Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Korean reading tool for Chinese characters; used in Korean hanja reading marks (gugyeol) to indicate pronunciation.
A phonetic character used in Korean place names; not used in standard Chinese.
A rare character used in Japanese place names; meaning uncertain in Chinese.
A Korean surname; also used in Korean place names.
Dry; parched; dried food
to govern, to regulate; to manage affairs; variant form of 治 meaning to rule or administer.
Turtle — a reptile with a hard shell; symbolizes longevity, wisdom, and endurance in East Asian cultures; also refers to tortoises.
Dry — archaic variant of 乾 (qián/gān), meaning dry, parched, or to; also used in historical texts.
Chaos, disorder, confusion; to disturb, to throw into disorder; rebellion, revolt
A mythical beast resembling a fox; also used in ancient texts as a variant form of 麟 (qilin).
Greedy, avaricious; to covet; to be greedy for wealth or gain.
A hook stroke; used as a radical in some characters.
A grammatical particle indicating completed action or change of state; also means 'to finish, to understand' when pronounced liǎo.
An archaic variant form of the character 個 (simplified: 个), meaning 'individual',
I, me; to give, to grant; also used as a classical Chinese first person pronoun.
to contend; to strive; to argue
variant form of 事 — affair, matter, thing, business; to serve
matter, affair, thing, business; to serve; event, incident
Two; second; twice
To walk slowly; to take small steps; a character used in classical Chinese.
At; in; on
to lose; to be deficient; to treat unfairly
An archaic variant form of 于, meaning 'in', 'at', 'to', 'from', or
cloud; to say (archaic); used in names and poetic contexts.
mutual; reciprocal; each other
A Chinese surname; archaic form meaning 'his', 'her', 'its', or 'their'.
five; the fifth; a musical note in the Chinese pentatonic scale.
Well — a water well; also refers to something neat, orderly, or in the shape of a; used metaphorically for hometown or origin.
Four — an archaic form of the number four (四).
Ancient form of 歲 (year, age); archaic character for year or harvest time.
to extend; to stretch across; continuous
to extend; to span; continuous
Asia; second; inferior
some; a few; a little
Asia; second; inferior
Ancient form of 齊 (qí), meaning 'even', 'uniform', 'neat', 'to arrange', 'to; also refers to the ancient state of Qi.
Asia; second; inferior
urgent; pressing; extremely
A radical known as 'lid' or 'cover'; used in characters often related to coverings, high places, or abstract concepts.
to perish; to die; to flee
high; haughty; excessive
An archaic form of 大 (dà), meaning 'big', 'large', 'great'; also used in ancient texts.
to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money)
The twelfth and final Earthly Branch; corresponds to the Boar in the Chinese zodiac; period from 9-11 PM
also; too; as well
to produce; to give birth; product
smooth, successful, prosperous; to go smoothly; unit of inductance (henry)
A Chinese unit of area measurement (approximately 0.0667 hectares or 1/6 acre); field, farmland.
A rare, archaic character with uncertain meaning; primarily found in historical texts or as a variant form.
to enjoy; to receive (benefits, hospitality); to offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors
capital city; metropolis; Beijing
Pavilion — a small, open-sided structure in gardens or parks for resting; also refers to a kiosk or booth for selling goods.
Bright, clear, radiant; to shine; intelligent
To offer sacrifices; to present offerings; to enjoy
An archaic variant form of 京 (jīng), meaning 'capital city' or 'metropolis'.
Night — archaic/variant form of 夜 (yè), meaning the period of darkness
dear, beloved, intimate; parent; blood relation
Bo — a historical place name, specifically referring to Bozhou city in; an ancient capital during the Shang dynasty.
A rare, archaic Chinese character of uncertain meaning, possibly related to flight
To treat with disrespect; to profane; to defile
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.