Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Dī — a type of black stone used in ancient China for; also appears in historical personal names.
A whetstone; to grind; to sharpen
A deep mountain stream or ravine, often referring to a narrow valley
Reef — a ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand at or
This character appears to be a rare or variant form with limited
A support or prop used in mining, specifically referring to roof supports
Qiao — refers to a bridge, specifically used in place names, most
A large block of stone; stone block or base used as a foundation, pedestal, or support.
Alkaline — refers to substances with a pH greater than 7; basic in chemical nature.
A rare character referring to a type of jade-like stone; also used in the name of a type of stone called '礇石'.
Zhui — an archaic variant of 墜 (zhuì), meaning to fall, drop,; now obsolete in modern usage.
Rough; harsh; severe
Sound of stones or hard objects knocking together; a rare character used in ancient texts.
Zé — an obscure character used in the name of a mythical
To roll down stones; to hurl or throw down large rocks; used in military contexts for defensive tactics involving rolling stones.
A character used in ancient texts, primarily found in the word 碣礍
foundation stone, cornerstone; basis, foundation; the fundamental support or starting point for something.
Yè — an obscure, rarely used character referring to a dangerous or; steep, perilous.
Que — refers to a rocky mountain; also used in place names; describes the sound of stones striking together.
Dang — a character primarily used in the word 礑石 (dàngshí), referring; also used as a sound component in some dialects.
Yi — refers to a rocky shore or rocky bank by the; a character used primarily in names and place names.
Jiang — refers to small stones, gravel, or pebbles; also used in the term 'jiangcha' for a rough, gritty surface.
Thunderclap; the sound of thunder; used in classical texts to describe loud, sudden sounds.
A rare character used in the word 礕礋 (pì zé), which refers
An obscure, archaic Chinese character with uncertain meaning; possibly a variant form or ancient character no longer in common use.
A rare character meaning 'the sound of breaking stones' or 'crushing sound'.
Onomatopoeic character representing the sound of a drum or other percussive noise; archaic and rare in modern usage.
To hinder; to obstruct; to impede
Kē — the sound of stones colliding or falling; onomatopoeia for a loud crashing or rumbling sound, like thunder or rocks
A whetstone; a fine-grained stone used for sharpening or polishing tools and weapons; also refers to the sound produced during sharpening.
Arsenic trisulfide (realgar) — a toxic mineral used historically in traditional Chinese
A type of jade-like stone or precious stone; often refers to a specific variety of chalcedony or agate.
A type of mineral, specifically chlorite schist, used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Ancient form of 炮 (pào) — refers to artillery, cannon, or large; also used in historical contexts for catapults or large projectile weapons.
Magnet — refers to magnetic materials, lodestone; also used in words related to magnetism.
Vast, extensive, boundless — used in the word 磅礴 (páng bó) meaning
A character used in dialectal Chinese, particularly in the Min Nan (Hokkien)
A character used in the word 礣砎, describing the appearance of stones
A grater; a coarse file; a rasp
Xian — difficult, hard; determined, resolute; stingy, miserly
Mineral; ore; mine — refers to naturally occurring solid substances from which metals or
To pile stones; a heap of stones; ancient form of 礌 (stone-throwing weapon)
Lei — refers to a pile of stones or rocks; a mound; an ancient term for a type of stone formation or accumulation.
Plinth, base, or foundation stone; also used in ancient texts to mean firm, solid, or to support.
Whetstone; to sharpen; to hone
gravel, small stones, pebbles; fragmentary material
Alum — a double sulfate salt of aluminum and potassium, used historically
Firm, solid, resolute; also refers to a type of stone.
Cannon — an artillery piece; a large gun that fires heavy projectiles; historically refers to ancient artillery weapons.
A rare character used in personal names, likely a variant or obscure
A character used primarily in historical or technical contexts, specifically in the
Husk or polish rice; to grind or mill grain; a millstone
To polish, to grind; to refine or improve through practice; to sharpen one's skills.
Millstone — a large, heavy circular stone used for grinding grains, typically
Vast, extensive, immense — used primarily in the word 磅礴 (pángbó) to
Arsenic — a toxic chemical element (As); also used in the name of a mountain in Taiwan.
Jar, pot, can, tin — a container, typically cylindrical, used for storing
Ancient term for a type of stone; possibly refers to a specific mineral or rock type used in ancient
A type of stone or rock; often refers to a specific kind of mineral or stone material.
Yán — high and steep; towering; majestic
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.