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.

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.

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.

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.