Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
To taste; to sample; to try food or drink
To swallow food without chewing; to gulp down food whole.
An interjection expressing surprise, amazement, or realization; also used as an exclamation.
To move the mouth as if speaking; to mumble or murmur hesitantly.
To sound; to make a sound; to call out
To frighten, scare, intimidate; to threaten; also used as an interjection expressing surprise or fear.
Yan — refers to the Yanda people (嚈哒人), a nomadic people also
To scold, blame, or reprimand; to rebuke someone harshly.
To snort; to breathe heavily through the nose; snorting sound
To wait; to wait for; to look forward to
To taste or sip; to nibble; to cut meat into small pieces
to be angry, to be indignant; to snort with rage; to express strong resentment or fury
Howl, wail, cry out loudly — refers to the loud, often mournful
Sneeze — the act of expelling air forcibly from the nose and
To taste; to try; to sample
This character is not a standard Chinese character in modern usage. It
A variant form of the particle 嘛 (ma), used in colloquial speech
Onomatopoeic — represents sharp, sudden sounds like scraping, cutting, or friction; also used in transliterations.
Sneeze — the act of expelling air forcibly from the nose and
Onomatopoeic character for snoring, gurgling, or purring sounds; also used in transliterations and as a particle in certain dialects.
Bright, clear (of sound); to make a clear, bright sound; used in classical texts to describe the sound of a flute or
Onomatopoeic character representing sudden sounds like bursting, popping, or cracking; also used for sudden actions or appearances.
To sigh; to make a mournful sound; to sob
To gnaw, to bite, to nibble; to erode or wear away through persistent action.
foolish, stupid; insincere, deceitful; refers to someone who is both foolish and stubborn.
An ancient, rare Chinese character with multiple obscure meanings including: 1) a; 2) a type of flavor or taste; 3) an old variant form of another character.
An interrogative particle or exclamation in Classical Chinese; also used in modern Chinese as an onomatopoeia or in certain dialects.
Sound of a drum; vast; spacious
Wise; sagacious — an ancient variant of 哲 (zhé), meaning wisdom, philosophical insight,
To come; to arrive (Cantonese usage); used as a verb particle indicating direction or purpose.
A rare character used primarily in names; meaning unclear, possibly a variant form or phonetic borrowing.
Dialectal word meaning coarse, rough, or grating; used in Wu Chinese dialects like Shanghainese to describe texture or sound
Bag, sack, pouch; a container made of soft material for holding items.
Noisy, clamorous, boisterous; to make a loud noise; arrogant, haughty.
Mo — dialectal character meaning slow, sluggish, or dawdling; primarily used in Cantonese.
To swallow — the act of passing food or liquid from the
Onomatopoeia for the sound of birds singing, especially orioles; also used for other clear, melodious sounds.
An ancient Chinese character representing the sound of a trumpet or horn; used in historical texts and Buddhist scriptures.
Throat — the anatomical passage from the back of the mouth to; used in words related to the throat and voice.
A character used in Buddhist scriptures, particularly in esoteric Buddhism and mantras; represents the Sanskrit syllable 'va' or 'pha' in Chinese transliteration of Sanskrit
To taste; to sample food or drink; to try a small amount.
A Buddhist term referring to alms-giving, charity, or offerings to monks; specifically used in the context of Buddhist dāna (giving).
To frown; to knit one's brows; to scowl
Great; abundant; large
towards; direction; to face
An interjection expressing surprise, admiration, or realization; also used to represent the sound of laughter or a sudden action.
Japanese variant of the character 磨, meaning to polish, grind, rub, or; to wear down; to pester or bother persistently.
An exclamatory particle used in classical Chinese and dialects to express strong; also used in onomatopoeia.
To hang down; to droop; to let fall
Ku — refers to Emperor Ku (Kù Dì), one of the legendary; a sage ruler.
Strict, severe, rigorous; tight, taut; stern, serious
Greedy, gluttonous; to covet; to have a craving for something.
Chirping, twittering — the sound of birds, especially small birds; to make a pleasant, harmonious sound.
Shout, yell, make an uproar; to cry out loudly; to quarrel noisily.
A dialectal character used in Cantonese and other southern Chinese dialects, primarily
Cantonese character meaning: to rest, to take a break; a particle used in Cantonese for emphasis or as an interjection.
To tread on; to step on; to trample. (Note: This character is extremely rare and archaic in modern
Noisy, clamorous; boisterous; to make a loud noise
To chew; to masticate; to munch
To eat greedily or voraciously; to gobble up food.
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.