Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to do; to make; to act
Cunning, crafty; to deceive; to cheat
Stop; cease; halt
to turn the back on; to abandon; to violate
Elegant, graceful; beautiful appearance; also used in ancient texts to mean 'to fear' or 'to be
Huang — to be flustered, agitated, or in a hurry; also archaic for 'leisure' or 'idleness'.
Graceful, elegant appearance; beautiful and slender figure.
Neat, orderly, well-arranged; used to describe something tidy or in good order.
to stare at; to look at; to pay attention to
A rarely used character in modern Chinese, primarily appearing in names and
You — a surname; also appears in some personal names, though relatively rare.
healthy; strong; robust
Abundant, plentiful; elegant, refined; used in classical Chinese.
To stretch, extend, or spread out; to expand or enlarge.
Uneven, irregular, jagged; refers to something not smooth or uniform in arrangement.
To imitate; to follow a pattern; to copy
To compel; to force; to press
to store; to prepare; to wait for
Hasty, hurried; flustered, agitated; used primarily in the compound word 倥偬.
To turn one's back on; to violate; to go against
To gather, to assemble; to collect together (archaic/rare character).
To sob; to wail; the sound of mourning or lamentation.
Xie — an ancient surname; originally referred to a legendary ancestor of certain ethnic groups in Chinese; also appears in historical texts as a clan name.
To follow; to comply with; to act in accordance with.
talented; capable; to urge
A surname; also used in ancient names and place names.
Side; to incline; to slant
To investigate, to spy, to detect, to scout; refers to detective work or reconnaissance.
Accidental, by chance; even (number); mate, partner, spouse
To steal; to pilfer; to snatch
To steal; to pilfer; to take secretly
To prepare; to make ready; to arrange
I; we (including the listener); inclusive first-person plural pronoun
hunchback; to bend or stoop; also used to describe being hurried or respectful.
Urgent, hasty, hurried; also used in classical Chinese to mean 'quick' or 'prompt'.
False, fake, counterfeit; forged; artificial
To ruin; to destroy; to fall
to repay; to compensate; to fulfill
Puppet, dummy, marionette; also refers to something large and imposing.
Old man; elderly person (archaic variant of 叟).
To wait; to linger; to hesitate
To be oriented toward; to follow; to adhere to
Obscure character meaning 'to fall down; to stumble' or used in the term 傄𠈰 meaning 'reckless; rude'.
Fu — a common Chinese surname; also means 'teacher', 'instructor', or 'to apply/paste' something.
Yuan — meaning abundant, ample, or full; also used as a surname.
Lush, abundant, flourishing — describes vegetation or crowds of people in a
Li — refers to the Lisu ethnic group in China; part of the name 'Lisu' (傈僳族).
Used in historical names, particularly for Xianbei tribal leaders during the Northern
Benefit, advantage; profit, gain; beneficial, advantageous
Jiang — an obscure surname; also appears in historical texts as a personal name.
Horse — archaic character for 'horse'; used in historical contexts and names; also appears as a surname.
To lean against; to be near; to approach
To fall down; to topple; to be in a state of confusion or disorder
Tang — archaic character meaning to resist or ward off; to decline or refuse; to evade.
A surname; also used in transliteration of foreign words.
Outstanding, heroic, prominent, extraordinary; refers to a person of exceptional talent or ability.
To wait; to expect; servant
Ancient variant of 煽, meaning to fan; to incite; to stir up
Attendant; servant; subordinate official
Que — primarily used as a personal name in historical contexts, notably
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.