Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To melt, fuse, or cast metal; to smelt; also refers to a mold or casting form.
Tang — an archaic character referring to a type of sugar or
Lock — a device for fastening or securing something, typically operated by; to lock up; also refers to chains or fetters.
Gun, firearm; spear, lance; also used as a variant of 槍 (spear, gun).
Cadmium — a soft, bluish-white metallic element used in batteries, pigments, and; also refers to a type of cooking vessel.
A long spear or lance; a type of ancient weapon.
Hammer — a tool with a heavy head used for pounding, striking,; also refers to a weight or mallet.
Ancient bronze bell used in rituals and ceremonies; a type of ancient agricultural tool similar to a hoe.
Ancient bronze vessel; large bowl or basin used in ancient Chinese rituals and ceremonies.
Technetium — a chemical element with atomic number 43; symbol Tc; a synthetic, radioactive metallic element.
Bridle bit; a metal piece of a horse's bit; also an ancient type of hairpin or ornamental clasp
Sǎng — a rare character referring to a type of ancient bell; also used in some historical texts.
A variant form of 钢 (gāng), meaning steel; hard; strong
Zi — an ancient term for a hoe or spade; primarily used in the name of Zi Si (子思), a grandson of; also appears in classical texts.
Tungsten — a hard, dense, gray-white metallic element with a high melting
Ying — to polish or refine metal; to make something bright and lustrous; an ancient vessel used in rituals.
Sound of a bell or metal object ringing; a clanging or jingling sound.
Tiao — an ancient term referring to a type of fine gold; also used in names.
Lutetium — a rare earth element (Lu); also an archaic term for gold plating or gilding.
Armor — protective covering worn in battle, typically made of metal plates
A rare character primarily used in personal names; meaning uncertain but possibly related to metalworking or craftsmanship.
To break or damage a weapon; to blunt; to kill
To carve; to engrave; to chisel
An ancient, rare character referring to a type of decorative metal ornament,
Hao — ancient capital of the Western Zhou dynasty; also a type of pickaxe or mattock used for digging.
To suppress; to calm; to guard
To suppress; to calm; to guard
Lang — used exclusively in the word 鎯头 (lángtou), meaning hammer.
Yi — an ancient unit of weight in China, equivalent to 20; used historically for measuring gold and other precious metals.
A type of ancient metal implement or tool; also used in personal names in some contexts.
Tang — a type of ancient weapon, specifically a long-handled spear or
Xí — a character used primarily in modern chemical terminology for the; also appears in some specialized technical terms.
Gallium — a chemical element (symbol Ga, atomic number 31); a soft, silvery metal used in electronics.
Copernicium — a synthetic chemical element with symbol Cn and atomic number
Masurium — an obsolete name for the element technetium; also used in some Chinese transliterations.
To engrave, carve, or inscribe; to chisel characters or patterns onto a hard surface.
Kusabi — a Japanese kanji meaning a wedge, a linchpin, or a; used metaphorically for something that connects or links.
Japanese kanji for 'kashira' — refers to the hilt collar/handguard on Japanese; also used in modern Japanese for 'bush' in electrical connectors.
Lock — a device for fastening or securing something, typically operated by; to lock up or confine.
A rare character used in the word 鏺鎼 (pō xià), referring to
Feng — a character used primarily in proper names, especially in Japanese
An obscure character used in historical Chinese texts, primarily appearing in ancient
Nihonium — a synthetic chemical element with symbol Nh and atomic number
An ancient type of hoe or spade; also refers to a type of ancient coin shaped like a spade.
Lock; to lock up; a bolt or fastening device.
A type of ancient Chinese vessel or container; also used in Japanese as a character variant.
Arrowhead; arrow; swift, rapid
Is, are — a classical Chinese character meaning 'to be' or 'is',; also used in some dialects and classical texts.
To forge, to refine metal; to cultivate, to train; to polish, to perfect.
To inlay, to set (as with gems or jewels); to embed; a type of ancient weapon or tool.
To lathe; to turn on a lathe; a lathe
Chain — a series of connected links or rings; a unit of length in maritime navigation (cable length); a surname.
Sharp; sharp-edged; rust
A flat iron griddle used for baking pancakes or flatbreads in traditional; a type of cooking utensil.
A type of ancient weapon similar to a spear or halberd; also refers to a type of furnace or fire used in metalworking.
Mo — refers to molybdenum, a metallic element (symbol Mo); historically used in the name of a legendary sword, Moye (莫邪).
Spiral; spiral-shaped object; specifically refers to a screw or spiral pattern.
An ancient term for a type of drill or boring tool; also refers to a kind of arrowhead.
A small tripod or cauldron with three legs and two loop handles; also refers to a type of ancient cooking vessel.
Liu — refers to fine gold; pure gold; gold of high quality
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.