is a feminine Japanese

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

. Its most common translation is "spring child" (春子, which may also be read as a Korean name Chun-ja), though other kanji provide different meanings. Notable people with the name include: * Princess Haruko (春子), the first daughter of Emperor Tsuchimikado *

Haruko Arimura is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. She is a descendant of Arimura Tsugizaemon, the ringleader of the Sakuradamon Incident, and Togo Heihachiro, the admira ...

(born 1970), politician *

Haruko Hatoyama was a Japanese educator of the Meiji, Taishō and Shōwa periods, and the matriarchal head of the prominent Japanese Hatoyama political family which has been called "Japan's Kennedy family." She was a co-founder of what is today Kyoritsu Wome ...

(1863–1938), Japanese educator *, Japanese actress *, Japanese badminton player *, Japanese politician *

Haruko Momma Haruko Momma is a philologist and a scholar of Old English literature and language. She has published on Old English poetic composition, Beowulf, philology in the nineteenth century, and teaching Old English. She is currently Professor of English ...

, Japanese philologist *

Haruko Momoi is a Japanese singer, songwriter and voice actress. She also produces an all-female pop group called Afilia Saga. She was born in Tokyo, Japan and is affectionately referred to as Halko by her fans, a nickname she gave herself which is inspired ...

(桃井はるこ, born 1977), a religious historian *

Haruko Nawata Ward Haruko Nawata Ward is a religious historian currently teaching church history at Columbia Theological Seminary. She is known primarily for her work on women religious leaders, history of Christianity in Asia, history of the Christian Reformation, e ...

(1922–2015), Japanese actress *, Japanese actress *

Haruko Saida is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 5-dan. She is a former Women's Meijin, and title holder. She is currently serving as a non-executive director for the Japan Shogi Association. Women's shogi professional Promotion histor ...

, women's

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional player ...

* Haruko Sugimura (杉村春子, 1909–1997), Japanese actress * Haruko Obokata (小保方晴子, born 1983), Japanese biological scientist *, Japanese figure skating coach *

Haruko Okano Haruko Okano (born March 26, 1945) is a process-based, collaborative, multidisciplinary, mixed-media artist, poet, community organizer, and activist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Life Haruko Okano was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is a ...

(born 1945), Japanese-Canadian artist *, Japanese manga artist *

Haruko Tanaka Haruko Tanaka (b. Queens, NY 1974, d. 2019) was a Los Angeles-based artist and filmmaker. She was awarded fellowships and residencies at the Japanese American National Museum and the Echo Park Film Center. Tanaka is also part of the psychic duo Kr ...

(1974-2019), Los Angeles-based artist *, Japanese academic *, Japanese politician * the personal name of Empress Shōken

Fictional characters

*Haruko Akagi, a character in the manga series ''

Slam Dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

'' *

Haruko Haruhara The central characters in ''FLCL'' (also known as Fooly Cooly), a 2000 Japanese anime produced by Gainax and Production I.G, with two additional seasons released in 2018. The first season covers the story of a sixth grade student named Naota Nand ...

, a character in the anime series ''FLCL'' * Haruko Kamio, a character in the visual novel '' Air'' *

Haruko Mikogami is a Japanese anime franchise produced by Konami and animated by J.C.Staff. A 30-minute OVA episode was released on August 25, 2006 and a television series adaptation aired on Chiba TV from July 5, 2007, to December 27, 2007. Plot In the ...

, a secondary character in the anime series ''Sky Girls'' *

Haruko Shido is an anime television series scripted by Yōsuke Kuroda and produced by Bandai Visual, which was later adapted into a light novel and one-volume manga series. It centers on a family of three teenagers in high school all living together who ...

, a supporting character in the anime series ''Please Twins!'' {{given name Japanese feminine given names