-no-kimi") (f) - Oniisama e...Kaoru Saionji (m) - Gakuen HeavenKaoru Sakurazuka - Yin-Yang! X-Change AlternativeKaoru Sasakura (f) -Marumo no OkiteKaoru Seo - SekireiKaoru Shiba (f) - Samurai Sentai ShinkengerKaoru Sugimura (m) - Nana to KaoruKaoru Watabe - King of Fighters 97Kaoru Yamazaki 山崎 薫 (m) - Welcome to the NHKKaoru Mido (f) - Tsukuyomi: Moon PhaseKaoru Ichihara 壱原かおる (f) - Mahou No Princess Club! De Javu!Kaoru Kirishima (m) - Our Two Bedroom Love StoryAll names (except for Kamiya Kaoru) are in western naming order.
