Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to chop; to hack; to cut
A hard, large rock or stone.
1. The sound of stones striking together; 2. A type of stone; 3. (Archaic) Great
A rare character describing the sound or appearance of striking rocks; used in classical texts.
To grind, polish, or calender (as in paper or cloth); to press and smooth with a roller or stone.
Arsenic — a highly toxic chemical element (As); specifically refers to white arsenic (arsenic trioxide).
A rare character with uncertain meaning, possibly related to stones or rocky; appears in some ancient texts and place names.
To grind, polish, or sharpen; to research, study, or investigate thoroughly.
To break, crush, smash; fragmented, broken into pieces; to shatter.
brick — a rectangular block of baked or dried clay used for; metaphorically refers to something hard, heavy, or unyielding.
A type of giant clam, specifically referring to the Tridacna genus; used in the name '砗磲' for the giant clam shell.
A stone roller used for leveling soil after sowing seeds; to roll with a stone roller.
A rare character meaning 'broken tiles' or 'debris', used in historical texts
Inkstone — a stone mortar used for grinding and containing ink in
砛 — An ancient or variant character for 'rock' or 'stone'; also appears as a variant form in some historical texts.
Sulfone — an organic chemical compound containing a sulfonyl functional group attached
A weight used in scales; specifically refers to standard weights in a balance scale.
Gravel, small stones; to grind or polish with stones; ancient term for a type of whetstone.
Small pieces of coal, stone, or rock; coal fragments; gravel.
Mountain with stones — refers to a rocky mountain or stony terrain; also used in ancient texts to describe rugged mountainous land.
A stone arranged in a neat, orderly pattern; to arrange stones in a pattern.
pile of stones; coral; used in the compound 砢碜 meaning embarrassing or shameful
Weight — a stone or metal weight used on a steelyard (scale); also refers to a stone roller or millstone for grinding.
A large rock; boulder; stone. (Note: This character is extremely rare and archaic, primarily found in
whetstone; to polish, refine; foundation, basis
Fort, stockade, military stronghold; variant of 寨 meaning village or camp.
Anvil; chopping block; flat stone or metal block used for pounding, hammering, or cutting.
A stone with a specific shape or form; an ancient character variant.
Fluorite — a mineral composed of calcium fluoride; also refers to a type of stone used in ancient times.
A type of jade or precious stone; also refers to agate.
Stone pillar; stone foundation; also used in some Buddhist terms and place names.
A large rock or stone; also used in the transliteration of certain words.
A stone needle used in ancient acupuncture; to criticize or point out faults; to pierce.
nu — a type of stone that can be used to make; a whetstone for sharpening tools.
The sound of water striking against rocks; onomatopoeia for the sound of rushing water.
Bang, thud, boom — onomatopoeic word for loud impact sounds like explosions,
A type of stone; fine stone; stone chime
Cannon — an artillery piece; historically refers to stone-throwing catapults and later gunpowder artillery.
The sound of stones colliding or knocking together; onomatopoeia for stone-related sounds.
to break; to split; to damage
bowl; basin; vessel
A variant form of 珀 (pò), referring to amber; a type of fossilized tree resin valued as a gemstone.
Arsenic — a chemical element (symbol As, atomic number 33), a metalloid
to smash; to pound; to break
Astatine — a radioactive chemical element with symbol At and atomic number; extremely rare in nature.
whetstone; to grind; to sharpen
To grind, polish, or husk grain; a millstone or grinding tool.
Concrete — a technical term in construction and civil engineering for the
A rare character used in place names, particularly in Taiwan; also appears in some personal names.
gravel, small stone, pebble; refers to small, coarse particles of rock.
Mine, ore deposit — an archaic/variant form of 矿 (kuàng), meaning mine
foundation, base; cornerstone; the base or plinth of a pillar
The sound of striking stones; obstinate, stubborn, opinionated.
Quán — an archaic character referring to a type of weight or; also appears in some ancient texts and place names.
Vermilion, cinnabar — a red pigment made from mercuric sulfide; also used in traditional Chinese medicine and seals.
Sound of striking stones; archaic term for a type of polished jade or precious stone.
Silicon — a chemical element (atomic number 14, symbol Si), a hard
硆 — a stone; hard, firm, solid; also used in ancient texts to describe the sound of stones striking.
Nao — refers to sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride), a mineral used in
Firm; solid; hard
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.