Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Eagle, hawk — a large bird of prey with keen eyesight, powerful
A flock of birds; a group or gathering of birds; archaic character rarely used in modern Chinese.
A rare, archaic character meaning 'gathering of birds' or 'flock'; variant form of 集 (jí) meaning 'to gather' or 'collection'.
Gather — archaic form meaning to gather, collect, or assemble; variant of 集.
rain; rainy; to rain
Yu — ancient rain-making ceremony; to pray for rain; also refers to a type of altar used in such ceremonies.
Snow — frozen precipitation in the form of white flakes; to wipe away, to avenge.
A rare character meaning 'raindrop', 'dripping water', or 'drop'. Originally a Japanese
Fog; mist; a character used in names to evoke a misty, mysterious, or dreamy
A light, gentle sound of rain; drizzle; pattering of raindrops.
A rare character meaning 'to pluck feathers from a bird'; also appears in Buddhist texts and ancient literature.
Wen — refers to patterned clouds; used in names to mean elegant, refined, or cultured, often for females.
Heavy snowfall; heavy rain; heavy downpour.
Cloud — visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere; also used metaphorically for something high, distant, or numerous.
Thunderclap, thunderbolt — refers to a sudden, loud crash of thunder; used metaphorically for something sudden, violent, or shocking.
Torrential rain; heavy downpour; sudden heavy rainfall.
Yāng — describes the appearance of falling snow; also refers to white clouds or white appearance.
Zero — the number zero; fragmentary; fractional
Thunder; also refers to explosive devices like mines, and metaphorically to things that
Frost crystals; hoarfrost; ice crystals forming on surfaces.
Hail — frozen raindrops that fall as pellets of ice during thunderstorms.
Fog, mist; obscure, unclear; variant form of 霧 (fog).
Electricity — refers to electrical energy, lightning, telegrams, and anything related to
A rare character meaning 'cave' or 'cavern', primarily used in historical or
A rare character used in ancient texts, possibly a variant form or; sometimes found in historical names or texts.
Fog, mist; haze; something that obscures or confuses.
Misty rain; drizzle; fine rain
Need, require, necessary; to be in need of; necessity
To clear up after rain; to cease raining; to become calm (of weather or mood)
A light rain; drizzle; fine rain.
Deep and dark clouds; overcast sky; also used to describe a state of deep concentration or meditation.
Sky; firmament; heavens
Zha — refers to the sound of thunder or heavy rain; also a place name in ancient China (Zha Creek in Zhejiang).
Thunderclap, rolling thunder; sudden loud noise; used metaphorically for power, authority, or sudden force.
To shake, to quake, to tremble; thunderclap; shock
Torrential rain; heavy downpour; abundant, copious, ample.
Mold, mildew; rotten, moldy; bad luck, misfortune.
Spirit, soul, supernatural being; divine, efficacious; clever, quick-witted
Describes the clearing of rain; a brief cessation of rain; also used in classical texts to describe a light rain or drizzle.
Cloudy, overcast; describes the appearance of dense clouds.
Huo — sudden, quick; used as a surname; also refers to a sound of rapid movement
A very short time; moment; instant
Falling snow; drifting snow; to fall (of snowflakes, petals, etc.)
Deep, profound, mysterious; refers to deep water or profound mysteries.
To moisten; to be infected with; to benefit from favor
Obscure, cloudy, overcast, gloomy; variant form of 陰 (yīn) meaning 'cloudy' or 'overcast'.
Secondary rainbow; atmospheric optical phenomenon appearing as a larger, fainter rainbow outside the primary
To drizzle; to rain lightly; to sprinkle.
A rare character meaning dense clouds, overcast sky, or cloudy weather.
Lin — continuous heavy rain; prolonged downpour; often used metaphorically for abundant blessings or beneficence.
A rare character in modern Chinese, historically used in ancient texts and
Dong — a rare character used in the word 霟霘 (hóng dòng),
Sleet — falling ice pellets mixed with rain; also refers to snowflakes or precipitation in classical Chinese poetry.
Fog, mist — an archaic or variant form of 霧 (wù), meaning
Spirit, soul, divine, supernatural; efficacious, clever; an ancient form of 靈 (líng) meaning spiritual power or intelligence.
Frost — frozen dew that forms a white crystalline layer on surfaces; also used metaphorically for something white, cold, or aged.
Dripping rain; ancient form of 零 meaning zero, fragment, or to fall (as rain); also archaic usage for spiritual or divine.
Rosy clouds; morning or evening glow; a beautiful, colorful cloud formation.
A rare character meaning heavy rain or torrential downpour; also used in some place names.
Yin — an obscure character referring to overcast or cloudy skies; also appears in some ancient texts and names.
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.