Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Barley — a type of cereal grain used for food, animal feed,
Bran — the husk of wheat or other grains, often used as
Wheat bran; coarse wheat flour; chaff or bran from grains.
Wheat — refers to wheat grain or flour; used in names related to agriculture and sustenance.
Fermentation starter; yeast; malt
Noodles — refers to food made from wheat or other grain flour,
A character used in the word 麶子 (lī zi), referring to a
Fermented grains; sprouted wheat; wheat sprouts used in ancient brewing
Bran — the husk of cereal grain separated from flour during milling; often refers to wheat bran.
Qū — refers to yeast, leaven, or malt used in fermentation; also a rare Chinese surname.
Noodles — refers to food made from dough, typically wheat-based, that is
Hemp — refers to the hemp plant; also means numb, tingling, or pitted/pocked surface; used in words for sesame, anesthesia, and pockmarks.
What; how; why
Used in the word 什么 (shén me) meaning 'what'; also appears in 怎么 (zěn me) meaning 'how'; a suffix particle in interrogative words.
A commander's banner or flag in ancient China; by extension, military command or headquarters.
Japanese kokuji (character created in Japan) meaning 'grindstone' or 'millstone'; also used as a suffix in Japanese names, particularly in historical contexts.
Coarse bamboo fiber; hemp fiber; material made from bamboo or hemp used for papermaking or textiles.
Fragrant aroma; sweet smell; refers to a pleasant, delicate fragrance.
Yellow — a primary color; the Yellow River; the Huang Emperor (Yellow Emperor)
Yellow — a primary color; the surname Huang; the Yellow River
Yellow — an archaic term for the color yellow, particularly used in
Bright; shining; used in ancient texts to describe something luminous or brilliant.
fallow deer; specifically refers to the fallow deer species (Dama dama), characterized by their
Yellow; yellow silk; to stuff with yellow silk
School; ancient term for an educational institution, particularly an academy or school of
Bright yellow; a brilliant yellow color.
Bright; brilliant; shining light
School; ancient term for an educational institution, particularly a Confucian academy or government
Millet — an ancient grain crop in China, particularly glutinous millet; historically important as a staple food and for brewing.
Black, dark; multitude, many; common people
Sticky, glutinous, adhesive; to stick, to adhere.
To stick; to adhere; to glue
Black — the color black; dark; secret
Black — the color black; dark; sinister
black; dark; used in classical texts to describe dark or black color, often in
Qian — refers to Guizhou province; black; dark
Black; dark; to stain
Dark, obscure; black; unclear appearance.
Yellowish-black; dark yellow; dull brown color.
Silent; quiet; still
Silent; quiet; still
A dark, blackish-yellow or soot-black color; also historically used in place names.
Dark blue-black pigment used for painting eyebrows; black; often used metaphorically for beauty, especially women's eyebrows.
to dismiss from office; to demote; to remove
Black; dark; deep black color
Dot, point; to light, to ignite; to check off, to select
Black; dark; refers to black wood
Cunning, crafty, sly; clever, shrewd, astute.
Black mole; dark birthmark on the skin; a dark spot or mark.
Black; dark; pitch-black
Dark black; a deep, dark color; often used to describe blackened or tarnished appearance.
Dark; deep black; somber
Tattoo — specifically refers to the ancient punishment of tattooing characters on; also used for tattooing in general.
Yellow-black; mold spots; to stain
Dark black; blackish; dark-colored, especially describing a dark, sallow complexion.
Party — refers to a political party, faction, clique, or group of; historically used for administrative divisions in ancient China.
To act dishonorably; to defile, profane; to be disrespectful or contemptuous
Dark grey; dull; gloomy
Black; dark-colored; deep black (archaic term for black).
Dark, black; to become dark or black; to darken
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.