Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
house, dwelling; lodging; to give up, abandon (variant form of 舍)
To lick; to taste with the tongue (archaic/rare character).
To lick; to lap with the tongue.
To lick; to lap with the tongue (archaic/rare character).
Comfortable, relaxed, at ease; to stretch out, to unfold; also a common Chinese surname.
To lick; to lap up with the tongue.
lick — to pass the tongue over something; to lap; to flatter obsequiously.
To stick out the tongue; to lick.
Shop, store; counter, stall; to spread out, to arrange
Shop, store; to spread out, arrange; a bed, mat
Guan — building for public use; hall, establishment, institution; particularly used for cultural, educational, or hospitality venues.
Tongues — depicts multiple tongues; means gossip, slander, or to speak evil of others; also an archaic variant of 話 (speech, words).
To stick out the tongue; to lick or taste with the tongue; to protrude the tongue.
To err; to make a mistake; to be contrary
Shun — legendary sage-king of ancient China in the Three Sovereigns and; a model of filial piety and virtuous rule.
Axle-pin — an ancient term for the linchpin or crossbar used to
Dance — to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence; to wield, brandish, or flourish something; to play with or manipulate.
boat; vessel; ship
A small boat shaped like a knife; knife-shaped vessel.
An archaic or variant form of 船 (chuán), meaning boat or ship; also used in some dialects.
Sampan — a small wooden boat or skiff used in coastal waters
To moor a boat to the shore; to bring a boat alongside a dock or bank.
A variant form of the character 帆, meaning 'sail' (as on a
A pontoon bridge; a floating bridge; also refers to a type of boat or raft used for crossing
Tai — a rare Chinese character primarily used in Cantonese dialect, referring
An ancient term for a boat or ship; variant form of 帆 meaning sail.
Small boat, skiff, sampan — refers to a small wooden boat used
Boat, ship (archaic/variant form of 船).
To navigate; to sail; to fly
A boat; especially a pleasure boat or a large, ornate boat used for entertainment
Kind, sort, type; manner, way; to move, to transport
bilge — the lowest internal surface of a ship's hull; also refers to a type of boat or ship.
Stern of a boat; part of a ship's structure at the rear.
Midship — the middle section of a ship or boat; amidships.
warship, naval vessel, military ship
cabin — the interior compartment of a vehicle, such as a ship,
A small boat with windows; a boat cabin; a small vessel.
Stern of a ship; rudder; often used in classical texts to refer to the rear part of
Small boat, skiff; specifically refers to a tiny boat in classical Chinese literature.
Rudder; helm; steering wheel
Large oceangoing ship; vessel; seafaring transport.
The side of a ship, aircraft, or other vessel; gunwale.
Large boat; big ship; vessel.
boat, ship, vessel — a watercraft of considerable size designed for transportation
Xia — refers to a type of boat or vessel; also appears in place names like Mengjia (Monga) in Taipei.
Prow of a ship; bow of a vessel; often used in conjunction with other nautical terms.
Small boat; a type of small vessel or skiff.
Ancient term for a type of boat or ship; refers to large vessels in classical Chinese texts.
Ship outfitting — refers to the equipment, furnishings, and final fitting-out of
An obscure, rare character with unclear meaning; possibly a variant form or used in specialized contexts.
Small boat; skiff; light boat used for ferrying or transportation.
To make, to build, to manufacture; to create; to invent
An ancient type of boat or ship; used in historical texts to refer to vessels.
A type of boat or ship; an ancient term for a vessel.
Stern of a boat; rudder; also refers to the helmsman or boatman.
A type of large, ornate boat or ship used in ancient times,
A type of boat or ship; a vessel used for navigation.
A small boat, vessel, or craft; typically refers to smaller watercraft like speedboats, submarines, or small sailing vessels.
Stern — the rear part of a ship or boat; the back end of a vessel.
Boat, vessel — an archaic or variant character for boat, similar in
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.