# Kenji (given name)

Kenji (けんじ, ケンジ) or Kenzi is a masculine Japanese given name.

## Written forms

Kenji can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
* 賢二, "wise, second"
* 健二, "healthy, second"
* 健次, "healthy, next"
* 謙二, "modest, second"
* 研二, "research, second"
* 憲次, "constitution, next"
* 健司, "healthy, rule"
* 健治, "healthy, govern"
* 賢治, "wise, govern"
* 健児, "healthy, child"
* 堅志, "iron, purpose"
* 謙, "modest"

## People with the name

* Kenji Akabane (赤羽根 健治, born 1984), Japanese voice actor
* Kenji Anan (健治, born 1962), Japanese stage and film actor
* Kenji Daimanazuru (健司, born 1977), Japanese sumo wrestler
* Kenji Doihara (賢二, 1883–1948), Japanese military general
* Kenji Eda (憲司, born 1956), Japanese politician
* Kenji Fujimori (健二, born 1980), Peruvian politician, son of ex-president Alberto Fujimori
* Kenji Fujinaka (藤中 憲二, born 1947), Japanese handball player
* Kenji Fukuda (born 1977), Japanese footballer for Ehime F.C.
* Kenji Goto (後藤 健二) (1967-2015) Japanese freelance video journalist, killed by ISIL
* Kenji Haneda (羽田 憲司, born 1981), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Hatanaka (健二, 1923–1945), Japanese soldier
* Kenji Horikawa (堀川 憲司, born 1965), Japanese anime producer
* Kenji Imai (disambiguation), multiple people
* Kenji Imaizumi (今泉 健司, born 1973), Japanese shogi player
* Kenji Inoue (井上 謙二, born 1976), Japanese sport wrestler
* Kenji Ishiguro (健治, born 1935), Japanese photographer
* Kenji Ishikawa (石川 健二, born 1946), Japanese swimmer
* Kenji Ito (伊藤 賢治, born 1968), Japanese video game composer and musician
* Kenji Ito (footballer) (伊藤 健次, born 1976), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Jasper, American writer
* Kenji Johjima (健司, born 1976), Japanese Major League Baseball catcher
* Kenji Kageyama (景山 健司, born 1980), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Kamiyama (健治, born 1966), Japanese anime director
* Kenji Kaneyasu (金康 健司, born 1954), Japanese rower
* Kenji Kanzaki (神崎 健二, born 1963), Japanese shogi player
* Kenji Kasai (笠井 賢二), Japanese table tennis player
* Kenji Kawai (憲次, born 1957), Japanese music composer
* Kenji Kawakami (賢司, born 1946), inventor of the Japanese craze Chindōgu
* Kenji Kazama (風間 健, born 1943), Japanese martial artist and actor
* Kenji Kimihara (健二, born 1941), Japanese long-distance runner
* Kenji Kimura (木村 憲治, born 1945), Japanese volleyball player
* Kenji Kitawaki (北脇 健慈, born 1991), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Kobayashi (小林 健二, born 1957), Japanese shogi player
* Kenji Kosaka (憲次, born 1946), Japanese politician
* J. Kenji López-Alt, American chef and food writer
* Kenji Matsuda (賢二, born 1971), Japanese actor
* Kenji Miyamoto (figure skater), (賢二, born 1978)
* Kenji Miyamoto (politician), (顕治, 1908-2007)
* Kenji Miyazawa (賢治, 1896–1933), Japanese poet and author of children's literature
* Kenji Mizoguchi (健二, 1898–1956), Japanese film director
* Kenji Nagai (健司, 1957–2007), Japanese photographer
* Kenji Nagasaki (長崎健司), Japanese director
* Kenji Nakagami (健次, 1946–1992), Japanese author
* Kenji Nakamura (中村 健治, born 1970), Japanese anime director
* Kenji Nakamura (sailor) (中村 健次, born 1964), Japanese sailor
* Kenji Nojima (健児, born 1976), Japanese voice actor
* Kenji Nomura (born 1970), Japanese voice actor
* Kenji Ogiwara (健司, born 1969), Japanese Nordic combined skier
* Kenji Ohtsuki (ケンヂ, born 1966), Japanese heavy metal rock musician
* Kenji Otonari (born 1984), Japanese Baseball pitcher
* Kenji Sahara (健二, born 1932), Japanese actor
* Kenji Sato (baseball) (佐藤 賢治, born 1988), Japanese baseball player
* Kenji Sato (basketball) (佐藤 賢次, born 1979), Japanese basketball player and coach
* Kenji Sawada (研二, born 1948), Japanese actor and singer
* Kenji Shimaoka (嶋岡 健治, born 1949), Japanese volleyball player
* Kenji Soda (宗田 研二, born 1948), Japanese basketball player
* Kenji Suzuki (健二, born 1929), Japanese NHK announcer
* Kenji Tabata (健児, born 1974), Japanese sprinter
* Kenji Takahashi (footballer, born 1970) (高橋 健二), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Takahashi (footballer, born 1985) (髙橋 健史), Japanese footballer
* Kenji Takahashi (sailor) (高橋 賢次, born 1982), Japanese sailor
* Patrick Kenji Takahashi (born 1940), American biochemical engineer and science writer
* Kenji Terada (憲史, born 1952), Japanese script writer, anime director, novelist, and scenario writer
* Kenji Tokitsu (born 1947), Japanese author and martial artist
* Kenji Tomiki (謙治, 1900–1979), Japanese aikidoka and judoka
* Kenji Tominaga (富永 研司, born 1970), Japanese actor
* Kenji Toriyabe (鳥谷部 健司, born 1943), Japanese ice hockey player
* Kenji Treschuk (born 1982), American soccer defender
* Kenji Tsukagoshi (賢爾, 1900–1943), Japanese aviator and explorer
* Kenji Tsumura (健志, born 1986), professional Magic: The Gathering player
* Kenji Tsuruta (謙二, born 1961), Japanese manga artist and illustrator
* Kenji Ueda (born 1965), Japanese musician better known as Kenzi
* Kenji Utsumi (賢二, 1937–2013), Japanese actor
* Kenji Waki (謙二, born 1960), Japanese shogi player
* Kenji Watanabe (渡辺 健司, born 1969), Japanese breaststroke swimmer
* Kenji Williams, American filmmaker, electronic music producer, and violinist
* Kenji Wu (born 1979), a Taiwanese singer and actor
* Kenji Yonekura (米倉 健司, born 1934), Japanese boxer
* Kenji Yoshida (吉田 健二, 1935–2003), Japanese anime producer and illustrator
* Michael Kenji Shinoda (篠田 賢治, born 1977), American musician
* Kaique Kenji (born 2006), Brazilian footballer

## Fictional characters

* Kenji in the real-time strategy game Battle Realms
* Kenji Delos Reyes from the Filipino novel "She's Dating the Gangster"
* Kenji, the main character in the 2003 Thai film Last Life in the Universe
* Kenji, a character in the video game Need for Speed: Carbon
* Kenji (ケンジ a.k.a. Tracey Sketchit) in the Pokémon anime and manga series Electric Tale of Pikachu
* Kenji Kasen, a yakuza boss in Grand Theft Auto III
* Kenji Tenzai from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
* Kenji, Dragonfly Jones' student/rival in the TV show Martin
* Kenji in the video game Red Earth (Warzard)
* Kenji in Sports Champions
* Kenji Endō (健児), the protagonist in the manga series 20th Century Boys
* Kenji Harima (拳児), the main character from the manga and anime series School Rumble
* Kenji Himura (剣路) in the manga series Rurouni Kenshin
* Kenji Maezono, a character in the film Battle Royale II: Requiem
* Kenji Muto in the fantasy novel series Tales of the Otori
* Kenji Tomochika in the game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 responsible for the "Magician" social link
* Kenji Tsukino (謙之), a minor character in Sailor Moon media
* Kenji Lee, Inspector Lee's brother in Rush Hour 3
* Kenji Setou, a legally blind character in Katawa Shoujo
* Karate Kenji, the main character from the manga and anime series Fight Fever
* Kenji Ookami, Tooey's father of Japanese descent in Molly of Denali
* Kenji Kon from Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
* Kenji the Japanese Rail Zeppelin from Thomas & Friends, introduced in Series 24.
* Kenji Yamaguchi from the anime and manga My Little Monster
* Kenji Sato, from Ultraman: Rising Netflix 2024
* Kenji, a character from the mobile game Brawl Stars