Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Gǔ — to be depressed, melancholy, or discontented; an archaic character with limited modern usage, primarily found in classical texts.
To open; to start; to initiate
To open; to begin; to start
Tao — used in the word 嚎啕 (háotáo), meaning to cry loudly
To eat, to feed; to entice with bait; to taste
To eat, to chew; to entice, to lure; to taste or sample something.
A dialectal variant or alternative form used in certain Chinese dialects; often appears as a variant character or in specific regional expressions.
Bad, weak, exhausted; also refers to a type of ancient vessel or container.
Mean; stingy; to hoard
To mock, ridicule, or sneer at someone; to express contempt or scorn through words or expressions.
To sip, to drink; to sob, to weep; a surname.
Harmony, gentle; to blend, to mix; also used in names to denote peace and concord.
Mute; unable to speak; dumb
Wise, intelligent, sagacious; archaic variant of 哲 meaning philosophical wisdom.
A transliteration character used primarily in the word 'coffee'; also appears in 'morphine' and other foreign loanwords.
liǎng — a unit of weight equal to 50 grams; also used as a transliteration character in Cantonese.
To hold in the mouth; to harbor (feelings); to bear (a grudge)
Beer — used specifically in the word 'beer' (啤酒), a fermented alcoholic
What — interrogative pronoun used in colloquial Mandarin to ask 'what' or; equivalent to 什么 but more informal.
A modal particle used at the end of sentences to indicate exclamation,; also used as an onomatopoeia for singing or shouting.
To click the tongue; to express admiration, praise, or disapproval; to make a sound of clicking the tongue.
Qing — archaic character with dual meanings: 1) to sigh, lament; 2) clear, fine (weather); variant of 晴 (clear) and 情 (emotion).
A Cantonese modal particle expressing supposition or estimation, roughly equivalent to 'probably',
Onomatopoeia for a sharp, sudden sound like a slap, crack, or pop; also used to describe something happening quickly or decisively.
A Cantonese slang particle expressing impatience or annoyance; also used in the compound '啫喱' (jelly).
Stingy, miserly, thrifty; to economize or be frugal.
To warble; to chirp; to trill
To gnaw, to nibble, to bite; to erode or wear away gradually.
Onomatopoeic character representing sounds like gulping, gurgling, or cooing; used to mimic various vocal or liquid sounds.
Verbose, wordy, talkative; to chatter; to nag
correct, suitable, just right; Cantonese word meaning exactly, precisely, or fitting perfectly
A Cantonese character meaning: a little, some; possessive particle (equivalent to 's in English); used to indicate a small amount or portion.
Quan — archaic character meaning to curl or bend; also used in some dialects for the action of curling or rolling
tān — describes the sound of breathing or panting; also used in classical Chinese for 'many' or 'abundant'.
Onomatopoeic particle — represents the sound of a kiss, bubbling, or light; used as a sentence-final particle in some dialects.
A suffix used in chemistry for the names of certain heterocyclic compounds,
Onomatopoeic character representing clanging, clattering, or rattling sounds; used in dialects for dangling or hanging loosely.
To whistle; to howl; to roar
Cantonese slang character meaning to squeeze, press, or crush; also used to represent the sound of grinding or crushing.
Tang — an ancient form of 唐, referring to the Tang dynasty; vast; grand
Only; merely; just
To cry; to weep; to wail
To grind the teeth in sleep; to talk in one's sleep; to mumble or mutter indistinctly.
Chirp — onomatopoeic word for the chirping of birds or other small; also used to describe squeaking or peeping sounds.
Abundant, plentiful; rich, wealthy; at ease, comfortable.
Ka — an onomatopoeic character representing sounds like coughing, laughter, or cracking; also used in transliterations of foreign words.
To gape; to look up in expectation; also describes the movement of a fish's mouth out of water.
Feed — to give food to; to provide nourishment; to supply
murmur; mutter; mumble
Good, virtuous, kind; excellent; adept at
Sound of many people talking or bustling noise; an onomatopoeic character for crowd murmur.
Wise; sagacious — a variant of 哲, meaning profound wisdom and intellectual insight.
Loud sound; blare; trumpet
Jie — describes harmonious, melodious sounds, especially of birdsong or music; also used to describe agreeable, pleasant sounds in general.
Throat — the part of the body that forms a passage for; the voice box or larynx.
To shout, yell, or call out loudly; to cry out; to exclaim.
to chatter; to talk incessantly; to babble
A call used to summon chickens or fowl; an onomatopoeic character representing a specific sound made to call poultry.
To gnash or grind teeth; to chatter or make noise with the mouth.
wai — a particle used in Cantonese to indicate a change of; also used in some dialects as an interjection.
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.