Maru

Maru is the romanized form of the Japanese word 丸, meaning circle or round. In Japanese, maru is used as a standalone noun, in compounds, and as a suffix in naming conventions. It appears in personal names, place names, and brand names, often conveying a sense of wholeness or completeness.

In maritime history, maru was commonly appended to merchant ship names to distinguish civilian vessels from warships. This usage was especially common during the Edo and Meiji periods, and many historic ships bore names ending in maru. The suffix signals traditional naming practice rather than a particular meaning of its own in this context.

As a given name or nickname, maru is used in Japan and can appear in various orderings within a name or as part of a stylized alias. It is not tied to a single gender or role, and outside Japan it sometimes appears in fictional character names or branding.

The name Maru is also widely known in popular culture for the internet cat Maru. Maru is a male Scottish Fold living in Tokyo, famous for his persistence in attempting to fit into boxes of all sizes. Video clips of Maru, posted by the channel Mugumogu, began circulating in the late 2000s and helped popularize the format of cat-box videos, inspiring numerous memes and imitators worldwide.