Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Dawn, daybreak, dim light before sunrise; also means unclear, indistinct.
Easy, simple; to change, exchange; the Book of Changes (Yijing)
past; former times; ancient
Dawn; daybreak; the period just before sunrise
A rare character meaning 'sky pattern' or 'celestial appearance'; used in some personal names.
An archaic character meaning 'sun in the west' or 'afternoon sun'; variant form of 昃.
An ancient form of 仿, meaning to imitate, resemble, or follow a; also an archaic character variant.
cloudy, overcast; fleeting, transient; used in Buddhist terms for ephemeral phenomena.
Ancient form of 慎 (shèn), meaning 'cautious', 'careful', 'prudent'.
An archaic Chinese character meaning 'daylight' or 'bright'.
Bright, shining; to expand, to spread; ancient form related to sun and light.
Zan — a Chinese surname; also used in ancient texts to mean 'why' or 'how'.
Bright, luminous; clear, evident; to make clear, to illuminate.
Star; celestial body; celebrity
to reflect; to shine; to project (as in film)
dazzling, brilliant; to confuse with dazzling light; also refers to dizziness or vertigo.
Dawn; daybreak; the time when the sky begins to get light in the morning.
Bright, clear, luminous (archaic character); also used in personal names.
Sunlight; sunshine; daylight.
spring — the season between winter and summer; youth; vitality
Vast; expansive; great
dark; obscure; ignorant
Yesterday; the day before; the past in general.
A dim star; obscure; unclear
bright; shining; joyful
Warm, warm sunlight; to warm with sunlight.
dusk; twilight; dim
bright; clear; manifest
A rare Chinese character historically used in personal names.
to be; yes; correct
Ancient form of '是' (shì), meaning 'is', 'are', 'yes', 'correct'; used in classical texts and names.
Sunlight; daylight; brilliance
To dry in the sun; to expose to sunlight; bright sunlight
Brilliant, dazzling (of sunlight); to shine brightly; beautiful appearance.
The Pleiades star cluster; one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions in Chinese astronomy.
Intimate; close; affectionate
Long day; extended daylight; clear and bright
Warm, gentle, mild; a phonetic component in characters related to warmth.
An archaic or variant form of 冬 (winter); sometimes used in names.
A star name; an ancient Chinese character with limited usage, primarily found in classical texts
Bright; brilliant; shining (of light, especially sunlight).
A variant form of 昂 (áng), meaning to raise or lift up; high; elevated
Daytime — the period of daylight between sunrise and sunset; opposite of night.
Dim, dusky, twilight — describes dim or hazy light conditions, often used
to show; to display; to manifest
Vast, expansive, empty; refers to vastness or emptiness of space.
Bright; clear; distinct (archaic character, rarely used in modern Chinese)
Chao — a surname; also refers to morning, dawn, or early morning.
Time — refers to time, period, era, season; also used to indicate hours, occasions, or opportunities.
Shine, dazzle; sway, shake; bright
Bright, shining, brilliant; used to describe light or radiance.
Sunlight; daylight; to dry in the sun
To separate; to part; to make a gap or interval between things
To open one's eyes wide; to stare; to gaze
Bright, clear, luminous; describing the appearance of moonlight or bright light.
Jin — refers to the Jin dynasty; to advance or progress; to promote
bright, luminous; clear, evident; a classical term for brightness and clarity, often used in classical texts.
Jin — refers to the Jin dynasty; to advance or promote; to enter
A unit of time; midday; a short period of time
Tong — an ancient variant of 同 meaning 'same', 'together', 'alike'; also used in some historical texts and names.
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.