Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Elegant, refined, gentle; skilled, proficient; composed, unhurried.
Black; dark; used in classical texts to describe darkness or blackness.
Liao — beautiful, exquisite; clever, intelligent; to play, frolic
Lian — a rare character used primarily in female names, meaning elegant,
Hua — quiet and serene (of a woman); elegant and refined; tranquil.
Gui — a river name in ancient China; a surname; also refers to the Gui River in Shanxi province.
Deng — an archaic Chinese character meaning 'beautiful appearance' or 'graceful bearing',
Zhi — an obscure character appearing in ancient texts, possibly referring to
Xu — an ancient term for an elder sister; used in classical Chinese texts and poetry.
Yi — used in the word 嬄𡃶 (yī hù), an ancient term
Hua — a character used in female names, meaning beautiful, elegant, or; also refers to a type of flower.
Virtuous; dignified; respectful — describing a woman's dignified and virtuous character.
An ancient Chinese female name; a term for a woman of virtue and wisdom.
Charming, enchanting, graceful; also meaning to disturb, to confuse. In modern usage, it primarily carries
Play, frolic, amuse oneself; to have fun, to joke around; describes playful, lighthearted behavior.
Yan — an ancient term meaning beautiful, elegant, graceful; also appears in historical names and texts.
Beautiful, graceful, elegant; often used to describe feminine beauty and charm.
Delicate, charming, lovely; also meaning spoiled, pampered, or coquettish.
Beautiful, elegant, graceful (archaic/variant form of 美)
To lay eggs (of birds or poultry); to reproduce; to give birth
A rare character used in female names, meaning beautiful, elegant, or graceful
nimble, agile; cautious, careful; to raise the head
Yi — an elegant and graceful character used in female names, conveying
dark; dim; obscure
A rare Chinese character meaning 'graceful, elegant, or beautiful appearance', primarily used
To give birth to a litter; to produce multiple offspring at once (used for animals).
Shi — an archaic Chinese character meaning 'serene, quiet, composed'; used in ancient texts to describe a calm and dignified demeanor.
Favored, favorite; to dote on; a favorite courtier or concubine
To change; to transform; to evolve
Suì — an ancient term referring to a type of food offering; appears in classical texts describing ceremonial practices.
A female court official or lady-in-waiting in ancient China; specifically refers to the ladies of the imperial harem.
Modest, chaste, pure; (of a woman) virtuous and reserved.
嬛 — originally meaning 'graceful, elegant'; also used in the name of a Qing dynasty imperial consort.
To admire; to be fond of; to desire
Graceful; delicate; slender and beautiful
Deeply loved; cherished; favored
Beautiful, elegant, graceful (archaic term, primarily used in classical literature and names).
Greedy, covetous; to covet; to be greedy for.
Love — an archaic, formal, and elegant character for 'love', often used
Mother, aunt, respectful term for an older woman; also used in Japanese for young woman or miss.
Graceful and elegant in movement or appearance; used to describe a woman's dignified and refined demeanor.
Mama — mother; nursemaid; elderly woman
Tiao — to leap; to jump; graceful
A female name used in ancient China; an archaic character with limited modern usage.
A beautiful woman; used in ancient texts to describe female beauty and elegance.
A female given name character; variant of 慈 meaning 'kind', 'gentle', 'compassionate'.
A rare, archaic Chinese character used in ancient texts, primarily appearing in
Consort — a title for imperial concubines in ancient China; to be a wife or spouse; to serve as an attendant.
Róng — a female given name; used in ancient Chinese personal names, particularly for women.
Weak, delicate; young wife; concubine.
Breast, milk; an archaic term for mother or grandmother; used in some dialects to refer to a wet nurse.
Yan — composed of two meanings: 1) beautiful, graceful (when pronounced yān); 2) tranquil, peaceful, composed (when pronounced yàn).
Slow-witted, dull, foolish, simple-minded; refers to someone who is mentally sluggish or not quick to understand.
Infant, baby; young child; to entwine, to bind.
Qian — a rare character used primarily in ancient personal names; appears in historical texts but has limited modern usage.
To tease, annoy, or harass; to flirt or banter playfully; to entangle.
To dress up or adorn oneself; to be beautiful and elegant (archaic usage).
Ying — a surname of the ancient Qin dynasty rulers; to win, to gain profit; also refers to Qin Shi Huang's clan name.
A decorative ribbon or ornament; a type of adornment used in traditional Chinese dress and accessories.
Wife (Japanese loanword); specifically refers to one's wife in Japanese usage, not standard 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.