Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Ancient form of 剮 (to dismember, to cut to pieces); bone without flesh; skeleton.
Bright, luminous; also used in modern slang to mean awkward, embarrassed, or speechless.
To risk; to brave; to venture
Helmet (as in ancient armor); descendants, lineage (especially of nobles or rulers).
To emit, to give off; to risk, to brave; to pretend, to feign
Ancient term meaning to meet, encounter, or construct; originally depicted two fish meeting, later used in characters related to meeting,
A type of ceremonial cap worn by officials in ancient China, especially
Crown — a ceremonial headdress worn by emperors, kings, and nobles in; symbolizes imperial authority and high status.
A cover; a lid. In Chinese character classification, it is a radical (Kangxi radical
superfluous, redundant; excessive; busy, occupied with trivialities
To hesitate, to be indecisive; to move forward slowly and cautiously.
to write; to compose; to describe
Cantonese character meaning 'all, entirely, completely'; to cover; to press down.
army; military; troops
agriculture; farming; peasant
A variant form of 宜 (yí), meaning 'suitable', 'appropriate', 'fitting', 'ought to',
Deep; far; further
ancient vessel for steaming food; a type of ancient cooking utensil.
crown; headgear; to be first
Cover, to cover; mound, hillock; ancient form of 蒙 (to cover, to receive).
Tomb, burial mound; also used to mean large, great, or chief.
To gather, to collect; the most, the extreme; originally meant to accumulate or assemble, later used to express superlative degree.
Injustice, grievance, wrong; hatred, enmity; bad luck, poor fate
dark; deep; profound
Bandit, invader, enemy, plunderer; used historically to refer to foreign invaders or rebels.
Cantonese slang meaning to collapse, fall down; to kill; to cheat or deceive
Abundant, rich, wealthy, plentiful — denotes prosperity and ample resources.
To write; to copy; to transcribe
Power — mathematical exponent; cover; veil
Ice radical; used as a semantic component in characters related to cold, freezing, or
winter; the coldest season of the year; used phonetically in some words.
Ancient form of 太 (very, extreme, highest) and 泰 (peaceful, safe).
A rare Chinese surname; also appears in some place names.
A common Chinese surname; also means to gallop, to wade through water, or to rely on.
ice; cold; frozen
to freeze; to congeal; (of cold) to be severe and persistent.
to rush; to dash; to charge
to decide; to determine; to resolve
Japanese kokuji meaning 'freeze, congeal; clear, lucid'; primarily used in Japanese, not standard Chinese
circumstance, situation, condition; moreover, especially; to compare
to smelt; to cast metal; to refine
cold; chilly; indifferent
To melt ice; to dissolve; to thaw
To begin; to start; to initiate
To vanish; to perish; to destroy
to freeze; to feel very cold; jelly
A Chinese surname; to wash, to cleanse (archaic meaning).
Cold; icy; freezing
To blend, harmonize; fitting, appropriate; variant form of 洽 (qià).
An archaic character meaning to advance or progress; used in names and classical texts.
clean; pure; to clean
Cold, chilly; a variant form of 溲 meaning to soak or steep.
To beseech, to entreat, to request earnestly.
A variant form of the surname Tu; also an archaic form meaning 'to smear, to apply'.
chilly, cold; bleak, desolate; sorrowful, mournful
dried up; exhausted; depleted
Standard, norm; accurate, precise; to permit, to allow
Rime — refers to the ice crystals that form on surfaces when; also used in place names.
Clean, pure; to cleanse, to purify; net (as in net profit)
Cool, cold; to cool down; indifferent
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.