Save Type Surname Usage Japanese Scripts 小渕(Japanese Kanji) Pronounced Pron. /o.bɯᵝ.t͡ɕi/ [key·simplify] Meaning & History Combination of the kanji 小 (o, "small") and 渕 (淵, fuchi, "abyss, edge"). A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi (小渕 恵三; 1937–2000).