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Chihiro Ogino

Chihiro (荻野 千尋, Ogino Chihiro), known as Sen (千, meaning “one thousand”) for much of the film, is the ten-year-old main character in the acclaimed Japanese animated film Spirited Away.

“
I want to be with you forever.
 ”
— Chihiro Ogino

Appearance

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

Chihiro ’s full appearance.

Chihiro is a ten-year-old girl characterized by her brown hair, brown eyes, and rosy cheeks. She has a petite frame and a youthful, pudgy face. Her typical outfit consists of a white medium-sleeved T-shirt adorned with bright green stripes, paired with bright red shorts. She completes her look with white socks and sunshine yellow Velcro sneakers. When working in the bathhouse, Chihiro goes barefoot and dons a coral-colored kariginu robe layered over a white hitoe. She also wears short sashinuki pants and a tasuki cord to keep her sleeves tied up.


Personality

Chihiro’s growth into a capable individual is a central theme in Spirited Away. Throughout her adventure in the Spirit World, she transforms from an easily frightened girl with a childlike demeanor into a hard-working, responsible, and brave young girl. Initially overwhelmed by her surroundings, Chihiro learns to set aside her fears for the sake of those she cares about. To protect her friends and rescue her parents, who have been cursed and transformed into livestock, she adapts to her environment and becomes courageous, caring, quick-witted, and reliable.

As the story unfolds, her bond with Haku deepens into a heartfelt love, ultimately helping to dispel the curses placed on him by Yubaba and Zeniba.

Speculation

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

After coming back to reality, Chihiro contemplates her experiences.

Director Hayao Miyazaki has stated that Chihiro loses all her memories of the Spirit World after exiting the tunnel. However, Haku’s promise that he and Chihiro will meet again someday raises intriguing questions about their fates. This promise could allude to Chihiro’s eventual death and transformation into a spirit. Zeniba’s remark, “Memories are never forgotten; they are just difficult to recall,” suggests that Chihiro may eventually regain her memories of the Bathhouse and the Spirit Realm.

Ultimately, the fate of Chihiro and Haku’s relationship remains ambiguous, leaving it open to audience interpretation. Their connection could symbolize the enduring nature of love and friendship, transcending the boundaries of memory and existence.

Etymology

The name Chihiro (千尋) translates to “a thousand questions,” derived from the kanji chi (千), meaning “thousand,” and hiro (尋), meaning “search” or “seek.” Interestingly, bothChihiroandSenshare the same kanji for “thousand” (千) but are pronounced differently, highlighting the nuances of the Japanese language.

Chihiro’s surname, Ogino (荻野), means “reed plain,” composed of ogi (荻), which means “reed” or “rush,” and no (野), meaning “field” or “wilderness.”

In some regions, Chihiro’s surname was altered to Senko to avoid confusion for viewers unfamiliar with the Japanese language, especially considering that her name in the bathhouse was changed to Sen.

Trivia

    • In an interview, Hayao Miyazaki revealed that he aimed to create a heroine who is an ordinary girl, one with whom the audience can sympathize. He stated, “It’s not a story in which the characters grow up, but a story in which they draw on something already inside them, brought out by the particular circumstances. I want my young friends to live like that, and I think they, too, have such a wish.”

    • Chihiro was inspired by a real-life girl: the ten-year-old daughter of a friend of Miyazaki’s. This girl motivated Miyazaki to continue his work in filmmaking after he had promised to retire following the completion of Princess Mononoke (1997).

    • Chihiro’s character also draws inspiration from Gerda, the protagonist of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. In Spirited Away, it is noted multiple times that those who come into contact with Chihiro tend to like her and often assist her. This theme resonates with a quote from The Snow Queen, where the Finnish wisewoman says:

      “I can give her no greater power than she has already,” said the woman; “don’t you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to serve her, and how well she has got through the world, barefooted as she is. She cannot receive any power from me greater than she now has, which consists in her own purity and innocence of heart. If she cannot herself obtain access to the Snow Queen, and remove the glass fragments from little Kai, we can do nothing to help her…”