Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Luo — refers to a river name in ancient China; also used in place names; can mean a marsh or pond
To splash, spatter, or sprinkle (water or other liquids); to scatter or disperse.
To ford or wade across a river; to cross a stream; also refers to a stepping stone or shallow place in a river.
Abundant water; copious flow; ample, plentiful (archaic usage).
Vast, expansive; rippling, undulating; refers to large bodies of water or expansive surfaces.
Lu — an archaic or variant form of 卤/鹵, meaning 'brine', 'salt',
A drainage sluice or water gate; to drain water; to release water from a reservoir or canal.
Sound of water flowing or gushing; to squeeze or press out; to obstruct or block.
Ying — clear, lucid, pure; describes water that is limpid, transparent, and sparkling.
To disrespect; to profane; to act irreverently
Describes the vastness and depth of water; used in specific terms for bodies of water.
To sprinkle water; to wash; to cleanse
to flow out rapidly; to drain; to have diarrhea
Turbulent flow of water; swirling, rushing water.
Shen — refers to the name of the Shen River; historically used in place names, most notably Shenyang (瀋陽/沈阳); also used in the word for 'juice' or 'liquid'.
Biao — describes heavy rain or snow falling thick and fast.
Chan — refers to the Chan River (瀍河), a tributary of the
Mo — a rare character with two readings: 1) miè: to smear,; 2) mò: (of water) shallow, to skim over the surface.
Flow, drift, swift current; to browse, skim through; to wander
A variant form of the character 瀸, meaning to soak, to infiltrate,
Waterfall — a steep descent of water from a height; cascade.
Rough; coarse; harsh
Clear, limpid (of water); pure, transparent.
Gu — name of a river in Henan province, China; also used in the name of a specific type of inkstone.
On the verge of; close to; bordering on
Water splashing sound; the sound of flowing water; used in classical Chinese to describe the sound or appearance of water.
A rare character used primarily in place names; refers to a specific river or water body in Chinese geography.
Lu — refers to the Lu River in Sichuan, China; used in place names; also refers to a type of liquor filter.
Qin — refers to the Qin River in Henan province, China; a place name.
Vast, expansive — often used to describe the immensity of oceans or; extensive knowledge.
Ocean, sea; vast expanse of water; archaic name for the East China Sea
Rong — appears in the word 'melting' or 'blending' (融瀜), describing the; used in classical Chinese.
To drip; to trickle; to strain
Pure, clean (of water); serene, tranquil; archaic variant of 淨/净 meaning clean.
Xiao — describes the sound of wind and rain; deep and clear (of water); unrestrained, natural, free-spirited.
To swirl; to eddy; to flow in circles
Slippery, smooth — describes a surface that is slick or difficult to; used in specific compounds.
瀢 — describes the sound or appearance of flowing water; to flow, to drip; also refers to the sound of rain.
Used almost exclusively in the idiom '沆瀣一气' (hàng xiè yī qì), meaning
Huai — archaic term referring to brackish water or a type of; also an ancient place name.
Ancient name for a river; archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
Pool; pond; marsh
Dragon — refers to a dragon; a legendary creature in Chinese mythology; also used metaphorically for the emperor or exceptional people.
Rapids, swift current; shoal, shallows; a surname.
Duì — refers to water dripping or flowing down; also describes a pile or accumulation of debris.
Ancient character meaning 'water flowing rapidly' or 'torrential flow'; also used in historical place names.
Hu — refers to the name of a river in Zhejiang province,; specifically the Wujiang River (also known as the Qu River) in the
Rapids, shallows, shoal; also used in Japanese names and place names.
Shu — a rare character used in the word 瀭陽 (Shuyang), a; also appears in some historical texts.
A rare character meaning 'drizzling rain' or 'continuous light rain'; primarily used in classical Chinese literature.
Yíng — refers to the sound of flowing water; used in classical Chinese to describe the murmuring or gurgling of streams.
To overflow, to be full of, to spread everywhere; describing something that fills or permeates an area completely, often used for
瀱 — refers to the appearance of water flowing; a spring or fountain; also used in classical texts to describe water gushing forth.
Rippling water; overflowing; waves
Jian — refers to a place where water accumulates or overflows; also used to describe a marsh or wetland area.
Describes the appearance of water being deep and vast; also refers to a cold, gloomy appearance.
To gush forth; to spurt; a type of hot spring or fountain
A rare character meaning: 1. Water flowing between rocks; 2. Sound of flowing water; 3. Ancient variant form of 淋 (to drench).
A rare character referring to a specific type of water current or; also used in classical texts to describe the sound or appearance of
To soak through; to infiltrate; to be permeated
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.