Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Sacrificial grain; provisions for officials; salary or pay in ancient times.
Zongzi — a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with
Paste; to stick with paste; paste-like substance
A type of fried food, particularly referring to fried dough sticks or
Zan — refers to roasted highland barley flour, a staple food in
Cí — glutinous rice cake; a type of sticky rice-based food, often pounded and shaped into cakes
Centimeter — a unit of length in the metric system equal to
Fine rice powder; finely ground rice or grain.
A type of rice cake or steamed rice food, possibly referring to
A type of rice cake or noodle made from glutinous rice flour,
Dried rice; parched rice; cooked rice that has been dried for preservation or travel provisions.
Grain, cereal crops; specifically refers to grains like rice, millet, and other staple food crops.
Sou — refers to a type of juice or liquid used for; specifically refers to filtered water with rice bran used for hand washing
Cake; pastry; any baked or steamed flour-based confectionery.
Sugar; candy; sweets
to dry grain; dried food provisions; embarrassing situation
A Japanese surname character used in names; not a standard Chinese character but appears in Japanese kanji.
rough; coarse; crude
Zhuang — to adorn, to dress up, to apply makeup; an archaic or variant form of 妝 (zhuāng).
A variant form of 糖, meaning sugar; sweet substance; candy.
Millet; to waste/extravagance; to rot/decay
Sǎn — refers to cooked rice grains mixed with other ingredients; grain mixed in; to sprinkle or mix in
Manure, dung, feces; excrement; to fertilize with manure
dregs, sediment; poor quality; rotten, spoiled
Bran — the husk or outer layer of grains such as rice; chaff; worthless or coarse material.
Starch; paste; a thick liquid made from starch used in cooking and various applications.
Vague, indistinct, unclear; refers to something blurred or not clearly defined; often used in the word 模糊.
A variant form of 糁 (sǎn), referring to cooked rice grains; rice mixed with other ingredients; grain-based porridge or congee.
A type of fried dough twist or crispy snack, similar to youtiao
Glutinous; sticky (referring to rice or grains).
Cooked rice; to steam rice; ancient term for wine and food offerings in ancestral rites
Grain, food provisions, rations — refers to cereal grains and food supplies,
Starch paste; thick paste used for sticking paper, especially in bookbinding and paper crafts.
Husked rice; polished rice; refers to refined grains after the bran has been removed.
Rice crust — the burnt or scorched layer of rice that sticks
A type of round-shaped food, often referring to a kind of rice
Mochi — a type of Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice; also refers to similar sticky rice-based foods in Chinese cuisine.
Zongzi — a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with
Thick, dense (of liquids, especially congee or porridge); congealed, pasty.
Glutinous; sticky; refers to glutinous rice and other sticky grains
A ball-shaped mass; dumpling; especially refers to glutinous rice balls (tangyuan).
Fermenting agent; yeast; leaven
Coarse, unpolished — refers to coarse rice or unrefined grains; by extension, rough, crude, or unrefined in quality.
To husk rice; to polish rice; fine white rice
to buy grain; to purchase cereals (especially in bulk quantities).
Fermentation starter; yeast; malt
To sell grain; to sell in bulk (especially grains or commodities).
Rotten, spoiled, or decomposed rice; refers to food that has gone bad or become inedible due to
Fine silk; thread; a general term for things that are fine, small, or connected in
Silk; thread; the silk radical used in Chinese characters, often appearing in its simplified
To investigate; to examine; to correct
system; series; department
A rare character; variant form of 功 (merit, achievement) or 紅 (red); also an ancient form for 'strength' or 'work'.
To pull; to draw tight; to stretch (archaic).
to correct, to rectify; to investigate; to entangle, to twist together
An archaic character with uncertain precise meaning; appears in historical texts, possibly related to silk thread or fine work.
To record; discipline; age
A variant form of 衩, meaning a slit or vent in clothing; also refers to shorts or underpants.
Zhou — the name of the last king of the Shang dynasty,; also refers to a crupper (part of a horse harness).
A decorative silk border or trim; a silk ribbon or braid used for ornamentation.
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.