Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
One; a single; the same
The fourth heavenly stem; a man; a male adult
Ancient character meaning to beg, to interrogate; archaic form of 考 (to test/examine) and 巧 (skillful).
Seven — the number seven; a common numeral in Chinese.
An ancient form of 上 (shàng), meaning 'above', 'on', 'top', 'up', 'previous',
Ancient form of 'down' or 'below'; variant of 下.
A rare, archaic Chinese character variant of 厂 (cliff, shed); also used in Japanese as an abbreviation for 石 (stone).
ten thousand; a very great number; myriad
A unit of length (about 3.33 meters); to measure land; an honorific term for older male relatives
Three; several, many; third
up; above; upper
down; below; under
A base, stand, or pedestal; an ancient surname; archaic form of '其' (qí).
not; no; negative prefix
and; with; to give
To hide from view; to conceal oneself; to evade
to beg; beggar; to ask for
Ugly; disgraceful; clown
An ancient form of the character 丑 (ugly, second earthly branch); archaic variant used in historical texts.
specialized; focused; expert
and; moreover; also
Great; grand; distinguished
generation; world; era
An archaic variant form of 世, meaning generation, era, world, lifetime.
hill, mound; grave; Confucius (courtesy name)
The third of the ten Heavenly Stems; third in order; fire (in Five Elements theory)
business, trade, profession, occupation, industry; studies, work; property, estate
to gather together; collection; thicket
East — cardinal direction; host; owner
silk; thread; filament
to assist; to aid; an ancient official title for an assistant or deputy
To lose; to throw; to discard
An ancient form of 丘 (hill, mound); used as a variant character.
Japanese variant of 兩 (liǎng) meaning 'two', 'both', 'a unit of weight
to lose; to discard; to throw
An ancient form of the character 酉 (yǒu), meaning the tenth earthly; alcohol vessel; a historical variant character.
Two; a unit of weight (50 grams); both
strict; rigorous; severe
and; also; simultaneously
to lose; to be bereaved of; to mourn
A vertical stroke; one of the basic strokes of Chinese characters; also an archaic character meaning 'to connect through' or 'to thread'.
An ancient character depicting entangled or intertwined objects; the original form of 糾 (jiū, to investigate/correct).
individual; single; unit
fork; bifurcation; slang for girl (especially in Southern China)
A variant form of the radical 爿; meaning 'split wood'; used as a semantic component in characters.
center, middle; within, among; China, Chinese
An ancient character depicting a hand holding an object; archaic form meaning to hold or grasp.
An ancient character meaning dense, thick, or luxuriant growth; also used as a component in other characters.
abundant; plentiful; lush
An ancient hairstyle with hair tied in two buns, resembling horns; also used historically to mean 'child' or 'youth'.
to string together; to connect; skewer
A skewer for roasting meat; a spit. An ancient character depicting a skewer or spit used in
to face; to overlook; to approach
A rare Chinese character representing thick grass or dense vegetation; historically used in ancient texts.
A dot; a mark used in Chinese writing; one of the basic strokes
A two-dot radical or component placed above other characters, often representing 'eight'
pill, pellet, ball; small round object; used as a counter for pills.
cinnabar, vermilion, red; sincere, loyal; elixir, pill
master; owner; host
A well; also used in Japanese as 'donburi' (rice bowl dish). In Chinese, primarily
Practical guidance for evaluating characters by radical, stroke balance, and cultural resonance.
Radicals group characters by their core semantic or structural elements. When you filter by radical, you surface characters that share meaning cues and writing patterns, making it easier to shortlist options with aligned symbolism.
Most parents stay within 6–16 strokes so signatures remain elegant and readable. Avoid extremes—overly complex forms slow writing, while ultra-simple characters may feel plain next to a more expressive partner character.
Chinese characters themselves are largely gender-neutral. Perceived gender comes from imagery and cultural associations, so review meanings and radicals together to find characters that match the tone you want.