Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Old woman, elderly lady; mother-in-law; grandmother
Colorful, variegated; colorful decoration; colorful clouds.
Líng — a rare character used primarily in female names, conveying elegance
Graceful, gentle, tactful, mild; pleasing; beautiful
Prostitute — a derogatory term for a sex worker; also used metaphorically as an insult meaning shameless or immoral woman.
A rare Chinese character used in ancient texts and personal names, meaning
Shu — an ancient term for a refined, virtuous woman; used in historical names for palace ladies.
Beautiful, elegant, graceful — used to describe feminine beauty and refinement.
Surname Hui; also used in ancient texts to describe a bird's appearance or behavior.
Fast, swift; also refers to a female rabbit in ancient texts.
1. (archaic) A female servant or maid. 2. (archaic) To pamper, to
Beautiful, graceful appearance; used in classical Chinese to describe feminine beauty.
Tan — used in female names, meaning beautiful, elegant appearance.
Used in the word 婓婓 (fēi fēi) meaning 'coming and going busily'; also appears in personal names.
Fei — an elegant, beautiful woman; graceful and refined female appearance.
Handsome; beautiful; elegant — used primarily in female names to denote grace and beauty.
A rare Chinese character historically used in personal names, primarily for females,
Infant; baby; a newborn child.
Beautiful, lovely; also used as a female name meaning graceful and attractive.
Beautiful, elegant, graceful (used in female names); also connotes pride and dignity.
Marriage; to wed; matrimonial union between two people.
Jīng — a rare character historically used in female names, meaning beautiful
Qian — an ancient Chinese character meaning beautiful, elegant, or graceful; used in classical texts to describe feminine beauty.
A female name in ancient times; an archaic character for a woman's name.
Stubborn; obstinate; unyielding
To be deeply attached to; to cherish; also refers to jealousy in ancient usage.
Wan — describes a woman with a virtuous, refined, and graceful demeanor; having a dignified and proper appearance.
Lái — an archaic Chinese character meaning beautiful appearance; also used in ancient texts as a personal name.
Slave girl; servant girl; maid
Marriage alliance; matrimonial connection, especially between families or clans.
Beautiful; pretty; used in ancient personal names.
Chuo — describes a graceful, delicate, and charming appearance, especially of women; also refers to a state of weakness or illness.
Woman; married woman; wife
Slender and graceful (of a woman); refined; elegant
Lun — an obscure, archaic Chinese character meaning 'female official' or 'female; rarely used in modern Chinese.
A rare, archaic Chinese character referring to a woman who is upright,
Greedy, avaricious, covetous; insatiable desire for more than one needs.
To cover; to put on (a headdress); an ancient term for a woman's head ornament or veil.
Lewd, licentious, debauched — refers to sexual immorality, excessive indulgence in sensual
Yà — used in the term 'yàyà' (婭婭) meaning 'sister-in-law'; also used in female names.
An ancient Chinese female given name; a rare character used historically in personal names.
Beautiful; elegant; graceful
Dian — an obscure, archaic Chinese character with uncertain meaning, possibly related
Firm, resolute, determined; steadfast in purpose or character.
A character used in Japanese names and aesthetics, representing beauty, flower-like qualities,; not standard in modern Chinese.
Hua — quiet, tranquil; used to describe a woman's serene and graceful demeanor.
Infant, baby; to be entangled or involved in; also used in classical texts to mean 'to wear' or 'adorn'.
Graceful, beautiful — used to describe elegant female beauty, often in classical
Aunt — refers to one's father's younger brother's wife; also used as a general term for a middle-aged woman or auntie.
Graceful, elegant — describes a beautiful and refined appearance, particularly of a
Proud; arrogant; flamboyant
Slender; delicate and beautiful; graceful
Wù — refers to the Wujiang River (婺江) in Jiangxi province; also appears in place names like Wuzhou (婺州) and Wuyuan (婺源).
A beautiful, elegant woman; also refers to a type of jade.
Used in ancient names and place names; also means 'disobedient' or 'unruly'.
Good, beautiful, elegant (used in ancient texts to describe women's appearance and
To steal; to pilfer; to be negligent
Son-in-law; husband; a man married to one's daughter.
Yu — an ancient term referring to a woman's jealousy or envy; also used in some classical texts.
Wei — an ancient term referring to a beautiful woman; also used in female names in classical Chinese.
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.