Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
stove; kitchen range; cooking hearth
An archaic character meaning firewood, torch, or to carry fire.
moxibustion — a traditional Chinese medicine therapy involving burning mugwort on or
Flame; blaze; also refers to the heat radiating from fire.
Candle stub; candle end; burnt-out candle wick
An ancient form of 赤 (red); earth fire; also used as a surname.
to burn; to scorch; bright
Disaster, calamity, catastrophe; misfortune.
Disaster, calamity, catastrophe; misfortune, suffering.
bright; brilliant; resplendent
to smelt; to fuse metals; to roast
A specialized term for the fundamental energy or life force in Taoist; often used interchangeably with 气 but carries deeper metaphysical connotations.
A rare character referring to a paste-like substance; to melt or soften by heat; also used in ancient texts.
A rare character appearing in historical texts, possibly describing a state of
Brightness; light; shining
To simmer; to cook over a slow fire; a gentle cooking method
A rare character meaning to burn, scorch, or blaze; also found in some historical texts and personal names.
A type of brick or tile used in ancient construction; refers to building materials made from fired clay.
stove, furnace, oven, hearth; kiln
to cook a meal; to cook food; to prepare food by heating.
A rare character referring to fire or flame; also used as a surname.
A rare character meaning bright light; brilliance; to shine.
Bright; luminous; shining
flame; blaze; burning
Flames rising; blazing fire; an ancient variant form representing intense fire or flames.
A rare character describing the sound of fire crackling or fire burning
A fire burning brightly; flames; blaze.
to stir-fry; to sauté; to speculate (in finance)
A rare character referring to a bright, clear flame or fire.
Alkyne — a type of hydrocarbon in organic chemistry containing at least; also an archaic term meaning 'smoke'.
A heated brick bed (kang) common in northern China; to bake or dry by heat.
To stew; to braise; to simmer slowly in liquid
Ancient variant of 光 (guāng), meaning light, brightness, glory; also used in historical texts.
Flame; burning brightly; used in names to signify brilliance, radiance, or fervor.
to roast; to broil; something roasted
An ancient variant form of 光, meaning light, brightness, glory, honor.
A variant form of 光 (guāng), meaning light, brightness, radiance; glory, honor; only, merely.
Brilliant light; glowing; bright
A Chinese cooking technique of stir-frying quickly with high heat after adding; to quick-fry.
A rare character primarily used in historical texts, variant form, or in
Flaring; blazing; used historically in personal names, notably Emperor Zhang of Han (汉章帝刘炟).
Flame; blaze; to burn brightly.
A flickering, steady, or gentle flame; used in classical Chinese to describe the appearance of fire or light.
To burn, to smoke; smoke rising from firewood; a state of burning.
Flame; blaze; bright burning fire.
Illuminate, shine; to manifest, make clear; ancient variant of 照.
Flame rising; appearance of fire; a surname.
A type of fire; also refers to a method of cooking or processing food with fire.
Candle end; candle stub; the burnt end of a candle or lamp wick.
A variant form of 灺, referring to the remnant of a burnt-out; candle stub; ember.
Ling — refers to a type of firewood or kindling; also used in names to suggest brightness, warmth, or vitality.
A dim, not bright fire; also an archaic character with obscure usage.
to dazzle; to show off; to flaunt
torch; firebrand; bright light
Charcoal — carbonized wood or other organic material used as fuel; also refers to soot or black residue from burning.
cannon, artillery; to roast, bake, or quick-fry in a pan; firecracker
bright; shining; luminous
To roast, to bake; to cook food by direct heat; also refers to a type of roasted food.
Soot — black carbonaceous substance formed by incomplete combustion of organic matter; fine black powder deposited from smoke.
Ancient variant of 台 (platform, terrace); also an ancient form of 炱 (soot, smoke-blackened).
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.