Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Large earthenware jar or urn used in ancient times for storage.
Wine vessel; ancient term for a wine jar or wine container.
A large earthenware jar; a deep bowl or basin; also used in ancient place names.
A type of ancient pottery vessel or container; also used in some historical place names.
A small-mouthed bronze vessel from ancient China, used for holding wine, water,; a type of ancient pottery jar.
A type of ancient earthenware vessel or jar; a small-mouthed pottery container used for storage in ancient China.
Bottle, vase, jar — a container, typically made of glass, ceramic, or
A small, shallow bowl or dish, typically made of pottery or porcelain.
To lay bricks or tiles; a brick or tile pavement; a well wall
To examine, distinguish, or discern; also a Chinese surname.
Centigram — a unit of weight in the metric system equal to
Porcelain; ceramic ware; china.
A small-mouthed jar or pot; an ancient type of ceramic vessel used for storing liquids or grains.
To dry out; to become brittle; to decay
Ridge tile; roof tile; also used in ancient texts to refer to a type of headdress
A type of earthenware jar or pot; an ancient vessel for storing liquids or grains.
A type of ancient Chinese tile or brick, particularly referring to a
Ou — a small bowl or cup; refers to the Wenzhou region of Zhejiang province; ancient name for a region in Zhejiang.
Ridge tile — the decorative tile at the ridge of a traditional; roof ridge.
Brick — a rectangular block of clay or other material, baked or
A large earthenware jar or urn, typically used for storing food, liquids,
A crack or fissure in a vessel; to crack, split; also refers to the edge of a mortar or a type of
An ancient earthenware vessel for steaming food; a type of cooking utensil; also refers to a surname.
A type of ancient Chinese pottery jar or wine vessel, typically with
A brick or tile, especially referring to ancient or glazed bricks used
A large earthenware jar or jug; an ancient vessel for holding liquids or grains.
Wèng — a large earthenware jar, urn, or vat, typically used for
Jar, pot, vase — a type of ancient earthenware or ceramic container,
Yan — an ancient Chinese cooking vessel with a steamer on top; also refers to a type of mountain with a shape resembling this
Sweet; pleasant; willing
Glycoside — a class of organic compounds in chemistry and biochemistry, typically
very, extremely; what, why; to exceed, to go beyond
sweet; pleasant; agreeable
Sweet — describes a pleasant taste like sugar or honey; by extension, pleasant, agreeable, or delightful.
A white tiger with black stripes; a mythical beast in Chinese folklore.
To taste; to try; to experience
to be born; to give birth; life
Clear sky; fine weather; brightness
Numerous; abundant; growing in large numbers
To produce; to give birth; to yield
Luxuriant; flourishing; abundant growth
Nephew — specifically refers to a sister's son. In traditional Chinese kinship
To revive; to come back to life; to awaken
A rare, archaic Chinese character meaning 'to grow abundantly' or 'flourishing vegetation'.
To use; to employ; to apply
to throw; to fling; to swing
A rare Chinese character used primarily in proper names, notably in the
just; only then; for the first time
A path or corridor; an ancient vessel; used in place names like Ningbo (宁波)
Don't — used to express prohibition or negation; colloquial contraction of 不用 (bùyòng), meaning 'no need' or 'don't'.
Don't need to; no need to; used as a contraction of 不用 (bùyòng) in some dialects.
Ning — a surname; also means peaceful, tranquil, serene; used in classical Chinese.
field; farmland; cultivated land
reason, cause; from, by; through
First of the ten Heavenly Stems; armor; shell
to state, to explain, to report; the ninth earthly branch; to extend
A rarely used character; primarily appears in the compound 曱甴 (yuēyóu) meaning cockroach, especially in Cantonese.
electricity; electric; lightning
Ghost head; an ancient character representing a demon or spirit head; also used as a component in other characters.
Male; man; boy
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.