Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to exchange; to cash; to convert
to avoid; to exempt; to excuse
rabbit, hare; variant form of 兔
An ancient variant form of 長 (long, length); also historically used as a variant of 長 in certain contexts.
Child, infant, son; Japanese variant of the Chinese character 兒.
To exchange; to convert; to cash
Child, son, offspring; also used as a suffix in certain words.
Ancient character meaning 'drunk' or 'intoxicated'; now archaic and rarely used.
rabbit, hare; one of the twelve zodiac animals; to escape or flee (archaic)
A rhinoceros or a mythical one-horned beast in ancient Chinese literature; often depicted as a fierce, powerful creature.
Yan — primarily refers to Yanzhou, an ancient Chinese administrative division and; also used in personal names.
Yan — refers to Yanzhou, one of the Nine Provinces of ancient; a place name in Shandong province.
Beginning; start; commencement (archaic character, rarely used in modern Chinese)
Political party; faction; clique
pocket; bag; to wrap
Decigram — a unit of mass equal to one-tenth of a gram,
To advance; to move forward; to progress steadily.
An archaic variant of 兜 (dōu), meaning helmet, hood, or to wrap/carry; also used in historical texts.
A unit of mass equal to 100 grams; decagram (obsolete and rarely used in modern Chinese).
Cautious, careful, vigilant — describes a state of being watchful and prudent,
Bright, brilliant, shining; also refers to a unit of measurement for gold.
To enter; to go into; to join
To perish; to be lost; to flee
Inside, inner, internal; within; to enter
complete; whole; entire
Two, both, a unit of weight (tael); also used to indicate a pair or couple.
Yu — a surname; to consent; to agree
eight; numerous; many
public; fair; just
six; the number six; sixth in order
An ancient Chinese particle used in classical poetry and texts, similar to
A rare character used as a component in other characters; archaic form.
Orchid — a fragrant flowering plant; symbolic of elegance, purity, and nobility in Chinese culture; also used in place names and names.
common; shared; together
An archaic variant of 天 (tiān), meaning 'heaven', 'sky', or 'day'. In
to close, shut; to turn off; to concern, relate to
to rise; to flourish; to prosper
soldier; army; troops
his; her; its
tool, implement; to possess, to have; to provide, to furnish
Canon, standard, law, code; ceremony; to mortgage or pawn
This; here; now
To raise, rear, cultivate, support; to provide for; to grow, develop
To combine, to double, to hold two or more positions concurrently; simultaneously; both
beast, animal; wild, savage; brutal, ferocious
Ji — ancient form of 冀 meaning 'hope', 'expect', 'look forward to'; also refers to the ancient region of Ji (modern Hebei province).
Art — refers to skill, craft, technique, or artistic ability; the root character for the modern simplified form 艺.
Hope, aspire; refers to Hebei province; ancient name for the region of northern China.
To laugh, to smile happily; to open up in laughter.
Radical for down-box or border; archaic form meaning outskirts, borderland, or wild country.
An ancient form of 帽 (hat, cap); a historical character representing a head covering.
Gradually; slowly; variant form of 冉
inside; inner; internal
Japanese variant form of 圓/圆 (circle; round; yen currency)
Not have; without; lacking (Cantonese and some other Chinese dialects).
ridge; hill; mountain crest
Gradually; slowly; tender and weak
a wilderness; a borderland; distant
book, volume, register, record; a measure word for books; to confer, to bestow a title.
again; once more; then
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.