Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Shark — refers to a type of shark or shark-like fish; also used in the name of the sawshark (Pristiophoridae).
A type of large fish, specifically a red-tailed carp or large marine; also refers to young fish or fry.
Pufferfish — a type of fish that can inflate its body as; also known as blowfish or globefish.
A rare Chinese character referring to a type of fish, specifically the
Flatfish; a type of flounder or sole fish.
Shěn — refers to young fish; fish fry; also used historically in naming certain types of fish or fish-related objects.
A type of flatfish or flounder; specifically refers to certain species of righteye flounders in the family Pleuronectidae.
Soft-shelled turtle; also used in ancient texts to refer to a type of turtle
A type of fish with a human-like face and a body resembling
Lu — refers to the ancient Chinese state of Lu; the modern Shandong province; also means clumsy, stupid, or rustic.
A type of fish with a patterned or striped appearance; also refers to cuttlefish or squid in some contexts.
A type of fish, specifically the Japanese gizzard shad or konoshiro gizzard; also refers to a mythical fish in ancient Chinese texts.
Fish — specifically refers to the Japanese sea bass or Lateolabrax japonicus; a type of fish found in East Asian waters.
A type of fish, possibly a sea bream or porgy; also used in ancient texts to refer to certain fish species.
Bream — a type of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family, known
Nà — a type of catfish or similar fish; also refers to a type of sea creature in classical texts.
Squid — refers to various species of squid, particularly the common squid
Catfish — refers to a type of catfish; also used in Japanese as a variant character for certain fish names.
A mythical whale-like creature in ancient Chinese mythology; also used in Japanese as a character for 'sawfish' or 'guitarfish'.
A type of fish; specifically refers to the sheatfish or certain catfish species.
A type of fish, possibly referring to a specific species or a
A type of flatfish or sole; also refers to a mythical sea creature in ancient texts.
Catfish — refers to various species of catfish or sheatfish, particularly the
A type of large freshwater catfish found in East Asia, particularly in
Ling — a type of fish, specifically the Chinese mud carp (Cirrhinus
Tuó — a type of fish, possibly a catfish or sheatfish; also refers to the Tuo River in Guangdong province.
Spanish mackerel; a type of fish; also refers to a mythical fish-like creature in Chinese mythology.
A type of fish, possibly referring to a specific species of carp
Flatfish — a type of marine flatfish, specifically referring to fish in
A type of fish, specifically referring to flying fish or certain species
Bitterling — a type of small freshwater fish in the carp family
A type of small fish, specifically the anchovy; also refers to a mythical creature resembling a fish with a bird's
Wei — a specific name for a type of fish, often identified
A type of small freshwater fish, often referring to species in the
A type of fish, specifically the Japanese Spanish mackerel or Japanese seerfish
Freshwater fish, specifically the whitefish or Culter alburnus; also refers to certain types of fish in general.
Scorpionfish; rockfish; a type of marine fish in the family Scorpaenidae, known for their
Gun — name of a mythological figure in Chinese legend, father of
A type of freshwater fish, specifically referring to species in the Rhodeus
Catfish — refers to various species of catfish, particularly the Amur catfish
Fishy smell; foul odor from fish or seafood; stench of rotten fish.
mackerel; a type of fish; also refers to elderly people in classical texts due to the character's
Bao — a surname; abalone; salted fish
Crucian carp; a small freshwater fish species (Carassius auratus) commonly found in East Asia; also used metaphorically for someone in humble circumstances.
Zha — refers to pickled or fermented fish; also used for certain dishes involving preserved or marinated fish.
Ancient name for a type of fish, possibly extinct or mythical; obscure character rarely used in modern Chinese.
A type of freshwater fish; specifically refers to the Chinese hooksnout carp (Opsariichthys bidens), also known as
A regional name for a type of fish, specifically the Japanese sculpin; also used in some Japanese place names.
A type of small fish found in Japanese waters, specifically referring to
A non-standard, rare variant character for 鮘, which is itself a variant
A type of fish, specifically the Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius); also refers to a kind of flatfish or sole.
Jié — refers to a type of clam or oyster; also used in place names, particularly referring to Jieshi Mountain in ancient
Shu — a type of small fish, possibly referring to a specific
Hou — a type of fish; specifically refers to the blackmouth croaker or similar fish species.
Dried fish; salted fish; specifically refers to processed fish products in Chinese cuisine.
roe, fish eggs; specifically refers to the eggs or spawn of fish.
Anglerfish — refers to the anglerfish species, particularly the anglerfish or monkfish; used in the name of the anglerfish (鮟鱇).
A type of freshwater fish, specifically the Chinese sucker (Myxocyprinus asiaticus), known
A type of small catfish found in East Asian rivers, specifically referring
A type of fish, specifically a kind of grouper or sea bass
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.