Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
A place name; a specific location or mound of earth.
Dam; weir; a low barrier built across a river or stream to raise the
Tán — a type of earthenware or pottery; also used in the name of a Buddhist monk in Chinese history.
A small hole or pit in the ground for sowing seeds; to sow seeds in such a hole; to cover seeds with soil.
Fief; estate; feudal domain granted by a sovereign to a noble or official.
Moist; damp; to moisten
Dust raised by wind; mound, small hill; used in some place names.
Pit, hole, trap; to fall into, to sink; defective, flawed
Clay — specifically fine, sticky clay used for pottery and ceramics; also refers to earth or soil in certain contexts.
Hardened earth; solid mound; clod of earth
To plant; to cultivate; skill
To hold; to grasp; to execute
border, boundary; edge of a field; frontier region
To cultivate, to train, to foster; to nurture growth or development; to build up through education or training.
base, foundation, fundamental; radical (chemistry); used in words for basic, foundation, or fundamental concepts.
Target; bullseye; mark to aim at
cape; promontory; headland
To sweep; to clean; a bundle of twigs or reeds used for dike construction or flood
To accumulate, to pile up, to store; archaic character meaning to gather or collect.
Mud — thick, soft, wet earth; mire; sludge.
Moat; ditch; trench
Dust; fine particles of earth or powder; to raise dust.
Hall — a large room or building for public gatherings; main room of a house; court of law
Kun — an ancient variant form of the character 坤, meaning earth; female principle; terrestrial
Parapet; a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or; specifically refers to the crenellated battlements on ancient city walls.
Strong, solid, firm, durable; resolute, determined; refers to something hard or unyielding.
Heap, pile; to pile up, to stack; a mass or mound of things.
Violet — a type of flowering plant; also used to mean 'few', 'scant', or 'difficult' in classical Chinese.
Jar — an earthenware jar or pot; a large ceramic container used for storage.
Fertile soil; rich earth; ground suitable for cultivation.
Chalk; white earth; white clay
To bury; a mound or embankment; also refers to a target in archery.
Earthen dike, embankment; also refers to certain place names and surnames.
Rabbit — specifically refers to a wild rabbit or hare; used in classical Chinese literature.
Ridge; edge; cliff
堏 — A non-standard, variant Chinese character used primarily in Japanese names; not part of standard Chinese character sets.
Cliff, riverbank — refers to a steep bank or cliff, often by
Moat, trench, chasm; also refers to a pitfall or difficulty.
Kun — a character used primarily in place names; appears in some Chinese toponyms.
Bank, shore, riverside — refers to the land alongside a body of
Deep — used primarily in proper names; a variant or alternative form of 深 (deep) in some contexts, though
To fall; to degenerate; to sink into depravity or ruin.
Nǎo — small hill; mound; hillock
Chimney, flue — a structure for venting smoke or gases from a
To raise or build up earth; a raised path between fields; to fill in or add soil.
To block up; to stop up; to fill in
Earth, soil; dirt; ground
A clod of earth; a lump of soil; a small mass of dirt or clay.
Lian — an archaic character used primarily in place names, particularly referring
Crucible — a heat-resistant container used for melting metals or other materials; also refers to a melting pot or a place where different elements
Rampart; battlement — the crenellated parapet on top of a city wall used
Furrow patterns in fields; ridges or patterns formed in cultivated land.
Ancient military watchtower or lookout post; milestone or distance marker along ancient roads.
Fortress, fort, stronghold; also refers to a fortified village or town; can mean 'burg' or 'castle' in some contexts.
Bǎo — refers to a mound or small hill; also appears in the name of a legendary mountain in Chinese mythology.
Yu — refers to a boundary, border, or shore; an ancient place name; also means the edge of water or land.
Dike, embankment, levee — a man-made structure built to contain or control
Mao — refers to a type of earthenware jar or pot; also appears in historical place names.
Step; stairs; a series of steps or levels, often referring to stone or brick
Ruán — refers to riverbanks, waterfront land, or the open space outside; also used in ancient texts for certain types of land.
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.