Shota

/S-HH-OW-T-AA/

Boy BuddhistShinto Japanese origin Japanese

Soaring greatly, from Japanese sho (to soar, to fly) and ta (big, great), written 翔太. The kanji 翔 depicts a bird with wings outspread in flight, so the name evokes expansive, unfettered soaring and a wide-open future, a buoyant and aspirational choice for a son.

See Shota scored for your family

Meaning & origin

Shota is a boy's name of Japanese origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families. The name means "Soaring greatly, from Japanese sho (to soar, to fly) and ta (big, great), written 翔太. The kanji 翔 depicts a bird with wings outspread in flight, so the name evokes expansive, unfettered soaring and a wide-open future, a buoyant and aspirational choice for a son." and belongs to the Energy cluster — names with vitality, motion, and bright life force.

Beyond its Buddhist heritage, Shota is also used in Shinto traditions, reflecting how this name has traveled across cultures.

Common among Japanese families, Shota carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.

Numerology of Shota

Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Shota resonates in either tradition.

Pythagorean
9
compassion and humanitarian service
Chaldean
2
harmony and partnership

How Shota sounds

NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Shota breaks down into 5 phonemes: /S-HH-OW-T-AA/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.

Nicknames

Common affectionate forms of Shota — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.

Sho

The six signals, applied to Shota

NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Shota maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.

01 — Birth Star
Nakshatra match
Enter your baby's birth date in the app and we'll compute the nakshatra compatibility score.
02 — Numerology
Destiny alignment
Pythagorean and Chaldean life-path calculations (destiny 9) matched against your family's own numerology profile.
03 — Phonetics
Last-name fit
Rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters measured with IPA to see how Shota flows with your family name.
04 — Meaning
Energy
Shota belongs to the Energy cluster — names with vitality, motion, and bright life force.
05 — Cultural & Tradition
Buddhist
As a Buddhist name, Shota carries religious and cultural weight scored against your family's heritage — plus grandparent-name matches, saint's-day alignment, and generational naming patterns scored against your family tree.
06 — Uniqueness
Popularity balance
How common Shota is today versus historically — finding the sweet spot between familiar and forgotten.

Names similar to Shota

If Shota resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.

From the same tradition

Other Buddhist boy names, common in Japanese families

Kai
Ocean, sea, the vast expanse of water that connects every shore — Kai is a name shared across cultures, meaning sea in Japanese and Hawaiian, and carrying the limitless horizon of open water in every version. It speaks of depth without bottom, strength that moves in tides rather than explosions, and the serene power of an element that covers most of the earth and answers to the moon
Haruto
Sunlight soaring — combining haru (sun, spring) with to (fly, soar). A name of radiant ambition that pairs the warmth of sunlight with the freedom of flight, aspiring to a life that rises and shines.
Ren
Lotus — the flower that rises from muddy water to bloom in perfect purity. In Japanese Buddhist tradition, the lotus represents spiritual awakening and the possibility of beauty emerging from adversity.
Kaito
Ocean flight, soaring over the sea — combining kai (ocean) with to (fly, soar). A modern Japanese name carrying the freedom of flight over vast waters, popular for its adventurous spirit and melodic sound.

Sharing the same meaning

Other Buddhist boy names from the Energy cluster

Min-jun
The name's clean, modern sound and traditional roots make it a cultural favourite.
Souta
Sudden gust + great — Souta (颯太) names a boy as one of brisk, sudden energy, like a fresh wind.
Chanyeol
Brilliant ardour, from Sino-Korean chan 燦 (bright, brilliant, sparkling) and yeol 烈 (ardent, passionate). The character chan describes a dazzling, sparkling brightness, while yeol carries positive ardour, passion rather than anger, together naming a child of luminous, wholehearted intensity.

Names that sound similar

Buddhist boy names that open with the same syllables as Shota

Seojun
From Korean 서준 (seojun). Hanja: 瑞 (seo, auspicious) + 俊 (jun, talented).
Sangye
Buddha — the Awakened One — as a living aspiration, a name that calls the child to embody the qualities of enlightened mind: clarity, compassion, and boundless awareness. In Tibetan Buddhism Sangye is the first of the Three Jewels to which every Buddhist takes refuge, and to name a child thus is the most profound statement of aspiration a Tibetan Buddhist parent can make
Si-woo
Korean 시 (si — poem) + 우 (woo — universe).

Common questions about Shota

What does the name Shota mean?

Shota means "Soaring greatly, from Japanese sho (to soar, to fly) and ta (big, great), written 翔太. The kanji 翔 depicts a bird with wings outspread in flight, so the name evokes expansive, unfettered soaring and a wide-open future, a buoyant and aspirational choice for a son.." It is a boy name of Japanese origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families.

Is Shota a boy or girl name?

Shota is most commonly used as a boy name.

What is the origin of the name Shota?

Shota is of Japanese origin, used in Buddhist, Shinto traditions, commonly among Japanese families.

What are common nicknames for Shota?

Common short forms of Shota include Sho.

What is the numerology of Shota?

Shota has a Pythagorean destiny number of 9 — compassion and humanitarian service.

See how Shota scores for your family

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