Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To answer; to respond; to promise
Deceive, cheat; cunning, crafty; strange, unusual
to ridicule; to mock; to satirize
To advise earnestly; to counsel; to exhort
To expose others' faults; to argue; to debate
To spread, to disseminate; to expound, to explain; to announce, to proclaim.
Wise, intelligent; clever; eloquent in speech.
To compose; to write; to draft
To make a vow or oath; to pledge solemnly; to swear.
To slander; to falsely accuse; to speak maliciously of someone behind their back.
To speak incoherently; to chatter or babble; to talk nonsense or ramble.
To know; to recognize; to understand
Qiao — a surname; to blame or reproach; a watchtower or tower
Tan — a Chinese surname; also means 'to talk', 'discuss', or 'deep' in classical usage.
To slander, to falsely accuse, to defame; to speak ill of someone behind their back.
Chart, table, register; musical score; genealogy
Sheng — (archaic) to praise, extol; to eulogize; to commend.
Xuan — clever, wise, intelligent; possessing great wisdom and discernment.
To clamor; to make a noise; to create an uproar
To speak cautiously; to talk prudently; to be careful in speech.
To speak honestly and directly; to admonish; to criticize frankly.
To offer advice; to admonish; to counsel
To inquire carefully; to investigate thoroughly; to verify
To deceive, to cheat; to pretend; to feign.
To denounce or accuse; to expose someone's faults or crimes; to censure.
To warn; to alert; to guard against
To slander; to defame; to speak ill of someone
To murmur; to mutter; to speak in a low, continuous, and indistinct voice
to sigh; to lament; to groan
Friendly, amiable, harmonious; lush, luxuriant (of vegetation); variant form used in classical texts.
To talk nonsense; to be delirious; to rave
To give an example; to make an analogy; to illustrate by comparison.
To destroy; to ruin; to damage
Hui — ancient form meaning 'to draw, to paint'; also an archaic variant of 会 (to meet) and 话 (speech, words).
To translate; to interpret; to explain
To discuss; to deliberate; to propose
Good, virtuous, excellent; the original form of 善 (good, virtuous).
To yield; to concede; to give way
Timid, weak, indecisive — describes a person who lacks courage or determination; hesitant and easily intimidated.
To reprimand; to censure; to condemn
To oppose; to confront; to contradict
To speak rapidly; to talk incessantly; to chatter
To protect; to guard; to defend
Deceive — to cheat, swindle, or defraud; to make false claims; to spread rumors or fabrications.
To shout, to cry out loudly; to clamor; to make a loud noise.
To speak slowly and deliberately; to stammer; to mock or mimic someone's speech.
The sound of jade striking; elegant, refined; beautiful jade.
To oversee; to supervise; to inspect
Reputation, fame, praise, honor; to praise, to commend; also used in names to convey prestige and good reputation.
Superficial, shallow, trivial; lacking in depth or substance; often used to describe knowledge, understanding, or talent that is not profound.
Wisdom, intelligence, sagacity; archaic variant of 慧 meaning wise, intelligent.
To read; to study; to attend school
To blame; to censure; to reproach
To search for; to investigate deeply; to inquire thoroughly (archaic character).
Praise, commend, eulogize; to extol virtues or achievements in writing or speech.
Lei — an ancient form of elegy or dirge; a ritual lament or funeral oration in classical Chinese literature.
To examine in detail; to investigate thoroughly; to interrogate
to flatter; to fawn upon; to speak falsely
flatter, toady, fawn upon; flattery, sycophancy
To speak cautiously, to speak in a roundabout way; to speak evasively or ambiguously.
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.