Save Type Surname (from location) Usage Japanese Scripts 渡辺(Japanese Kanji) わたなべ(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. WA-TA-NA-BEH [key·IPA] Meaning & History From Japanese 渡 (wata) meaning "cross, ferry" and 辺 (nabe) meaning "area, place". Categories Chocolatier characters, NBA players, place names