Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To scrape; to shave; to remove by scraping or cutting.
To castrate animals, especially pigs; to geld; to spay.
Chisel — a tool for carving or engraving; also used in the name of the legendary figure Ban Jueyu (班爵玉).
To divide, mark off, delineate; to plan, design; to draw (a line)
To punish; to discipline; to admonish severely. (Note: This character is extremely rare and archaic, primarily
A sickle; a surgical scalpel or lancet; to cut with a sickle.
Drama, play, theatrical performance; intense, severe, extreme; rapid, violent.
To chop, split, or cleave; to strike with the edge of a blade; to break apart
Liu — a common Chinese surname; to kill, destroy; a type of ancient weapon
To cut off; to amputate; execution by dismemberment
To exterminate, to wipe out, to destroy completely; to cut off, to sever.
To cut; to wound; to injure
Sword — a weapon with a long metal blade and a hilt; also refers to swordsmanship or fencing.
Sword — an ancient term for a double-edged straight sword, a type
To slaughter; to butcher (an animal); to cut open
to slit; to cut open; to pierce
Dose, preparation, agent — refers to a measured amount of medicine or; a pharmaceutical preparation; also used for agents in chemistry.
Sword — an ancient term for a double-edged straight sword, particularly referring
劓 — an ancient punishment involving cutting off the nose; to cut off the nose.
Sword — an ancient term for a double-edged straight sword, particularly referring
Ancient unit of weight equal to twenty taels; ancient coin; to cut, to sever.
To cut; to engrave; to chisel
To cut; to sever; to reduce
To cut; to carve; to grind
To cut; to divide; to carve
To chop, to cut, to hack; to dig with a hoe or similar tool; to excavate.
strength; power; force
To press; to squeeze; to exert force. An archaic character.
to advise; to urge; to encourage
to do; to handle; to manage
achievement; merit; accomplishment
to add; to increase; to plus
affair; business; must
to exert oneself; to strive; to make an effort
inferior; bad; of low quality
strength, power, force; also pronounced lì with similar meaning
Strong; powerful; having great strength.
To unite strength; to cooperate; to work together
Strength, skill, ability; archaic character meaning to be strong and capable.
to move; to act; to change
to help; to assist; to aid
to exert; to strive; to make an effort
to rob, plunder; to coerce; calamity, disaster
toil, labor; diligent, hardworking; weary, fatigued
To encourage; to urge; to exhort
pleased; happy; joyful
An obscure character with limited usage, primarily found in classical texts or
To strive with effort; to exert oneself diligently.
to encourage; to urge; to strive
strength, energy, vigor; powerful, sturdy; interest, enthusiasm
labor, work; toil; to work hard
labor, toil, work; fatigue; merit, achievement
Certificate, ticket, document; a written contract or deed.
A rarely used character, primarily appearing in personal names. The meaning is
To encourage; to urge; to strive
To urge; to drive; to compel. An archaic character meaning to press or force someone to
Effect, efficacy; to imitate, to follow; variant form of 效 meaning effect, result, efficiency.
To exert effort; to strive diligently; to put forth strength.
urgent; hurried; flurried
prudent; cautious; diligent
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.