Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
A small boat, particularly a type of ancient warship or vessel used
To caulk (a boat) — to seal seams or cracks in wooden
A type of boat or ship; specifically refers to a large vessel or warship.
A large boat or ship; specifically refers to a type of vessel used in ancient China.
Bow — the front part of a ship or boat; prow.
to strand a boat; to run aground; to reach the shore.
A type of light boat or skiff used in ancient China, typically
Small boat; a type of small vessel.
Small boat; skiff; a light, shallow-draft vessel.
A type of small boat or ferry used in some dialects, particularly
To moor two boats side by side; to lash boats together.
Raft; small boat; skiff
Yì — refers to the decorative carved bird figurehead on the prow
A measure word for boats, ships, and other vessels; also used for spacecraft.
Cao — a type of boat or vessel, specifically referring to a
Tower cabin — refers to a multi-story cabin or tower structure on
A long, narrow boat or vessel, typically used for transportation on rivers
Snow sled; snow vehicle (Japanese-specific meaning for this character).
A small bridge; a plank bridge; a narrow footbridge, often used in historical or rural contexts.
A type of ancient warship or large naval vessel; often refers to war junks or battleships in historical Chinese naval contexts.
A character used in the name of a type of small boat
A type of boat or vessel, often referring to a specific kind
Mast — the vertical spar on a sailing vessel that supports the
Oar, scull — a long pole with a broad blade at one
To moor a boat to the shore; to bring a boat alongside a dock or bank.
Oar, paddle — a tool used for rowing or propelling boats through
Warship, naval vessel — refers to large military ships used in naval
Boat; vessel; ship (archaic or rare character).
A type of ancient warship; refers to a large, armored warship used in ancient Chinese naval warfare.
Rudder — the steering device of a boat or ship, used for
Oar — a long pole with a broad blade at one end,
Prow — refers to the bow or front part of a ship; often used in classical Chinese literature.
A type of large ship or boat; an ancient Chinese vessel.
A type of boat or ship; refers to a large vessel, often used in classical Chinese literature.
One of the Eight Trigrams in the I Ching, representing mountain, stillness,; also refers to stubbornness, unyielding; as an adjective, blunt, straightforward.
Good, virtuous, excellent; fine, of high quality; kind, benevolent.
difficult, hard, arduous; hardship, suffering
Difficult, hard, arduous; hardship, suffering; poverty-stricken.
color; appearance; look
Beautiful, gorgeous, colorful; also implies amorous, voluptuous, or passionate.
Fuming with anger; flushed with rage; angry expression.
Ping — a character meaning blue and red mixed color; also refers to a beautiful appearance.
Gorgeous, beautiful, voluptuous, alluring; refers to vibrant and captivating beauty, often with a sense of richness
Gorgeous, beautiful, resplendent; refers to dazzling beauty, often with a connotation of vibrant color and
Grass, plants; the grass/plant radical used in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 140).
Grass radical — a pictographic character representing grass or plants; primarily used as a radical in Chinese characters.
art; skill; craft
A type of fragrant plant; used in the name of a plant called 萝艻 (luólè), which refers
A type of plant; used in the term '茗艼' (míngdǐng), an archaic variant meaning 'intoxicated' or
A type of medicinal plant (Chinese thoroughwax or Qin艽); also used in the term 秦艽 (a species of gentian).
mugwort (Artemisia argyi); to stop, cease; beautiful
A type of edible plant; taro; used in the term 芋艿 (taro).
An ancient name for the reed used in making arrow shafts; also used as a variant form of 苕 (reed, rush).
An archaic character meaning 'artemisia' or 'wormwood'; also used as a variant form in ancient texts.
Festival, holiday; section, joint; moral integrity, principle
Luxuriant growth of plants; lush and flourishing vegetation; vigorous growth.
Refers to the Chinese swallowwort plant (Metaplexis japonica), used in traditional Chinese
A type of plant; used in the word 铫芅 (yáoyì), an ancient name for a kind
A type of plant; a rare character sometimes used in names.
An archaic character meaning to equal, to match; also used in ancient texts to denote balance or equivalence.
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.