Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
zá — an obscure character referring to the sound of water striking; used in ancient texts.
To drip; to shed tears; also an ancient place name.
torrential; (of tears) flowing copiously; refers to a river bend or branch
To flow; to drift; to ripple
river; specifically refers to the Yellow River (Huang He); natural watercourse.
A rare character referring to harmful vapor or miasma; an evil influence; disharmony in the natural order
Full, abundant (of water); also used as a variant for 濔 meaning 'full of water'.
An ancient name of a river; also used as a surname.
To clear away; to dredge; to remove obstructions from water flow.
to boil; bubbling; boiling
oil; grease; petroleum
Describes water flowing broadly and endlessly; used in classical literature to depict vast, flowing waters.
to govern; to rule; to administer
marsh, swamp, bog; natural pond
to buy; to sell; to deal in
to moisten; to be stained with; to touch
to follow (a course, tradition); along; to coast (v.)
An ancient name for a river; a rare character used in historical texts.
circumstance, situation, condition; moreover, besides; to compare
Clear and deep (of water); far-reaching; vast and distant.
Jū River — a river name in northern China, specifically referring to
to leak; to discharge; to vent
to swim; to float; to move through water by swimming.
to overflow; excessive; licentious
A river name; specifically refers to the Jialu River (泇河), a tributary of the Grand
An archaic character referring to the sound of flowing water; also used in ancient place names.
Spring — refers to a natural spring of water; fountain; source
to anchor; to moor; a lake
Describes the sound of water flowing; an archaic name for a river; used in ancient texts.
to secrete; to excrete; to ooze
An archaic character describing the sound or movement of water; also used in some place names.
A river name; (archaic) to wash or cleanse; (archaic) to soak or immerse.
Water flowing out; to flow; to gush forth
To write or inscribe on stone; patterns in rocks; to disintegrate or weather (of stone)
A name for a lake; also refers to a type of glaze or enamel (泑泽, 泑釉).
Name of an ancient river; a stream or tributary.
Deep and clear water; vast body of water; used metaphorically for depth and clarity.
swill; slops; water in which rice has been washed
law, method, way, principle; to follow a model; Buddhist doctrine (Dharma)
A placid lake; refers to Lake Maoshan in ancient times, now used for placid bodies
Snivel, nasal mucus; the Si River, a tributary of the Huai River in ancient China; also refers to the region around Qufu in Shandong.
An ancient form of 滹, referring to the Hutuo River (滹沱河) in; also an archaic variant meaning to float or boil.
The sound of water splashing or flowing; onomatopoeia for the sound of water.
Clear; bright; to sweat
to float; to drift; to overflow
Name of a river in ancient China, specifically the Zhi River (泜水)
To go upstream; to trace back to the source; to investigate the origin.
Muddy; miry; boggy
Clear water; pure water; also used in ancient texts to describe the clarity and purity of
Cool, refreshing (of water); clear, pure; sound of flowing water
bubble; foam; blister
wave; ripple; surge
to weep; to sob; tears
An ancient form of the character 洍, referring to a river name; also used in ancient texts.
Mud, clay, mire; paste-like substance; also read as nì meaning stubborn, obstinate.
An archaic character referring to the source of a stream or the
An ancient term referring to the sound or appearance of surging water; used in classical texts.
to pour; to concentrate; to annotate
To rise (of water); to grow; a rare character sometimes used in names.
tears; to cry; weeping
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.