Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Chen — refers to Chenzhou, a city in Hunan Province, China; primarily used in geographical names.
Post — refers to postal service, mail, or post office; historically used for relay stations in imperial China.
An archaic variant form of the character 部, meaning 'part', 'section', 'department',
Village, countryside, rural area; hometown, native place; direction, orientation.
Dan — refers to Dancheng, an ancient city in Henan province; used primarily in proper names.
Ju — an ancient place name; refers to Ju County in Shandong province; also used in historical texts.
Numerous, abundant, piled up — describes a large quantity or accumulation of
Qiao — an ancient place name; used in historical texts to refer to a specific location.
Yi — an ancient state name during the Shang dynasty; also refers to a type of banner or flag used in ancient
Metropolis, capital city; all, both; even, already
Yan — an ancient place name, referring to Yan County or Yan
Mei — an ancient place name referring to Mei County in Shaanxi; also used in historical contexts.
Ruò — an ancient state during the Zhou dynasty; also used in place names.
An ancient place name, possibly referring to a location in historical China; variant form of 邶.
E — refers to Hubei Province in China; also used in the name of the ancient state of E; an alternative name for Wuhan
Shu — an ancient place name in China, referring to a county
Juàn — a place name, specifically referring to Juancheng County in Shandong
Yu — an ancient state during the Spring and Autumn period in; also a surname.
Yun — refers to Yuncheng, a place name in Shandong Province, China; historically an ancient city and administrative division.
Hóu — an ancient place name; a historical settlement during the Spring and Autumn period in the state
Kui — ancient place name; also used in historical texts referring to a specific location.
Old form of 鄉 (xiāng), meaning village, countryside, native place, or hometown.
Sou — an ancient state during the Spring and Autumn period; also refers to a place name in ancient China.
Tang — refers to Tangyi, an ancient place name in Shandong province; also used in the name of a traditional Chinese opera form.
Name of an ancient place in the state of Jin during the; a historical place name.
Xi — an ancient place name from Chinese history, specifically referring to
Ru — an ancient place name, specifically referring to Ruyang County in
Chu — an ancient Chinese surname; also refers to an ancient place name in the state of Jin
Zi — an ancient place name in ancient China, specifically referring to
Zou — a Chinese surname; ancient state during the Zhou dynasty; also refers to a place name in Shandong province.
Yì — an ancient place name; refers to the ancient state of Yì during the Zhou dynasty.
Wu — primarily a Chinese surname; also refers to a place name in ancient China.
Village, countryside; native place; hometown
Yun — an ancient place name, referring to Yun County in Hubei; also used in historical place names.
Hào — an ancient place name in China, located in present-day Hebei; site of a famous battle.
Yong — an ancient state during the Zhou dynasty; one of the states in the Odes of Yong section of the
Lowly, vulgar, despicable; rustic, uncultured; humble, modest (self-deprecating)
Mao — an ancient place name; refers to Mào County in Hebei province, China; also used in historical contexts and personal names.
Chao — an ancient place name in China, specifically referring to a
Fu — an ancient place name referring to Fuzhou (鄜州) in present-day; also appears in classical Chinese literature.
An ancient state name during the Spring and Autumn period, located in; also a surname.
Yin — a place name referring to Yin County in Zhejiang Province,; also used as a surname.
Zhuān — an ancient place name in the state of Lu during; also a surname.
Hu — refers to Hu County, a historical county in Shaanxi Province,; now known as Hu District within Xi'an.
Qiao — an ancient place name; a county in ancient China; also a rare surname.
Yan — primarily a surname; also refers to an ancient state and place name in ancient China.
Zhang — an ancient place name; refers to Zhang County in ancient China; also used in some historical and geographical contexts.
Man — a surname; also refers to an ancient place name in the state of Zheng
Qiao — an ancient place name; variant form of 鄡 used in historical texts.
Xu — an ancient place name; an ancient state during the Zhou dynasty; also an archaic form of 許 (Xu).
Deng — a Chinese surname; ancient state during the Shang and Zhou dynasties; place name in present-day Henan province.
Ancient place name in present-day Guizhou province; also used as a surname.
Xun — an ancient place name in China; also a surname.
Bi — an ancient place name in Chinese history, specifically referring to
Zeng — an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty; also used as a surname.
An ancient place name in the state of Zheng during the Spring; also a rare surname.
Zheng — originally a place name; a major surname in Chinese culture; also refers to seriousness, solemnity, and formality.
Mao — an ancient place name, referring to Mao County in ancient; also used in historical contexts.
Shan — refers to the ancient Shan Kingdom (Shanshan) in the Western; also used in modern place names like Shanshan County in Xinjiang.
Neighbor — refers to a person or place that is near or; also used to describe proximity or close relationships.
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.