Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to melt; to dissipate; scattered
to wash, to cleanse, to purify; to eliminate, to remove impurities
A rare character with unclear meaning; appears in some ancient texts but not in modern usage.
moist, wet; to moisten; to lubricate
mountain stream, mountain brook, ravine; refers to a watercourse between mountains, typically smaller than a river but
to rise (of water level, prices); to swell; to increase
astringent; puckery; rough
Fu — refers to the Fu River (a tributary of the Jialing; also appears in place names like Fuling.
Guan — to boil; to bubble up; to seethe
Xing — a rare character referring to a type of water or; also appears in the name of a legendary river or ancient place
An obscure, archaic character meaning 'to receive' or 'to accept', primarily found
to rinse; to swill; to dip briefly in boiling water (as in cooking)
shore, bank; limit, boundary; margin
To sob; to weep; variant form of 啜 meaning to sob or weep.
To stretch; to extend; to spread out
Liquid — refers to any fluid substance, especially in scientific or biological; bodily fluids; solutions.
Kōng — flowing water sound; empty, hollow; variant form of 空
To soil, stain, or become dirty; to be contaminated.
To contain; to include; to tolerate
To spit; to expectorate; to drool.
Dong — refers to heavy rain, downpour; a river name; also used in ancient texts for a type of river.
Dry up; to dry out; to become parched or exhausted (of water, resources, etc.).
To become muddy or turbid; to make water dirty or unclear.
Ju — refers to a river name; an ancient place name; or a type of watercourse.
Name of a river; appears in ancient texts as a place name or river name.
Cool — refers to a low temperature; refreshing; also used metaphorically for something that is bleak, desolate, or indifferent.
Confused, muddled, unclear; refers to a state of mental confusion or unclear thinking.
To overflow; to flood; to gush out
Zhuo — a place name referring to Zhuozhou city in Hebei province; to drip or trickle (archaic meaning).
Sediment; precipitate; shallow water
A rarely used Chinese character with uncertain meaning, possibly referring to a; also appears as a variant form of another character.
Dé — an archaic variant of 得 (dé), meaning 'to obtain', 'to; also used in Buddhist texts.
A meandering, winding river; a bend in a river; also refers to a place name.
Zi — refers to the Zibo River in Shandong province; also used in place names, particularly Zibo city.
Xi — describes the sound of rain, wind, or flowing water; also refers to washing rice; used in names of rivers and places.
Confused; mixed up; to confuse or muddle things together.
Qi — refers to the Qi River, a tributary of the Yellow; used in names and place names.
To muddy or disturb water; to stir up; to become turbid
Fruit — refers to the fruit of a plant; also used in ancient texts to mean result or outcome.
To overflow; to flood; to inundate
To pour; to drench; to sprinkle
to flow; to drip; to trickle
An archaic character meaning 'to circulate, to flow; to go around; to make a circuit
Peng — a rare character used in place names and personal names; meaning is obscure but often associated with flowing water or abundance.
Clear, bright water; used in names to convey clarity, purity, and brightness.
Ancient name of a river; archaic character with limited modern usage.
Virtuous, kind, gentle, good — describes a woman of excellent character and; often used in classical texts to praise feminine virtues.
Miserable, desolate, bleak; describes extreme cold or a sorrowful, pitiful state.
Fragrant herb — archaic term for a fragrant plant, possibly referring to
Moist; damp; wet
Lu — refers to a type of marsh or wetland; also used in ancient texts to describe water pooling or collecting.
Mud, mire; bog; slush
Ju — an ancient name for a river, possibly referring to the; also appears in historical place names.
To wash or rinse; to clean out impurities; to sift through
Gurgling, murmuring — describes the sound of flowing water, particularly small streams
Tears — the clear, salty liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands that
Zhe — an archaic or variant form referring to Zhejiang province; alternative form of 浙.
The sound of waves or water splashing; to float; to drift.
Fei — refers to the Fei River (淝水), a historical river in
Song — refers to river mist, fog; specifically used in the name of the Songjiang River and Wusong River
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.