Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Dark; black; dim
Dark; black; deep color
Dark; dim; gloomy
Black hair; jet-black; dark-colored.
Dark blue; deep black; azure color
Dark grey; greyish-black; dim
Black; dark black color; a black mole or spot on the skin.
Mold, mildew; to become moldy; also refers to bacterial or fungal growth
To tattoo; to brand; to mark with ink
Mole — a small, dark spot on the skin; a birthmark; a nevus.
To act wantonly or corruptly; to defile or profane; to be disrespectful or irreverent
Black; dark; refers to black color or darkness, often used in classical texts to
Embroidery needle; fine needlework; embroidery
Embroidered ceremonial garment; black and blue pattern on ancient official robes; symbolic of rank and authority in ancient China.
Embroidered ceremonial robe; a type of ornate, square-patterned embroidery used on ancient Chinese ritual garments,
Min — refers to a type of frog; to exert oneself; to strive
An ancient character depicting a frog or toad; diligent, hard-working; used as a phonetic component in many characters.
Large soft-shelled turtle — refers to the Asian giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys
Frog; toad; a general term for amphibians of the order Anura.
Frog — an archaic term for frog or toad, rarely used in
Chao — a surname; also refers to a type of sea turtle; archaic term for morning or early.
Frog; an archaic or variant form of 蛙 (wā), meaning frog or toad.
Spider — archaic character for spider, now largely replaced by 蛛 in
Spider — archaic character for spider, now largely replaced by 蜘蛛 in
Dark; obscure; also used in ancient place names and as a surname.
Ao — a mythical giant sea turtle or turtle-like creature in Chinese
Chinese alligator — refers to the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), a critically; also used in ancient texts to refer to large reptiles or crocodilians.
A large sea turtle; specifically refers to the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).
A large species of soft-shelled turtle, specifically the Asian giant softshell turtle; often used in classical Chinese literature and mythology.
A type of sea turtle; ancient form of 朝 (morning/imperial court); a surname.
Ding — an ancient Chinese ritual bronze tripod cauldron; symbolic of power, legitimacy, and state authority; also means to establish, to be prosperous.
A cover or lid of a tripod cauldron (鼎); an ancient vessel cover; also refers to a cauldron with a cover.
A large tripod cauldron used in ancient China for cooking sacrificial offerings; by extension, something large and stable.
Ancient form of 鼎 (dǐng) — a large bronze tripod cauldron used
A tripod cauldron with a small mouth and large belly, used in
Drum — a percussion instrument; to beat, strike, or play a drum; to encourage, rouse, or agitate
Drum — refers to a percussion instrument; to beat or play a drum; to arouse or stimulate.
Dōng — onomatopoeic character representing the sound of drumbeats; used to mimic rhythmic drumming sounds.
Tao — an ancient Chinese pellet drum or rattle drum with two
The sound of drums; used to describe the rolling or rumbling sound of drums, especially in
Drum — specifically a small drum used in ancient times, often in; a hand drum.
Drumming sound; the sound of drumming in ancient Chinese texts.
A large ancient drum used in ceremonies, especially for summoning people or
A drum used in ancient military camps to signal the time for; night drum.
Deep, profound sound; variant form of 鼘, referring to the deep sound of drums or
A loud, booming sound, especially the sound of a drum.
Tēng — the sound of a drumbeat; onomatopoeia for a loud, resonant drumming sound.
Rat — the first animal in the Chinese zodiac; rodent; mouse
Japanese variant of 鼠 (mouse, rat); used in Japanese contexts.
Mole — refers to a type of burrowing rodent, specifically the zokor
A legendary rat-like creature said to live in the mountains, known for
Flying squirrel; a type of rodent with a membrane allowing it to glide between
A marmot; specifically refers to the bobak marmot (Marmota bobak), a type of large
A type of marten or weasel, specifically referring to the yellow-throated marten
A type of marmot or ground squirrel; specifically refers to the Mongolian marmot (Marmota sibirica).
A type of rat or rodent mentioned in ancient Chinese texts, specifically
Shrew — refers to small, mouse-like mammals of the family Soricidae, particularly
Weasel — refers to a type of weasel or polecat, particularly the
A type of large rodent, often identified as a marmot or flying; also refers to a species of rat mentioned in ancient Chinese texts.
Weasel — a small carnivorous mammal with a slender body and short; often refers to various species of mustelids including weasels, ferrets, and polecats.
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.