Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
A large earthen mound or block of earth; used historically as a measurement of land; also appears as a component in other characters.
Mound, small hill; variant form of 丘 (hill, grave mound).
Used primarily in the place name 坶野 (Mùyě), an ancient place; also a variant reading.
uneven, bumpy, rugged; specifically refers to rough terrain or difficult circumstances.
An archaic character meaning 'dirt wall' or 'earthen wall'; variant form of 垢 (dirt, filth).
Ancient pit or hole; deep ravine; also used in ancient texts.
Ancient form meaning 'to dig up earth'; also refers to a plowed field or cultivated land.
An islet or small hill in a river; a riverbank; also refers to a raised platform or foundation.
To crack; to split open; to burst
A deep ravine or gorge; a steep mountain valley.
To accumulate dust; dusty, covered in dust.
To add, attach, or append; an ancient term meaning to attach or add something; also used in classical texts.
A rare character referring to a type of soil or earth; used in some historical texts and place names.
An archaic character; possibly a variant or ancient form with uncertain precise meaning, sometimes found
to hang down; to droop; to let fall
Garbage, refuse, trash; used primarily in the word 'garbage' (垃圾).
ridge (in fields); grave mound; monopoly
Ridge, mound, grave mound; specifically refers to raised earth in agricultural fields or burial mounds.
Black soil; a platform or counter for selling wine in ancient times; a wine shop.
A low-lying area; depression in the ground; hollow
Swamp; marshland; low-lying wetland area.
An archaic character referring to earth walls or earthen embankments; used in some place names.
Obsolete character meaning 'boundary between fields' or 'land division'; extremely rare in modern usage.
Model, type, pattern, mold — refers to a standard form, template, or
Field, flatland; used in place names; also a measure word for fields.
Hard, compacted earth; white clay; firm soil used in construction.
A hard, dry, or cracked piece of earth; hardened soil.
To build an embankment; to construct a dike or earth wall; a raised earthen structure used for flood control or as a foundation.
To build up with earth or soil; to pile up earth; an ancient term for construction using earth.
A rare character referring to abundant soil or land; also used as a place name in ancient times.
To build with layers; to pile up; a fortification
ancient Chinese unit of measurement for 100 million; boundary or limit; refers to the ancient battlefield Gaixia where Xiang Yu was defeated
To block, obstruct; to stop up; ancient place name
Hou — refers to a place name, particularly the ancient place name; also used in personal names.
Mound, small hill; ancient form used in place names.
Zhao — ancient term for burial ground or cemetery; also used in place names.
to block; to obstruct; to clog
Path between fields — refers to a footpath or small road between
Yao — composed of three 'earth' radicals; describes high, towering mountains; represents stability, accumulation, and greatness
A pile, stack, or heap; also refers to a buttress or battlement on a wall; to pile up.
pile, stack, heap; target for archery practice; also used to refer to a battlement or rampart.
collapsed, ruined; dangerous, perilous; bank, dike
small mound; hillock; used in place names
Open field; level ground; used in place names, especially in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
boundary, limit, edge — refers to the edge or limit of something,
to turn up soil; plowed land; a surname
dirt, filth, grime; disgrace, shame; also refers to dust or unclean matter.
wall, rampart; city wall; also used in names and place names
Ant hill; small mound or hillock formed by earth or soil.
A character used in ancient texts, possibly referring to a type of; obscure character with limited usage.
to cultivate land; to reclaim wasteland; to open up land for farming
Unit of land area measurement used in northern China, approximately equal to
To guard, protect, defend; to keep watch over; to maintain
Chalk; white earth; to whiten
Japanese kokuji (国字) character meaning 'row' or 'line', used in Japanese surnames; not used in standard Chinese.
To pad, cushion, or mat; to fill in or level up; to pay on behalf of someone temporarily
Hong — a character primarily used in personal names, particularly in Chinese
A narrow mountain pass; a gap between hills; a saddle in terrain
collapse, fall down, break down, fail — refers to structures, organizations, or
Da — a suffix used in colloquial Chinese to form nouns, often; also used in the word 疙瘩 meaning lump or knot.
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.