# Nanoka Hara (原菜乃華)
**Nanoka Hara** (原菜乃華, born 2003) is a Japanese actress, voice actress, and model from Tokyo, represented by Tristone Entertainment[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/). She began working as a child actor in 2009, came to wide attention with her voice debut as the heroine of [Makoto Shinkai](https://www.edgepedia.org/makoto-shinkai)'s animated film *Suzume* (2022), and in 2024 won both the New Actor Award at the 47th Japan Academy Prize and the New Voice Actor Award at the 18th Seiyu Awards[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) • [2](https://artist.cdjournal.com/a/hara-nanoka/942073).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2003, Tokyo, Japan[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6152236/) |
| Agency | Tristone Entertainment[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) |
| Career start | 2009, as a child actor; passed the J-beans net scouting audition that year[4](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/40278/profile/) |
| Voice debut | Suzume Iwato (voice) in *Suzume* (2022), chosen from an audition with over 1,700 applicants[5](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0132776) |
| Awards | 47th Japan Academy Prize New Actor Award; 18th Seiyu Awards New Voice Actor Award[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) |
| Notable roles | Kana Arima in *Oshi no Ko* (2024), Meiko Asada in the NHK morning drama *Anpan* (2025), lead in the film *Mieruko-chan* (2025)[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) |
## Early career as a child actor
Hara entered the industry through the J-beans net scouting audition in 2009 and joined that agency[4](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/40278/profile/). Her first screen work came the same year in the television series *Samurai Sentai Shinkenger*, in a single episode as a child[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6152236/). Through the early 2010s she built a record of supporting roles in television and film, including *[Why Don't You Play in Hell?](https://www.edgepedia.org/why-dont-you-play-in-hell)* (2013, directed by [Sion Sono](https://www.edgepedia.org/sion-sono)), the series *Binta! – Attorney Office Clerk Minowa Solves It with Love* (2014), and the Fuji TV drama *Comes Morning* (*Asa ga Kuru*, 2016), in which she played the young Hikari Katakura[6](https://asianwiki.com/Nanoka_Hara). She also worked as an exclusive model for the magazine Kirapichi and appeared on [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo)'s children's program *Oha Suta* as one of its "Oha Girl" presenters[7](https://www.wani.co.jp/act/interview/interview.php?id=109&month=10&year=2026).
Her first film lead was in *Opening Night* (*Harahara Nanoka*, 2017), in which she played a character named Nanoka Hara, essentially herself[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) • [6](https://asianwiki.com/Nanoka_Hara). In her early teens she had also starred in a short film, which she later cited as an early acting experience[8](https://strmweb.jp/archives/10633/).
## Breakthrough: Suzume
In 2022 Hara was cast as the heroine Suzume Iwato in Makoto Shinkai's animated film *Suzume no Tojimari* (released in English as *Suzume*), her first voice-acting role[2](https://artist.cdjournal.com/a/hara-nanoka/942073). She was selected through an audition that drew more than 1,700 applicants[5](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0132776). Shinkai described choosing her after listening to many audition recordings and meeting a small number of finalists, saying that when he heard her voice he felt "this person is Suzume"[9](https://tjniigata.jp/special/202301_makoto-shinkai/).
The role brought her the New Voice Actor Award at the 18th Seiyu Awards[10](https://leverages.jp/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1f4e45c5f49b398c3767a391d3fb02cf.pdf). *Suzume* earned 4.15 billion yen in its first ten days of release in Japan and finished at 14.94 billion yen domestically[11](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/50545). Hara has said the production changed her relationship with her own voice, which she had previously considered a complex, and called the film a work she treasures like a keepsake[12](https://mantan-web.jp/article/20240420dog00m200038000c.html).
## Acting career since 2022
The same year, she appeared in the live-action film *Hell Dogs* (2022, directed by Masato Harada) and in the Fuji TV series *Nanba MG5*[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/). Her performance in *Don't Call It Mystery: The Movie* (2023) was recognized with the New Actor Award at the 47th Japan Academy Prize[13](https://dowellbydoinggood.jp/contents/voice/260531/).
In 2023 she made her first appearance in an NHK Taiga drama, *What Will You Do, Ieyasu?* (*Dou Suru Ieyasu*), as Sen-hime, and played her first television drama lead in TV Tokyo's *Komugi's Full Stomach Record*[2](https://artist.cdjournal.com/a/hara-nanoka/942073). In 2024 she co-starred with Ryuya Miyase in *Lovesick Ellie* (*Koiwazurai no Ellie*) and played Kana Arima, a former child idol, in both the live-action drama *[Oshi no Ko](https://www.edgepedia.org/oshi-no-ko)* on Amazon Prime Video and the film *Oshi no Ko: The Final Act*[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/).
Her voice work continued alongside live-action acting: she voiced the lead in *Alice in Wonderland – [Dive in Wonderland](https://www.edgepedia.org/dive-in-wonderland)* (2025), her second animated feature, and in 2026 she took a third animated film role in *You, Fireworks, and Our Promise*[13](https://dowellbydoinggood.jp/contents/voice/260531/). In a 2026 interview she described the difference between the two forms of performance: live action lets an actor express a role through expression and movement, while animation requires everything to be concentrated in the voice, including pauses and small tremors[13](https://dowellbydoinggood.jp/contents/voice/260531/).
## Recent work
From March 31, 2025, Hara played Meiko Asada in the NHK serial morning drama *[Anpan](https://www.edgepedia.org/anpan-tv-series)*, a flagship program slot on Japanese television[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/). Her 2025 film credits include the lead role of Miko Yotsuya in the live-action *Mieruko-chan* (directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura) and Aoi Shinozuka in *Baban Baban Ban Vampire*[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/) • [6](https://asianwiki.com/Nanoka_Hara). In 2026 she holds leads in the TV Tokyo series *Runashii* and the ABC drama *Mou Papa!*, and her commercial work includes campaigns for Tokyu Construction, CANMAKE, Meiji Bulgarian Yogurt, and the Del Monte series for Kikkoman[1](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/).
Trade recognition has followed the Suzume role. In a 2026 interview she was described as one of the most-watched young actors in Japan, citing her established acting foundation from a career of more than 15 years[13](https://dowellbydoinggood.jp/contents/voice/260531/), and a media ranking placed her first among actresses in a "first-half 2025 breakout actor" list[14](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/plus/drama/entry/202604/19019.html).
## References
1. [原菜乃華, Tristone Entertainment Inc. (official profile)](https://www.tristone.co.jp/artists/nanoka-hara/)
2. [原菜乃華, CDJournal.com](https://artist.cdjournal.com/a/hara-nanoka/942073)
3. [Nanoka Hara, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6152236/)
4. [原菜乃華のプロフィール, TV Ranking](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/40278/profile/)
5. [『すずめの戸締まり』ヒロイン声優・原菜乃華「ZIP!」10月金曜パーソナリティーに！, Cinema Today](https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0132776)
6. [Nanoka Hara, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Nanoka_Hara)
7. [原菜乃華｜INTERVIEW｜プラス アクト, Wani Books](https://www.wani.co.jp/act/interview/interview.php?id=109&month=10&year=2026)
8. [原菜乃華 「少しでも誰かの大切な一部になれたらうれしい」 INTERVIEW, STREAM](https://strmweb.jp/archives/10633/)
9. [絶賛公開中のアニメ映画『すずめの戸締まり』の新海誠監督に新作映画の制作秘話を聞きました, TJ Niigata](https://tjniigata.jp/special/202301_makoto-shinkai/)
10. [出演者プロフィール, Leverages PDF](https://leverages.jp/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1f4e45c5f49b398c3767a391d3fb02cf.pdf)
11. [『すずめの戸締まり』だけじゃない！女優・原菜乃華の知られざる魅力, CINEMAS＋](https://cinema.ne.jp/article/detail/50545)
12. [私のはじめて：原菜乃華 「すずめの戸締まり」は「宝物のように大切な作品」, MANTANWEB](https://mantan-web.jp/article/20240420dog00m200038000c.html)
13. [原菜乃華が『君と花火と約束と』で３度目の声優に挑戦！, Do well by doing good.jp](https://dowellbydoinggood.jp/contents/voice/260531/)
14. [注目若手俳優・原菜乃華、新海誠監督の「声がとても素敵です」の言葉でコンプレックスが強みに, テレ東プラス](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/plus/drama/entry/202604/19019.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › Japanese actors, 2000s onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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