Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
nuò — an archaic interjection used to express assent or agreement, similar
To move; to stir; to budge
Silent, mute; unable to speak; hoarse, voiceless
we; us (dialectal/colloquial first-person plural pronoun, often used in northern Chinese dialects)
The sound of insects chirping; onomatopoeia for the chirping of insects, especially crickets.
Oh — an interjection expressing sudden realization, surprise, or understanding; also used to indicate agreement or acknowledgment.
A rare, obsolete Chinese character with uncertain meaning; appears in some historical texts but not in modern usage.
A rare or archaic Chinese character; meaning uncertain, possibly related to 'dry' or 'withered'.
Yǔn — describes a large mouth; also refers to a type of fish with a big mouth; used in ancient texts.
To pant; to gasp for breath; to breathe heavily
Beak, snout, mouth of an animal; also used metaphorically for human mouth or speech in a derogatory or
To call out; summon; awaken
Huàn — to change, to exchange; also an ancient term for crying out.
Happy, joyful, pleased; to like, to enjoy; happy event, celebration
To drink; to consume liquids; also used metaphorically for consuming air, wind, or in expressions like shouting.
Chirp; squeak; creak
To sigh; to heave a deep sigh, often expressing regret, disappointment, or deep emotion.
To breathe heavily; to pant; to gasp for air
To cry out loudly; to shout; to yell
To drink; to sip; archaic usage for tasting or sampling liquids.
To breathe upon; to warm with breath; to nurture
Sound of a bell or loud, harmonious sound; used to describe resonant, majestic sounds.
To be excessive; to go beyond proper limits; to be immoderate or extreme in behavior or speech.
Rock; cliff; used in ancient texts to refer to rocky mountains or cliffs
noisy, clamorous, boisterous; to make a loud, chaotic sound.
Clear and resonant (of sound); loud and clear.
To understand, comprehend; to explain, illustrate; to use as a metaphor or analogy
To lose; to be bereaved of; mourning
To eat; to consume (food, drink); to suffer or endure
Tall; high; lofty
rude; rustic; coarse
Single; alone; simple
An onomatopoeic character representing explosive sounds or sudden actions; also used in some dialects for expressions of surprise or emphasis.
To eat; to consume; archaic or variant form of 餐 (cān) or 食 (shí).
Li — used in transliterations, particularly in the word 'curry' (咖喱); also appears in other loanwords and names.
Chirp; twitter; chatter
Onomatopoeic character representing sounds like whistling, slashing, or whizzing; used in transliteration of foreign words.
Meow — onomatopoeia for the sound a cat makes; also used to describe cat-like behavior or things related to cats.
Camp, barracks; to manage, to operate; to run a business. (Note: This is the Japanese shinjitai form of
To spurt, gush, spray; to erupt, burst forth; to spout, spew
A rare character with unclear meaning; appears in some historical texts and place names.
Quinoline — refers to a class of heterocyclic aromatic organic compounds, often
In, at, on — a Cantonese preposition indicating location, time, or state
To explain; to inform; to understand
A suitcase, trunk, or box; a container for holding items, typically for travel or storage.
Particle indicating completion, change, or obviousness; also used as an interjection or in reduplicated forms.
Ku — legendary emperor in Chinese mythology, also known as Emperor Ku
Noisy, clamorous; to chirp; the sound of birds or insects.
To vomit; to retch; to spew out.
To cry, to weep, to wail; to call out loudly.
Yao — to be joyful, happy, delighted; to rejoice.
A sharp, severe sound; to shout loudly; stern and strict in manner.
hoarse — describes a voice that is rough and harsh, typically due; also used as an interjection expressing doubt or surprise.
To smell; to sniff; to detect by scent.
To choke; to irritate (as smoke); to clash
Stingy — frugal, sparing, economical; to be reluctant to spend or use resources; also refers to harvesting crops.
Yong — describes the harmonious sound of birds singing, particularly the cry; used to represent melodious, harmonious sounds in classical Chinese.
Crop — a pouch-like enlargement of a bird's esophagus where food is; also refers to similar anatomical structures in insects.
Gong — an onomatopoeic character used in ancient Chinese to represent certain; also used in transliteration of foreign words.
To inhale, to breathe in; to gasp; to sob
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.