Kei (けい, ケイ) is a Japanese male's personal name; used increasingly as a female's personal name, as a shortening of Keiko.

Possible writings

Kei can be written using different kanji characters and can mean (with Wiktionary links):

• 圭 (圭) , "square jewel"
• 恵 (恵), "blessing"
• 慧 (慧), "wise"
• 慶 (慶), "jubilation"
• 敬 (敬), "respect"
• 佳 (佳), "excellent"
• 桂 (桂), "Japanese Judas-tree"
• 啓 (啓), "disclose"
• 硅 (硅), "silicon"

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People with the name

• Kei (ケイ, born 1957), Japanese singer
• Kei Akagi (赤城 恵, born 1953), Japanese-American jazz pianist
• Kei Aoyama (青山 景, 1979–2011), Japanese manga artist
• Kei Aran (安蘭 けい, born 1970), Japanese actress
• Kei Chinen (知念 慶, born 1995), Japanese footballer
• Kei Cozzolino (born 1987), Japanese-born Italian racing driver
• Kei Enue (えぬえ けい), Japanese manga artist
• Kei Fujiwara (不二稿 京, born 1957), Japanese actress, cinematographer, editor, writer and film director
• Kei Hirose (廣瀬 慧, born 1995), Japanese footballer
• Kei Homma (本間 圭, born 1985), Japanese football manager and coach
• Kei Honda (本田 奎, born 1997), Japanese shogi player
• Kei Horie (堀江 慶, born 1978), Japanese actor and film director
• Kei Hosogai (細貝 圭, born 1984), Japanese actor and musician
• Kei Hosoya (細谷 圭, born 1988), Japanese baseball player
• Kei Igarashi (五十嵐 圭, born 1980), Japanese basketball player
• Kei Igawa (井川 慶, born 1979), Japanese baseball player
• Kei Ikeda (池田 圭, born 1986), Japanese footballer
• Kei Inoo (伊野尾 慧), Japanese singer and actor
• Kei Ishikawa (石川 慧, born 1993), Japanese footballer
• Kei Ito (伊東 慧, born 1991), Japanese photographer and installation artist
• Kei Jonishi (上西 恵, born 1995), Japanese idol and singer
• Key Kobayashi (小林 啓), better known as Kobametal, Japanese music producer
• Kei Koizumi (小泉 慶, born 1995), Japanese footballer
• Kei Kumai (熊井 啓, 1930–2007), Japanese film director
• Kei Kusunoki (楠 桂, born 1966), Japanese manga artist
• Kei Marumo (丸茂 圭衣, born 1992), Japanese synchronized swimmer
• Kei Mikuriya (御厨 景, born 1977), Japanese footballer
• Kei Mizutani (水谷 ケイ, born 1974), Japanese adult film actress
• Kei Morikawa (森川 圭), Japanese film director
• Kei Munechika (宗近 慧, born 1992), Japanese footballer
• Kei Nakano (中野 圭, born 1988), Japanese footballer
• Kei Nakazawa (中沢 けい, born 1959), Japanese writer and academic
• Kei Nishikori (錦織 圭, born 1989), Japanese tennis player
• Kei Nomoto (野本 圭, born 1984), Japanese baseball player
• Kei Ogura (小椋 佳, born 1944), Japanese singer-songwriter and composer
• Kei Omoto (尾本 敬, born 1984), Japanese footballer
• Kei Orihara (折原 恵, born 1948), Japanese photographer
• Oura Kei (大浦 慶, 1828–1884), Japanese businesswoman
• Kei Pilz (died 2001), Japanese chef
• Kei Saito (齋藤 慧, born 1996), Japanese speed skater
• Kei Sanbe (三部 敬), Japanese manga artist
• Kei Satō (佐藤 慶, 1928–2010), Japanese actor
• Kei Shimizu (清水 圭, born 1961), Japanese comedian
• Kei Shindō (真堂 圭, born 1984), Japanese voice actress
• Kei Sugimoto (杉本 圭, born 1982), Japanese footballer
• Kei Suma (すま けい, 1935–2013), Japanese actor
• Kei Taguchi (田口 計, born 1933), Japanese actor
• Kei Takahashi (高橋 敬, born 1979), Japanese luger
• Kei Takase (高瀬 慧, born 1988), Japanese sprinter
• Kei Takei (武井 慧, born 1946), Japanese dancer
• Kei Takeoka (竹岡 圭, born 1969), Japanese television personality and motoring journalist
• Kei Tanaka (田中 圭, born 1984), Japanese actor
• Kei Tani (谷 啓, 1932–2010), Japanese comedian, actor and musician
• Kei Taniguchi (谷口 圭, born 1974), Japanese footballer
• Kei Tomiyama (富山 敬, 1938–1995), Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator
• Kei Tomozawa (born 1999), American soccer player
• Kei Toume (冬目 景, born 1970), Japanese manga artist
• Kei Uemura (植村 慶, born 1981), Japanese footballer
• Kei Yamaguchi (山口 慶, born 1983), Japanese footballer
• Kei Yamamoto (山本 圭, born 1940), Japanese actor
• Kei Yasuda (保田 圭, born 1980), Japanese singer, musician and actress
• Kei Yoshimizu (吉水 慶, born 1940), Japanese actor and voice actor

Other people

• Kei (singer) (birthname Kim Ji-yeon, born 1995), South Korean singer of the girl group Lovelyz
• Kei Kamara (born 1984), Sierra Leonean footballer
• Kei Miller (born 1978), Jamaican poet and writer
• Kei Nakano, Japanese guitarist, Associate professor of Osaka University Of Arts

Fictional characters

• Kei (Akira) (ケイ), protagonist of the manga series Akira
• Kei (Dirty Pair) (ケイ), a character in the manga series Dirty Pair
• Kei (ケイ), a character in the anime series Girls und Panzer
• Kei (Prétear) (蛍), a character in the manga series Prétear
• Kei, a character in the film Moon Child
• Cyberdoll Kei, a character in the anime series Hand Maid May
• Kei Asai (浅井 ケイ), the protagonist of the light novel series Sagrada Reset
• Kei Ashida (芦田 圭), a character in the light novel series Yumemiru Danshi wa Genjitsushugisha
• Kei Hazuki (葉月 珪), a character in the video game Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side
• Kei Karuizawa (軽井沢 恵), a character in the light novel series Classroom of the Elite
• Kei Kishimoto (岸本 恵), a character in the manga series Gantz
• Kei Kuramoto (倉本 圭), a character in the manga series Flying Witch
• Kei Kurono (玄野 計), a character in the manga series Gantz
• Kei Kusanagi (草薙 桂), the protagonist of the anime series Please Teacher!
• Kei Makino (牧野 慶), a character in the PS2 video game Forbidden Siren
• Kei Nagase (永瀬 ケイ), a character in the video game series Ace Combat
• Kei Niitoki (新刻 敬), a character in the light novel Boogiepop and Others
• Kei Okano (岡野 佳), a character in the manga series Yuyushiki
• Kei Ogata (新藤 景), protagonist of the visual novel PureMail
• Kei Shindo (新藤 景), a character in the visual novel Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two
• Kei Shirogane (白銀 圭), a character in the manga series Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
• Kei Takishima (滝島 彗), a character in the manga series S · A: Special A
• Kei Tsukikage (月影 ケイ), a character in the anime series Soar High! Isami
• Kei Tsukishima (月島 蛍), a character in the manga series Haikyu!! with the position of middle blocker from Karasuno High
• Kei Yoshikawa (吉川 恵), the protagonist of the manga series The Day of Revolution
• Kei Yuki (有紀 蛍), a character in the manga series Space Pirate Captain Harlock