Save Type Surname (from location) Usage Japanese Scripts 北川(Japanese Kanji) きたがわ(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. /kʲi.tä.ɡä.ɰᵝä/ [key·simplify] Meaning & History From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806). Related Names Rootskita + kawa Categories cardinal points, water