Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Stork — a large, long-legged wading bird with a long bill, often
Frost — refers to frost, hoarfrost; also appears in the name of a legendary bird in Chinese mythology.
Salt; saline; brine
Bitter; a character used in some dialects or historical texts to describe a
A type of salt; a salty substance.
Alkaline; lye; soda
Salty — describes a taste sensation; also used metaphorically for something dull or boring.
Salt — refers specifically to crude salt, sea salt, or salt in; also used in historical contexts for salt production and trade.
Alkaline — refers to substances with a pH greater than 7, having; in traditional contexts, refers to soda ash or natural alkali deposits.
Salt — a crystalline mineral substance used for seasoning and preserving food; chemical compound sodium chloride (NaCl); also used metaphorically for experience or bitterness.
Salty; salt; briny
Deer — a hoofed ruminant mammal with antlers in males; also refers to positions of power or official posts in historical contexts.
A female deer; doe.
Coarse, rough, crude; also means distant, remote.
Muntjac — a small species of deer native to South and Southeast
A legendary beast resembling a deer with one horn; also an ancient place name; surname.
Coarse, rough, crude; refers to something that is not fine or refined.
Roe deer — a small deer species native to Europe and Asia,
Young deer; fawn; also used historically in some place names.
A herd of deer; to flock together; also refers to a type of deer or an ancient place name.
Elk; ancient term for a type of deer; also refers to a duster made from elk tail hairs, used by
A rare, archaic Chinese character with uncertain meaning; appears in ancient texts but not in modern usage.
A rare character used in the place name 麊泠 (Mílíng), an ancient
Elk — refers to the Père David's deer, a species of deer; also used to describe things that are numerous or confused.
A herd of deer; refers to a group of deer or the appearance of a deer
A type of deer; a legendary animal mentioned in ancient Chinese texts.
A female deer; specifically refers to a doe or hind.
A type of roe deer or musk deer; an archaic term for a small deer-like animal.
Lin — a variant form of 麟 (lín), referring to the qilin; auspicious and benevolent.
fawn — refers to a young deer, especially one that is still
Qilin — a mythical hooved chimerical creature in Chinese mythology, sometimes called; symbolizes auspiciousness, prosperity, and serenity; also appears in male given names.
foot of a mountain or hill; wooded foothills; forest at the base of mountains
A male deer (stag) that has shed its antlers; specifically refers to a stag in its hornless state.
A type of deer, specifically the sambar or muntyac; to gather, assemble, or flock together.
A type of large deer or elk, specifically referring to the sambar; also used in ancient texts to describe large, majestic deer.
Beautiful, elegant, gorgeous; also refers to the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (高句麗).
Fragrant, aromatic — refers to a pleasant, sweet smell, particularly from plants
A type of mountain goat or antelope with long horns, mentioned in
A male deer; specifically refers to a stag.
fawn — a young deer; also refers to the young of certain other animals.
A female deer; an ancient term for a doe.
Musk — refers to the aromatic substance produced by the musk deer; also refers to the musk deer itself.
A type of deer; specifically refers to the river deer or Chinese water deer, a small
Female unicorn (qilin) — a mythical hooved chimerical creature in Chinese mythology,; symbol of auspiciousness, prosperity, and serenity.
A large species of deer, possibly referring to a type of sambar
A legendary type of deer or antelope mentioned in ancient Chinese texts,
Serow — a type of goat-antelope found in mountainous regions of Asia,
A rare Chinese character representing a type of wild goat or ibex,
Coarse, rough; crude, unrefined; thick, dense (of hair, fur, or texture)
Wheat — cereal grain; barley; oats
wheat; barley; oats
Coarse barley; unrefined grain; bran.
Fried flour; parched flour; roasted grain meal used as food or medicine in traditional Chinese contexts.
Bran — the husk of cereal grain separated from flour during milling; also refers to things that are light, fluffy, or of little substance.
Flour; noodles; dough
Noodles — specifically refers to wheat flour noodles, a staple food in
Bran — refers to wheat bran or husks; the outer layer of grains like wheat or rice that is separated
A type of ancient Chinese pastry or cake; a food item made from flour.
Wheat bran; coarse wheat flour; also refers to a type of porridge made from wheat.
Ferment; yeast; malt
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.