Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Hammer — a tool with a heavy head used for pounding or; a weight used in weightlifting; a unit of weight in traditional Chinese measurement.
Ancient unit of weight equal to one-quarter of a tael (about 3.73; used metaphorically to indicate extremely small amounts or trivial matters.
Clang; clanking sound of metals or jades; used to describe a clear, resonant sound.
Adze — a cutting tool similar to an axe but with a
A type of ancient arrowhead; a small metal implement used in historical weaponry.
A type of ancient spear or lance; an ornamental metal fitting on a weapon or tool.
An ancient bronze bell-shaped musical instrument; the blunt end of a spear or lance; to assemble troops.
Tan — refers to a long spear or lance; a sharp weapon; extended meaning of sharpness or keenness.
Ingot; spindle; a small block of metal, especially gold or silver
Qi — an ancient type of cooking vessel with three legs; also used as a surname and in personal names.
Money — currency, coins, cash; wealth, riches; a unit of weight in traditional Chinese measurement
A metal or horn spike attached to a horse's headgear; an ancient type of helmet adornment or weapon tip.
A hoe; an ancient farm tool for tilling soil.
An ancient term for a metal vessel or container, possibly a type
Brocade — a rich, decorative fabric with intricate woven patterns; by extension, something beautiful, splendid, or magnificent.
Tube; pipe; a cylindrical container
Anchor — a heavy object attached to a rope or chain and; metaphorically something that provides stability or security.
Chang — an ancient type of spear or lance; also used in personal names.
A type of ancient cooking vessel or cauldron used in ancient China,
Tin — a silvery-white metallic element (Sn); to bestow, grant, or confer; used in classical Chinese for giving or awarding.
To refine, smelt, or temper metals; to forge through repeated processing; to train rigorously.
To engrave, to carve; to inscribe patterns or characters onto a hard surface.
To confine; to imprison; to restrain
Wrong, mistaken, error; fault, blunder; to miss, to err
An obscure, rare character; possibly a variant form or historical character with uncertain meaning.
An ancient character meaning 'precious metal' or 'treasure'; variant form of 珍 (zhēn) meaning 'precious', 'rare', 'valuable'.
Record — to write down, register, or copy; also refers to an official record, transcript, or recording.
Ruthenium — a chemical element (symbol Ru, atomic number 44), a rare
A rare character used in Japanese contexts for the element holmium (Ho),
Watch; clock; meter
Gadolinium — a chemical element with symbol Gd and atomic number 64,
Rhenium — a rare, silvery-white, heavy transition metal with high melting point,
Khenium — a chemical element (symbol Hs, atomic number 108); a rare character used primarily in scientific contexts.
Decorative metalwork; metal ornamentation; refers to decorative metal fittings, particularly in traditional Japanese crafts.
Bu — used in Japanese loanwords for 'rivet' or 'bolt'; primarily appears in 錻力 (buriki, meaning 'tinplate' or 'galvanized iron').
Neptunium — a radioactive metallic element with atomic number 93, part of
To inlay or decorate with gold or silver; to gild; to adorn with precious metals.
To carve; to engrave; to chisel
This character appears to be a variant or rare form. It may
Technetium — a synthetic chemical element with symbol Tc and atomic number; the first artificially produced element.
Countersink — a conical hole cut into a manufactured object, or the; also refers to a type of drill bit.
A type of ancient metal implement or tool; also used as a rare surname.
Francium — a highly radioactive metallic element with the symbol Fr and
Mendelevium — a synthetic radioactive metallic element in the actinide series, atomic
Kai — high-quality iron; excellent steel; used metaphorically for excellence, quality, or strength.
Ying — refers to the tinkling sound of metal or jade; an ancient term for a small bell.
Spoon; ancient term for a small spoon or ladle; also used in traditional Chinese medicine for a type of needle.
To smelt, refine (metals); to temper, forge; to train, drill
Pot, wok, cauldron — a cooking vessel, typically a round-bottomed pan used
Xian — an ancient character meaning 'brilliance of metal' or 'radiance'; also used in historical personal names.
To plate, to gild, to overlay with a thin layer of metal.
A rare, archaic Chinese character with uncertain meaning and usage, primarily found
Plow; a farming implement used for tilling soil; also refers to a type of ancient weapon.
Horse head ornament — a decorative metal ornament placed on a horse's
Fu — an ancient Chinese cooking vessel, a type of cauldron or
To temper metal; to forge; to sharpen
Clip; to clip or cut with scissors; to trim.
blade; edge of a sword; sword
A character used in the transliteration of foreign words, particularly in the
Chisel — a tool with a sharpened edge for cutting or shaping; also refers to the action of chiseling.
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.