Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To drip, trickle; to shed tears; appearing as if about to weep
Ancient term referring to a vast, empty expanse of water; used in classical texts to describe desolate or expansive watery regions.
Raft; a primitive boat or float made of bound wood or bamboo.
to melt, dissolve; to break up, separate; semicircular pond (in ancient schools)
To vanish; to perish; to disappear
Peaceful; safe; calm
vast; expansive; majestic
An ancient name for a river; to filter or strain; archaic term for wine.
to swim; swimming
An ancient character meaning to wash the hands; to cleanse; archaic term for a washbasin.
pump — a mechanical device for moving liquids or gases; to pump.
A place name referring to a location in Zhejiang province, China; also used in the name of a waterfall.
Rushing water; rapids; torrential rain
Name of a river; specifically refers to the Lu River in Sichuan province.
To blanch (vegetables, etc.) in boiling water; a dialectal term for a method of food preparation.
Name of an ancient river in Shandong province; also used for marsh or lake.
to flow out rapidly; to have diarrhea; to purge
to splash; to spill; to pour
Marsh, swamp; moist, damp; luster, gloss
Jing River — a river in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, China; clear stream; straight and unobstructed flow.
An ancient name for a river, specifically referring to the upper reaches; also used in place names.
Ancient character meaning to roam, wander, or float; also used in ancient texts as a variant of 盤 (pan, meaning
clean; pure; to purify
Hui — a surname; also appears in some historical texts and personal names.
to flow back, to eddy; to swirl in a circular motion (of water); to go against the current.
To soak, immerse, or saturate; also used in classical texts to describe repeated washing or cleansing.
To submerge, immerse, or soak; to be flooded or inundated.
To soak; to permeate; to be stained by ink spreading on paper
Name of a river in Hubei province, China; also used in place names.
Dirt, sediment, or grime that accumulates on surfaces, especially in water or
repeatedly, successively; to flow continuously; to accumulate
ocean; vast; foreign
Clear, pure (especially of water or wine); cold, chilly.
Ancient name for a river; archaic form meaning 'to flow abundantly' or 'to spread widely'.
To reach; to arrive at; until
tears flowing; (literary) conjunction meaning 'and then', 'moreover'.
To flow; to spread; to extend (water flowing and spreading across land).
to swim underwater; to float; a whirlpool
to sprinkle; to spray; to spill
Se — an ancient place name; also refers to a type of rain or drizzle; used in historical texts and place names.
to stop; to accumulate water; to dam up water
Small stream; trickle; also refers to a type of water in ancient texts.
Wu — an ancient character used in historical place names and personal; rare in modern usage.
to wash; to cleanse; to bathe
dry up; (of a river) to run dry; to become shallow
Zhu — name of a river in ancient China, specifically the Zhu
Flooding, overflowing of water; refers to a great deluge or inundation.
Luo — refers to the Luo River in China; ancient capital city; used in names and place names.
Ancient form of 洛 (Luò), referring to the Luo River; an archaic character variant.
An ancient name for a river; a character used in historical place names.
hole, cavity, cave; penetrating, clear-sighted; used in words for grotto, cavern, and metaphorically for insight or transparency.
Tears; nasal mucus; to snivel.
Ancient form of 涘, meaning riverbank or waterside; archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
Ancient place name; also an archaic form of 淚 (tear).
Yi — refers to the Yi River (洢水), a river in Henan
Mi River — a river name in Hunan province, China; specifically refers to the Mi River, a tributary of the Xiang River.
Ancient form of 泉 (spring, fountain); clear water.
ferry crossing; ford; saliva
Shallow water; describes water that is not deep.
Name of a river in ancient China, the Wei River (洧水); used in historical and geographical contexts.
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.