ryuu

Ryuu is a romanization used for several Japanese terms, most commonly as a given name. In Japanese, it is frequently associated with kanji meanings connected to dragons (for example 竜 or 龍), though it can also be written with kanji that convey other ideas such as flow or lineage (for example 流). The chosen characters determine the name's nuance and meaning.

As a given name, Ryuu is typically masculine in Japan. Parents combine different kanji to customize meaning, and the same pronunciation may have multiple spellings when rendered in the Latin alphabet, including Ryū and Ryu, with Ryuu commonly used to indicate a long vowel.

In popular culture, Ryuu is a common character name in anime, manga, and video games, chosen for dragon or martial arts associations. Because of its phonetic appeal and dragon symbolism, it appears across various works.

In other contexts, ryū (流) is a separate Japanese term meaning “school,” “style,” or “tradition” and is pronounced the same but written with different kanji; this distinction is important for accurate interpretation.

See also: Ryu, Ryū.