Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Glimmering; light blue; pale
Unadorned silk; plain silk fabric without patterns; by extension, something plain, unadorned, or simple.
A thick, heavy rope or cord used for binding or tying; particularly refers to a rope for binding criminals or prisoners.
Tassel, cord, ribbon; something that ties or binds; to bind or tie
to shrink; to contract; to reduce
Multiple meanings depending on pronunciation: (miào) a surname; (móu) meticulous, fine; (miù) erroneous, false
To reel silk from cocoons; the process of unwinding silk fibers from silkworm cocoons for textile production.
Patterned silk; a type of dyed fabric with intricate designs, often used in traditional
to wind around; to entwine; to coil
To repair; to mend; to fix
Silk fabric; an ancient term for silk textiles; also historically used as a surname.
Reins, bridle — the straps or ropes used to control and guide
closely attached; deeply attached; inseparable
To reel silk from cocoons; to sew with an invisible stitch (hemming).
To bind; to tie; a noose
to hand over; to pay; to capture
To inherit; to carry on; to succeed to a position or title, especially in a formal or
A type of ancient Chinese earthenware jar or pottery vessel; also refers to a musical instrument made from such pottery.
To unload; to remove; to lay down
A large container, jar, or vat, typically made of earthenware, porcelain, or
To cook; to boil; to stew
to lack; to be short of; incomplete
A type of ancient Chinese earthenware vessel or jar, often used for; variant form of 缶.
Deficient, lacking, incomplete; a variant form of 缺 meaning deficiency or shortage.
Vase, jar, bottle — a container, typically made of ceramic, glass, or
A bamboo tube used in ancient China as a complaint box or; a primitive suggestion box or ballot box.
A rare character meaning a small earthenware jar or pot; archaic variant of 罐 (jar, pot, can).
Gang — an archaic or dialectal variant of 缸 (gāng), meaning a
Poppy — refers to the poppy plant, particularly the opium poppy; also used in names of related plants and objects.
Ancient vessel — refers to a type of ancient Chinese pottery or
to use up; to exhaust; to be depleted
crack; fissure; crevice
Jar, pot, vase — a container typically made of clay or porcelain
Wine vessel, wine jar, goblet — an ancient Chinese bronze or ceramic
Jar — a large earthenware jar, vat, or crock used for storing
A deep cooking pot or wok, typically used in Cantonese cuisine for
Exhausted; depleted; empty
A large earthenware jar or urn, typically used for storing wine, grain,
jar, pot, vessel; specifically refers to a small-mouthed jar or pot.
Lei — an ancient Chinese ritual bronze wine vessel with a wide
Jar — a large earthenware jar or crock used for storing liquids,
An earthenware wine jar or wine vessel; an ancient type of wine pot or wine container.
jar; pot; can
net; network; web
Net radical — a character component representing a net or network; used as a radical in characters related to nets, traps, or legal
Net radical variant; used as a component in characters related to nets, traps, or obstruction.
to deceive; to cheat; not
rare; scarce; seldom
net; to catch with a net; to collect
A net used for catching rabbits or other small game; also appears in the name of a palace gate in ancient China.
Ancient form of 深 (deep); to go deep into; profound.
to punish; penalty; punishment
Large fishing net; a type of large net used for fishing in ancient China.
A small fishing net; a fine-meshed net used for catching small fish.
Net — a net used for catching rabbits or birds; a hunting net; trap.
A net for catching rabbits; a type of hunting net or snare.
net (for catching fish or birds); snare; trap
Trap, snare — a device for catching animals; also used metaphorically for schemes or pitfalls.
Gang — refers to the celestial net or the Big Dipper; in Daoism, represents the patterns of the heavens; used in names to suggest strength, righteousness, and celestial connection.
to stop; to cease; to dismiss
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.