Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Shen — an archaic Chinese character meaning 'to stretch the neck; to crane one's neck' or 'to be long and slender'.
To chant; to recite; to intone (poetry or verses).
Delight, joy, pleasure; to rejoice, to be happy; also used in names.
parting; farewell; secret method
Ancient variant of 詅 (líng), meaning to sell or to trade; also an archaic character with disputed meaning, sometimes interpreted as 'to speak'
Slow of speech; inarticulate; tongue-tied
Sincere, honest, truthful; to believe; to trust.
fault, error, transgression; a character used in classical Chinese to denote mistakes or moral failings.
To deceive, to cheat; to slander, to defame; to make false accusations.
Tumultuous — describes a state of clamor, uproar, or contentious dispute; often used in classical or literary contexts to depict conflict and disorder.
To visit; to call on; to interview
Xin — an ancient variant of 心 (heart), used historically to represent
Cunning, crafty, clever; quick, agile; to disturb, to agitate.
Set — to set up, establish, arrange, design, or install; also used in words for equipment, facilities, or hypothetical situations.
To argue; to dispute; to debate
To boast; to brag; to exaggerate
Unclear speech; confused talk; unintelligible words.
Xu — a common Chinese surname; to permit, to allow; to praise
Firm, resolute, steadfast; also used in names to convey determination and strength of character.
Japanese kanji for 'translation', 'interpretation', 'deciphering'; also used in historical or literary contexts to mean 'explanation' or 'rendering'.
To sue; to accuse; to complain
To spy on; to secretly observe or eavesdrop; to pry into others' affairs covertly.
To scold, reprimand, or blame; also used in transliterations, particularly in Buddhist terminology.
To state; to declare; to explain in detail (archaic or literary usage).
Harmony — refers to a state of peace, accord, and harmonious balance; often used in classical and literary contexts.
To entice; to seduce; to mislead
To diagnose; to examine (medically); a medical consultation.
To annotate; to comment; to record
To prove; to demonstrate; to verify
To revile; to abuse; to insult
To slander, defame, criticize; to calculate, assess; also used as a surname.
To slander, to defame, to criticize falsely; to find fault with.
To slander; to gossip; to chatter
to explain ancient texts; to interpret archaic words; exegesis of classical language.
To assess value; to estimate; to appraise
To deceive; to cheat; to swindle
To forget; to omit; to neglect
To sell; to peddle; to hawk goods
To slander, defame, vilify; to speak ill of someone; to denounce falsely.
To prophesy; to foretell; to predict
To scold, revile, or verbally abuse; to use harsh language against someone.
To clamor; to make noise; to argue noisily.
Flattering, sycophantic; to flatter or fawn upon someone.
To curse; to swear; to use abusive language
Gàn — to be unable to speak; mute; speechless.
To talk excessively or verbosely; to chatter; to speak in a loquacious manner.
How could; how; unexpectedly
To argue stubbornly; to dispute; to wrangle.
To deceive, cheat, swindle; fraud; cunning
To deceive, to cheat; to boast, to brag; used in classical Chinese.
To bequeath; to hand down; to give
To deceive, to cheat; to swindle; to trick.
Imperial edict, decree, proclamation — an official order or announcement issued by
To evaluate, appraise, criticize, judge; also refers to reviews, commentary, or assessment.
Bi — to argue sophistically; to engage in specious reasoning; biased argumentation.
To spy; to reconnoiter; to gather intelligence secretly
To bend, yield, submit; to be defeated; to be in straitened circumstances
To dispute, argue, or debate; to engage in verbal contention or discussion.
Negligent; careless; inattentive
Curse — to invoke evil or misfortune upon someone; to swear an oath; to use profane language.
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.