Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Snake — a legless, elongated reptile; also used metaphorically for something treacherous or cunning.
A type of spider; archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
Ling — refers to small insects, particularly the sandfly or lacewing; also used in the term for the tsetse fly.
Gu — refers to a legendary venomous insect; poison; to poison
Egg — the oval or round reproductive body laid by birds, reptiles,
A variant form of the character 蛄, used in the word 蝼蛄
Firefly; a type of luminous insect; also refers to light or glow.
Oyster — refers to various species of edible bivalve mollusks, particularly the
Razor clam — a type of edible saltwater clam with a long,
Cricket — refers to crickets, small insects known for their chirping sounds,
A type of crab; specifically refers to the swimming crab or sometimes to a type of
Ge — refers to a type of insect, specifically a mole cricket; also used in some dialectal terms.
A type of hairy caterpillar; stinging caterpillar; also refers to something prickly or irritating.
Ascaris — refers to roundworms, particularly the human roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides); parasitic intestinal worms.
Intestinal worm; specifically refers to roundworms or parasitic worms in the intestines.
A type of clam or shellfish; also refers to a kind of insect larva.
A type of grasshopper or locust; an archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
A dialectal word for ant; also used in some dialects to refer to small insects or mites.
Frog — an amphibian with long hind legs for leaping, known for
A type of small insect or cricket; also used in classical Chinese texts to refer to certain insects.
Spider — an eight-legged arachnid that spins webs to catch prey; also appears in various compound words and idioms.
Used in the word '蛜蝛' (yī wēi), referring to a type of
A type of earthworm; also refers to a kind of insect or worm.
Slug — a type of mollusk; also appears in the name of a traditional Chinese medicinal substance.
flood dragon; mythical aquatic dragon-like creature; often depicted as a hornless dragon or serpent that can transform into
A type of sea creature, possibly a marine worm or small sea; also used in some classical texts.
Ant; refers to ants in general, particularly flying ants or termites.
A type of beetle, specifically referring to the tortoise beetle or similar
A type of dung beetle; also refers to the 蛣蜣 (qiqiang) beetle, known for rolling dung balls.
Clam; toad; frog
cicada — refers to various species of cicadas, insects known for their
A type of bird mentioned in ancient Chinese texts, possibly referring to; also appears in classical literature and place names.
A variant form of 網 (wǎng), meaning 'net' or 'web'; archaic character for spider web or fishing net.
A type of grasshopper or locust; an ancient name for a certain insect.
Cricket — an insect of the family Gryllidae; also refers to a type of grasshopper or locust in classical texts; used poetically to evoke autumn and melancholy.
A type of clam; also refers to a kind of insect or small creature.
A mythical creature in Chinese mythology, often described as a crab-like or; also refers to a type of ancient demon or spirit.
Cricket — an insect of the family Gryllidae, known for its chirping; also refers to the mole cricket.
leech; a type of annelid worm that feeds on blood, often found in; also refers to bloodsucking parasites.
Barbarian — historically refers to non-Chinese peoples of the south; uncivilized, wild, fierce; also used to mean 'very' or 'quite' in colloquial speech.
Shrimp; prawn; lobster (primarily used in Japanese contexts, especially as a component in names
to hibernate; to lie dormant; to hide away
Nymphalid — refers to a family of butterflies, particularly the fritillary butterflies; used in classical Chinese literature.
Pinworm — refers to a type of parasitic worm (Enterobius vermicularis) that
A type of freshwater snail, specifically referring to river snails or pond
Maggot, grub — specifically refers to the larvae of certain beetles, especially
A type of small insect, specifically referring to a small wasp or
A type of insect; specifically refers to a kind of cicada or a similar insect.
An ancient term for a type of centipede or millipede; also refers to a kind of insect that damages books.
Octopus; also refers to certain types of insects or larvae, particularly mantis egg
Pupa — the intermediate stage in the life cycle of insects between
Nymphalid — refers to a family of butterflies; specifically used in the word for 'fritillary butterfly'.
To molt; to shed skin, feathers, or shell; to exuviate
A type of freshwater clam or mussel; refers to the freshwater bivalve mollusk.
An ancient character meaning 'clam' or 'shellfish'; archaic and rarely used in modern Chinese.
Moth — a nocturnal insect similar to a butterfly but typically with; often associated with attraction to light.
A variant form of 蜭 (hàn), referring to a type of hairy; also appears as an alternative form in some classical texts.
Shu — ancient name for Sichuan region; short for Sichuan province; name of the Shu Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period
A type of spiral-shaped seashell; spiral; whorl
Bee — a stinging insect that lives in colonies and produces honey; also used metaphorically to describe swarming or clustering behavior.
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.