Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Ancient form of 燧, meaning fire drill; flint; beacon fire
to melt metal; to smelt; to roast
Fierce, violent, intense; extreme in degree or intensity; severe.
To boil, to cook, to stew; to prepare food by heating in water or other liquid.
To burn; to scorch; to char
Gào — archaic character meaning to roast, bake, or dry by fire; to expose to heat.
Guō — a non-standard, rare character meaning a type of pot or
To cook or stew slowly in a pot; a pot or cooking vessel used for slow cooking, especially in Cantonese
Scorched; burnt; charred — describes food or other materials that have been burned, typically
Yun — warm; gentle heat; to simmer
Nǎn — a rare character used in dialectal Chinese, primarily referring to
This character appears to be a rare or specialized character. It is
A rare character meaning 'bright light' or 'to shine'; not in common modern usage.
To stir-fry ingredients quickly in hot oil or fat before adding other; a cooking technique used in Chinese cuisine.
To warm oneself by a fire; to dry or heat by fire.
To scald or immerse in hot water to remove feathers or hair; to pluck after scalding.
To warm; to heat gently; to roast
To roast, to bake; to stir-fry tea leaves; to parch grains
To incite; to instigate; to agitate
To warm gently; to heat slowly; to simmer.
To fry, to roast, to cook with dry heat; a method of cooking food.
Bright; shining; brilliant
To heat with fire; to warm; to roast
To burn weeds or grass; to set fire to vegetation for land clearing or agricultural purposes.
A rare character meaning to extinguish or put out fire; also used in ancient texts.
to extinguish; to put out (a fire, light); to go out
To smolder; to burn slowly without flame; to warm
To blow on a fire to make it burn; to fan flames; an ancient term for bellows or a device used to increase airflow
To roast, bake, or burn; to be very hot or scorching; also refers to a blazing or intense heat.
Bright, splendid, glorious; variant form of 熙 (xī) meaning prosperous, flourishing.
Yellow color; golden yellow; specifically used to describe the yellow color of birds' feathers.
Bear — a large mammal; also used as a Chinese surname meaning 'bear'; metaphorically refers to something clumsy or foolish.
Xióng — a variant form of 熊 (bear), used in some historical
To flash; to sparkle; to flicker
Qióng — a rare character meaning 'fire' or 'flame', used in ancient
Yao — an extremely rare Chinese character with uncertain meaning, primarily appearing
To smoke, fumigate, cure; to perfume, scent; to influence gradually
A rare character used primarily in ancient place names; also appears in historical texts as a variant form.
To connect; to link; to join together
Ying — originally meaning a flickering, glimmering light; also refers to the firefly insect; used in words describing faint light or shimmering.
To burn, to roast, to cook over a slow fire; a method of cooking involving slow simmering or smoking.
To melt; to fuse; to smelt
Gun — an ancient type of cannon used in China, particularly during
Flame, blaze; also refers to the wick of an oil lamp.
To stir-fry quickly in hot oil or water; to scald; to blanch
A cooking technique involving quick frying followed by simmering in a starch-thickened; similar to velveting or quick-braising.
Bright; prosperous; splendid
A rare character describing the sound of burning or crackling; onomatopoeic for fire crackling.
Flame; to blaze; to burst into flames
Zong — refers to a bundle of hemp stalks used as a; also an ancient term for a candle or light source.
To simmer, stew, or braise — a cooking method involving slow cooking
To parch; to dry by fire; to roast.
Cooked; ripe; mature
Glistening, brilliant, shining — describes a bright, sparkling light, often used to
A surname; also appears in some historical and dialectal contexts, though not commonly used
Ancient form of 烽 (fēng) — refers to a beacon fire or
Cui — refers to a brilliant, dazzling appearance; describes something sparkling or shining brightly.
Yi — bright, brilliant; used in names to convey radiance, intelligence, or outstanding talent.
To heat up food or warm something by steaming or placing over; to warm up previously cooked food.
Jue — a rare character used in personal names, originally referring to
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.