Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
A type of fragrant plant or herb mentioned in ancient Chinese texts,
Huò — a measure; a standard; to measure
A rare Chinese character used primarily in personal names; refers to a type of plant or herb; also used in ancient texts.
Bright red; vibrant; luxuriant (of vegetation)
Zu — refers to a bundle of straw or reeds used for; also means to place or store.
A type of water plant, specifically referring to Brasenia schreberi (water shield)
Name of a plant, possibly referring to a type of edible herb
A type of medicinal herb, specifically the Chinese thoroughwort (Eupatorium chinense), used
Chopping grass for fodder; hay; to cut grass
A type of plant, specifically referring to a kind of mountain garlic
Kuǎi — a Chinese surname; a type of rush plant; also refers to a scraping tool or a place name.
A type of aquatic plant; a kind of seaweed or algae.
Gambling — refers to games of chance, particularly dice games; gambling implements.
Rush — refers to plants of the genus Typha (cattail/bulrush); also used in place names and surnames.
A type of aromatic plant; historically used to refer to a fragrant herb, possibly similar to patchouli
Capsule — a dry fruit that splits open when ripe, especially in; also refers to certain plant structures.
A type of plant; specifically refers to water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) or water caltrop.
A type of fragrant plant or herb in ancient texts; also used in historical names.
To steam; to evaporate; to rise as steam
Reed — specifically refers to Miscanthus reeds, a type of tall grass
Tribulus terrestris — a type of thorny plant; specifically refers to puncturevine or caltrop.
Soft rush — a type of plant with soft stems, historically used; also refers to something soft or weak.
Dark blue; deep green; azure
Anthracene — a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound used in the production of
To be lost; to be confused or bewildered; to be fascinated or enchanted.
Artemisia — a type of aromatic herb including mugwort, wormwood, and sagebrush; also used metaphorically to describe something trivial or worthless.
Sūn — refers to an aromatic plant, specifically the fragrant grass or; used in classical Chinese literature to symbolize virtue and fragrance.
Lush, luxuriant growth; abundant vegetation; thick foliage
Míng — refers to a legendary auspicious grass in Chinese mythology, specifically
Sou — to search for; to seek out; to gather
To store up; to accumulate; to save
Flowing water; to flow; a stream or current.
Mat — a woven mat made of grass, bamboo, or other materials
A medicinal plant; refers to the follicle of certain plants in traditional Chinese medicine, particularly
An ancient name for a type of weed or undesirable plant; used in classical texts to refer to valueless plants.
Rong — refers to lotus, specifically lotus root or petals; also used in names of places, especially Chengdu (蓉城).
Luxuriant, lush, verdant — describes dense, flourishing vegetation or foliage.
Cover, lid, canopy; to cover, conceal; to build, construct
To pretend to kneel but not actually kneel; to feign kneeling; to squat in a kneeling-like position without touching the ground.
Yarrow — a perennial herb (Achillea millefolium) used in traditional Chinese divination; also refers to divination stalks made from this plant.
A type of plant, specifically referring to the Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica),
Melon; specifically refers to fruits that grow on vines or creepers (as opposed
Straw mat or bedding; thick growth of grass; in traditional Chinese medicine, refers to the postpartum period.
Straw raincoat — a traditional Chinese raincoat made of palm-bark or straw,
A type of aquatic plant, specifically referring to water celery (Oenanthe javanica),
Bud — refers to flower buds, particularly unopened blossoms; used metaphorically for potential or beginnings.
A type of grass or plant; an ancient term for a specific herb or vegetation.
A rare character used primarily in personal names; refers to a type of precious stone or jade.
Castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis); used in the name of the castor bean plant and related terms.
A type of plant, specifically a medicinal herb; also used in personal names.
A covering of soil around the roots of plants; to earth up or hill up plants by adding soil around their
Japanese tatami mat; matting (primarily used in Japanese contexts, not standard Chinese)
Oxalic acid; refers to plants containing oxalic acid, particularly sorrel or wood sorrel.
To winnow grain; to sift or separate chaff from grain using a winnowing basket.
A rare character used in Japanese kanji, not standard in modern Chinese.
Blue — the color blue; indigo plant; used metaphorically for something vast or expansive (like the sky or sea).
A variant form of 萏, used in the term 菡萏 (hàndàn) meaning
Thistle — refers to the thistle plant; also used in place names, particularly Jixian County in Tianjin and the
A type of aromatic plant, specifically referring to Eupatorium fortunei or Lysimachia
A variant form of 參/参 (shēn), meaning ginseng; to participate; to refer
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.