Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To exorcise; to drive away evil spirits or avert misfortune through religious or ritual
A type of sacrificial ceremony in ancient China, specifically a summer sacrifice; one of the four seasonal sacrifices mentioned in classical texts.
Auspicious; blessed; fortunate. A rare character historically used in names, particularly associated with the
Zàn — used in ancient Chinese as part of personal names; appears in historical texts referring to specific individuals.
A sacrificial ceremony to report to heaven or ancestors, especially after a
A footprint; a trail; a track
Yu — legendary ancient Chinese ruler, founder of the Xia dynasty, renowned; also used in names.
A mythical creature or region in ancient Chinese mythology; also used in historical names.
to leave; to depart; to be away from
Xie — an ancient surname; refers to a legendary figure Xie (禼) who was a minister under; also an archaic character.
Bird; fowl; feathered animals
Grain; standing grain; cereal crops
bald; bare; blunt
elegant, beautiful, graceful; to blossom, to bear grain; outstanding, excellent
private; personal; selfish
An ancient character meaning 'grain that is ripe and ready for harvest'; also used in some historical texts.
bald; bare; blunt
To hoe soil around plants; to cultivate; to nourish
An ancient unit of measurement for grain; a bundle of grain; also refers to a type of grass or plant.
stalk, stem (of grain plants); refers to the main body of crops like rice, wheat, etc.
To plant, cultivate, sow; skill, craft, art; to govern, manage.
Indica rice — a type of long-grain, non-glutinous rice common in southern
To grasp; to hold; to maintain
Year — refers to a year, age, or harvest; used in classical and literary contexts.
Autumn, fall; harvest season; year
Autumn — the third season of the year, a time of harvest; also used in some contexts to refer to a period or year.
seed; kind; type
to waste, to consume; to diminish; to exhaust
To weed; to remove weeds from crops; an ancient term for agricultural cultivation.
branch of study; department; science
Second (unit of time); a very short moment; in geometry, a second of arc (1/60 of a minute).
Grain stalk; bundle of grain; to reap or harvest grain.
Non-glutinous rice; long-grained rice.
blighted or empty grain; chaff; bad
Only, just, merely; variant form of 祇/只 meaning 'only' or 'just'; also refers to grain growing or ripening.
to waste grain; to consume food excessively; (archaic) to eat
Secret, mysterious; to keep secret; rare, precious
withered grain; dried up crops; (archaic) barren, unproductive
A character used in the word 秚合 (bàn hé), meaning to mix; archaic or rare usage.
A rare character used in ancient texts, possibly referring to a type; also appears as a variant form.
1. (archaic) rice that grows again after harvest; regrown rice; 2. (archaic) glutinous rice
Evenly spaced, well-arranged; describes grain growing with uniform spacing; ancient form meaning orderly arrangement.
luxuriant growth of grain; abundant crops; to grow profusely
rent, lease; tax, tribute; to rent out
A type of black millet with double grains in one husk; ancient term for a specific variety of grain.
damaged grain; withered crops; blighted plants
Ling — an archaic term referring to the age of a grain; also an ancient unit of age.
fodder, forage; to feed horses or livestock; to prepare provisions
steelyard; a traditional Chinese balance scale; scale (for weighing).
A rare character meaning 'to stick, adhere, or paste'; used in some dialects for 'sticky' or 'glutinous'.
Qin — refers to the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), the first imperial; the Qin state during the Warring States period; a surname
Rice seedling; young plant; sprout
Lush, luxuriant growth of crops; abundant grain harvest; thriving vegetation.
Order, rank, sequence; regularity; official salary (in ancient China)
only, just, merely; variant form of 祇; also used in Buddhist texts
glutinous millet; glutinous grain; broomcorn millet
Black millet — an ancient type of millet with black grains, historically
Ancient unit of measurement for grain, equal to 100 million grains; used in the name of Zigui County in Hubei province.
秮 — A variant form of 秳 (huó), meaning grain with husk; to shell grain; also used in ancient texts.
Accumulate — to gather, collect, store up; product (mathematics); long-standing, accumulated over time.
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.