Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To excite, stimulate, arouse; to be intense, fierce; to agitate
Turbid, muddy, impure; chaotic; refers to voiced consonants in phonetics.
Lian — refers to a clear, flowing stream; also used in names, particularly in the historical figure Zhou Dunyi's courtesy
Thick, dense, concentrated; intense, strong; rich (in flavor, color, or emotion)
Guō — a surname; ancient name for a river (now the Guo River in Henan province); variant form of 過 (guò, to pass).
To soak, to immerse, to infiltrate gradually; also refers to irrigation in ancient texts.
To spurt; to gush; to spray
astringent; rough; harsh (of taste or texture)
The sound of water; to gather; to collect
Sui — refers to the Sui River, a tributary of the Huai
Vast, expansive; murky, turbid; abundant
Chu — name of an ancient Chinese river; historically refers to the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn and
Rapid flow of water; sound of flowing water; also used to describe a person who is gluttonous or greedy.
Sōng — an onomatopoeic character representing the sound of water flowing or; used in dialects to describe the sound of water.
Ding — describes the appearance of water; used in specific compound words to depict water's appearance or flow.
Sè — used exclusively in the word 濏濏, an archaic/obscure term describing
An obscure, variant form of 渚 (zhǔ), meaning 'small island; islet; small body of land in water'.
Rapids, swift current; a shallow, fast-flowing part of a river or stream.
On the verge of; near to; approaching
Lian — refers to a clear, flowing stream; also used in proper names and place names.
Full, abundant; to fill, to overflow; used to describe a state of fullness or abundance.
Wet — moist, damp, humid; to moisten, to soak; also refers to a state of being saturated with liquid.
Shu — a place name; a surname; refers to a water pool or marsh.
A shallow body of water; a shoal; also used in names.
Muddy; boggy; refers to muddy ground or mire, often used to describe difficult or
Ying — describes the swirling or flowing of water; also used to describe something clear and deep.
Ying — describes the swirling or flowing of water, particularly the appearance; also used in some place names.
drizzling rain; misty; fine rain
Jin — refers to a river name, specifically the Jin River in; also used in the word 'Jinjin' describing the appearance of water.
Ji — refers to the Ji River, an ancient name for a; used in classical texts and place names.
Sound of flowing or gushing water; used in names and place names.
To cross a river; to aid, to relieve; to be of use
Hao — refers to a moat, trench, or ditch; specifically used in place names like Haogou (trench) and Haozhou (an ancient; also refers to the Hao River in Anhui.
To moisten; to soak; to be stained or imbued with
Dripping, trickling; to seep or ooze slowly.
To draw or scoop water; archaic term for ladling or dipping water from a container.
Tao — refers to large waves, billows, or surge of water; metaphorically used to describe something vast, powerful, or continuous like waves.
Deep water; abyss; profound
Yin — name of a river in ancient China, located in present-day; also refers to the sound of flowing water.
Dui — refers to a deep pool or abyss; used to describe deep, still water.
An ancient Chinese character referring to a type of ancient vessel or; also appears in some historical texts and place names.
Huò — to cook, boil, or simmer; to spread out; also appears in classical names and texts such as the ancient dance
Qing — an archaic Chinese character meaning cold, clear, or pure water; rarely used in modern Chinese.
excessive; indiscriminate; flood
Jun — to dredge, to deepen; to clear out (as in a waterway); profound, deep
A rare character used in the word 濭濭, describing the appearance of; also a variant form in some ancient texts.
Pu — refers to the Pu River, a river in Henan and; an ancient state in the Spring and Autumn period; a surname.
To wash; to cleanse; to purify
Wei — refers to the Wei River, a major river in Shandong; also used in place names like Weifang city.
Bin — refers to a shore, bank, or waterfront; also used to mean 'near' or 'beside' a body of water.
Gǔ — refers to the Gushui River, an ancient name for a; also appears in place names.
Submerge, dive, sink; to hide, conceal; to lurk, be latent.
Ying — describes the swirling or flowing of water, particularly the appearance
Bin — riverside, waterfront, shore; variant form of 濱 (bin1), meaning waterside or bank.
Wide, broad, vast — describes something with great width or extensive scope; often used in literary contexts.
A rare character meaning 'water overflowing; to flood'.
Unknown or extremely rare character; possibly a variant or miswritten form.
Japanese place name character used specifically for 'Sumida' in Sumida River (墨田川)
To splash, spatter, or sprinkle; to cause liquid to scatter in small drops.
An ancient variant of 瀢 (duì), meaning to sink or settle; refers to the sinking or accumulation of sediment in water.
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.