Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
A rare Chinese character with uncertain meaning, possibly an ancient form or; appears in some historical texts and dictionaries.
Lian — calm, still water; tranquil, peaceful; also refers to a type of jade.
Vast expanse of water; describes the appearance of a broad, deep body of water.
Méng — describes a vast, misty expanse of water; misty, hazy appearance of water surfaces.
Uneven, irregular; describes water waves or ripples; also refers to something that is not smooth or level.
Suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly
Tai — an ancient place name; also refers to the name of a river in ancient times.
Da — a dialectal term meaning to soak, immerse, or drench; also refers to a type of resin or tar.
Wā — refers to the sound of flowing water; a deep pool; also describes a hollow or depression in the ground.
To slip away; to slide; to skate
Ditch, trench, gutter, channel; groove, furrow; communication channel.
Sao — refers to a type of small aquatic crustacean, particularly water
Vast sea; ocean; deep, obscure, or boundless expanse of water
Zha — refers to the Zha River, a tributary of the Han; used primarily in geographical names.
Shi — refers to the ancient Shi River in Shandong province; used in historical place names.
To overflow; to spill over; to brim
Lun — an obscure, rare character with uncertain meaning; possibly related to water movement or a type of net/fishing implement.
A rare Chinese surname; also appears in some historical place names.
vast; extensive; widespread
Fine rain; drizzle; light precipitation.
Li — refers to the Li River in China; a placename in Jiangsu province (Liyang); clear, pure water.
Ancient form of 載 (zài), meaning to carry, to bear; to record; to begin
A cove or bay; a place where boats can moor; a body of water where rivers meet.
Stream, brook, small river; a watercourse, often in a valley or mountainous area.
Warm; mild; gentle
Ancient form of 滂, meaning torrential rain; heavy downpour; flowing water.
Deep and profound (of water); also used to describe the appearance of water.
Shi — archaic name for the Shi River (溮水), a tributary of; historical place name.
To go upstream; to trace back to the source; to recall
溰 — describes the appearance of clear, pure water; also used to depict the look of snow or frost.
Abundant, numerous; name of a river in Henan province; ancient name for a place in modern Gansu province.
to urinate; to soak; to steep
Yun — refers to the Yun River (溳水), a river in Hubei; also appears in historical place names.
Bromine — a chemical element (Br) that is a dark red fuming
Yin — name of a river in ancient China; also refers to the Yin River in Henan province.
To dissolve; to melt; to become liquid
filthy, dirty; privy, toilet; confused, disordered
Ancient form of 溯 (sù), meaning to go upstream; to trace back to the source; to recollect.
Suo — a rare character referring to a river name, specifically the; also used in some historical place names.
To drown; to indulge excessively; to be addicted to
to soak through; to be soaked; to be drenched (especially of liquids permeating through fabric or other materials).
Wet — damp, moist, humid; to wet, to moisten; also refers to dampness in traditional Chinese medicine.
Damp, humid, moist; muggy; refers to dampness or humidity in weather or conditions.
A deep, dark pool; murky water; also used to describe something obscure or profound.
Riverside; riverbank; the side or edge of a river.
To accumulate; to gather; to store up
Chu — refers to the Chu River in Anhui province, China; also the name of Chuzhou city in Anhui.
Torrential; pouring; gushing
Weng — describes water gushing forth, swirling, or spreading; also used for ink spreading in painting; can describe clouds or smoke billowing.
vast; deep blue (of water); cold
To extinguish; to put out (fire); to destroy
Ge — name of Ge Lake (滆湖), a freshwater lake located on
Dian — refers to Yunnan province in China; also refers to Lake Dian in Yunnan; ancient name for the Yunnan region.
Hào — refers to the Hao River in ancient China; also describes the appearance of vast, expansive water; used in historical place names and literary descriptions of water.
Vast, expansive (of water); describes water spreading widely or shimmering with light.
Qi — ancient variant of 汽 (steam, vapor); also used as an alternate form for 氣 (qi, air, energy).
to grow; to nourish; to multiply
to wash, to cleanse, to purify; to eliminate, to remove impurities.
Zhi — name of the Zhi River, a tributary of the Han; ancient place name.
Xing — refers to the ancient place name Xingyang; a county in Henan province; also used in the name of the Xing 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.