Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To smear; to moisten with the lips; specifically refers to the ancient ritual of smearing blood on the lips
歄 — An extremely rare, archaic Chinese character with uncertain meaning and
Yan — an ancient personal name; also appears in classical texts as a proper name.
Admire, delight in, enjoy — to appreciate or take pleasure in something; often used in names to express admiration or joy.
to rest; to cease; to stop
Song, ballad; to sing; ancient term for a type of song or poem.
Apology — to apologize; regret; insufficiency
To rise high (of vapor, steam, heat); to evaporate; to be steaming hot.
To mock; to ridicule; to make fun of someone in a teasing manner.
Song — a composition of music and lyrics for singing; to sing; a type of poetry.
To vomit; to spit out; to feel nauseated. An archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
To sigh; to lament; to express admiration or praise through exhalation.
Exhausted, tired; weary; fatigued (archaic/rare character).
Europe; a Chinese surname; also used in transliterations of European names and terms.
To exhale; to breathe out; also used as an exclamation or interjection in classical texts.
A rare character meaning to laugh or smile; archaic term for laughter.
Delight, joy, pleasure; to enjoy, to be happy; enthusiastic welcome.
To sob; to sigh; to exhale
To spurt; to blow out; to puff
Xi — ancient character meaning to be joyful, pleased, or content; to like or enjoy.
Ancient variant of 啸 (xiào) — to whistle; to howl; to roar
Chuā/Xū — an onomatopoeic character representing sudden, swift movements or sounds; describes something happening quickly or abruptly.
To inhale, to suck in; also refers to She County in Anhui province, China.
To be good at; skilled in; proficient. An archaic or variant form of 善 (shàn), meaning 'good' or
To gather; to collect; to restrain
Chu — a surname; also appears in historical names and classical texts; in ancient usage, refers to being offended or angry.
Art, skill, craft; technique, method; trick, stratagem.
Greedy, gluttonous, insatiable desire; refers to extreme greed or avarice.
Interrogative or exclamatory final particle in Classical Chinese, equivalent to '吗', '呢',; used to form questions or express exclamation.
To drink; to sip; to imbibe (liquids). An archaic/literary term for drinking.
Joyful, happy, delighted; enthusiastic; to enjoy, to be fond of
To stop; to cease; to prohibit
Upright, correct, proper, straight; exactly, precisely; the first month of the lunar year
this; these; here
step; pace; walk
military; martial; warlike
forked, divergent; different, divergent; inequality
An archaic variant of 步, meaning to walk, step, pace, or stage.
step; pace; walk
Crooked, askew, slanted; not straight or upright; improper, deviant
To stop; to prevent; to obstruct
Former, ancient; preceding, previous; front part
To hesitate; to be undecided; to pause
Ancient variant of 涩/澀 (sè), meaning astringent, rough, unsmooth, or difficult.
Tooth — refers to the hard, calcified structures in the mouth used; also used metaphorically for tooth-like objects.
Rough; coarse; not smooth
To follow, to accompany; to go along with; to trail behind.
Year; age; time
Year, age — refers to a calendar year, one's age, or the; also used in the context of harvest years.
To pass through; to experience; calendar
A variant form of the character 賾, meaning 'profound', 'abstruse', or 'deep
Fish gills; the respiratory organ of fish and other aquatic animals that allows them
To experience; to undergo; to pass through
To return; to go back; to revert
bad, evil, wicked; vicious; calamity
A variant form of 歹 (dǎi), meaning bad, wicked, evil; also used as the 'death' radical component in characters.
death; to die; dead
to annihilate; to exterminate; to wipe out
To die young; to die prematurely; to break off (archaic usage).
To die; to perish; to end
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.