Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Liu — a rare character referring to a type of mineral, possibly; also used in some names.
A character found in ancient place names, particularly referring to a pavilion
Tang — refers to Tangtai, a place name in ancient times; also used in the word '磄磃' meaning strange or bizarre stones.
Pound — a unit of weight (approximately 453.6 grams); also refers to scales or weighing; in British usage, currency (pound sterling).
Huá — a type of stone; also used in ancient place names; a component in certain compound words.
An archaic form of 砒, referring to arsenic or arsenic trioxide (砒霜).
rugged, craggy; piled stones; mountain peak
Stone foundation; the stone plinth or base of a pillar in traditional Chinese architecture.
Pile of stones; heap of rocks; open and honest
To polish, grind, or consult carefully — refers to the process of; by extension, to deliberate, discuss, or refine through careful consultation.
Sound of stones falling; a stone pillar; a stone marker.
A rare character used in historical texts, possibly referring to a type
Mountain stream, mountain valley; refers to a small mountain creek or ravine.
A type of red stone or mineral; also refers to being diligent and earnest.
Large rock; monolith; foundation stone
Millstone; grindstone; to grind
To fall; to tumble down; to collapse (especially of rocks or stones).
To strike; to pound; to ram
Dismemberment — a form of execution by dismemberment in ancient China; also refers to the downward-right stroke in Chinese calligraphy (捺).
To knock; to bump; to collide
Ancient character meaning 'stone' or 'rock'; rarely used in modern Chinese.
Brick — an archaic variant of 砖 (zhuān), meaning brick or tile; used in historical texts and place names.
Yao — used in place names, particularly 红磘 (Hongyao), a location in; also appears in 磘里, another Taiwanese place name.
Stone roller — a cylindrical stone tool used for threshing grain, leveling; to roll or flatten with a roller.
Brick — a rectangular block of baked or dried clay used for; also refers to brick-like objects in computing or gaming.
Precipitous, steep; refers to a high, sheer cliff or mountain.
Waterfall; cascade; steep cliff with falling water.
áo — refers to a rocky or stony place; used in place names and in describing rugged terrain.
To collapse; to fall down; to crumble
A roller or roller-like tool; a stone roller used for threshing or grinding; to roll
Sal ammoniac — ammonium chloride, a white crystalline salt used historically in
Kàn — refers to a cliff, precipice, or steep bank; also used in place names and for riverbanks.
To rub; to scrape; to polish
Gritty, coarse, rough; unpleasant to the touch or taste; used to describe something with a sandy or granular texture.
Sound of thunder or a large object falling; also used in classical texts.
Pile up; heap; accumulate
High mountain peak; steep cliff; also used in names.
Desert; moraine; gravel
To grind; to polish; to wear down
A type of stone resembling jade; also refers to steps or stairs made of stone.
Steep, precipitous; used in names and transliterations, particularly in Korean contexts.
Fine-grained stone; a type of fine-textured stone used for grinding or polishing.
Qing — a chime stone, a type of ancient Chinese percussion instrument; to exhaust, to use up; to bow.
Thick lips; protruding lips.
An archaic, rare character meaning 'rock' or 'stone'; not in common modern usage.
Reef; rocky shore; promontory
A type of stone, possibly a variant or archaic term for a
Old stone; whetstone; grindstone
A type of large clam or shell, specifically referring to the giant; used primarily in the compound word '砗磲' (chēqú).
Zēng — refers to a steep, rugged mountain peak or cliff; also used to describe something towering or precipitous.
Stone steps; stone stairs; stone bridge
Mountain stream, mountain torrent; a ravine with a stream flowing through it.
A stone base or plinth, particularly the stone foundation for a pillar
Phosphorus — a non-metallic chemical element (symbol P, atomic number 15); also refers to phosphorescence.
A type of stone or mineral; historically used in ancient texts to refer to a specific kind of
Stone slab; stone bed; stone couch
Sulfur — a yellow chemical element (S); also refers to sulfa drugs and sulfuric acid.
Pan — refers to a stone used as an anchor in ancient; also appears in place names and personal names, most famously in the
Describes the sound of stones falling or colliding; used in classical Chinese to depict rocky or stony terrain.
Barren, unproductive; stony, rocky land; hard ground
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.