Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Mama — refers to mother or elderly woman; commonly used in the term 'Amah' for a nanny or wet nurse
Aunt — specifically refers to a paternal aunt (wife of father's younger; also used more generally for middle-aged women.
To be pleased, delighted; to be excited, stirred up; to move, to stir.
Beautiful, graceful, elegant (archaic term for describing feminine beauty and virtue).
To be disrespectful, impolite, or contemptuous; to treat with disdain or irreverence.
A term describing a woman who is beautiful, charming, and coquettish; also refers to a widow.
Graceful, beautiful, elegant (of a woman); quiet and serene demeanor.
Lazy, indolent, sluggish; negligent, careless.
Yàn — beautiful, elegant, graceful; often used in classical literature to describe feminine beauty and elegance.
Widow — refers to a woman whose husband has died and who
Ling — an ancient female name; a female shaman or spirit medium in ancient times; also used in female names to denote ethereal beauty or spiritual connection.
Ancient character meaning deep, profound, or mysterious; also used to describe something hidden or secret.
Mother; maternal figure; respectful term for an older woman or aunt.
Lazy, indolent, sluggish; also used in names as a variant of 懒.
Slender; fine; delicate
Used in female names, often as a variant form of 婴 (baby,; elegant, delicate.
Shuang — an ancient female name; also appears in historical texts as a personal name.
An ancient character meaning a type of female shaman or sorceress; also used in some personal names.
A variant form of 欢 (huān), meaning joy, delight, happiness; also an ancient character used in female names.
An ancient female name; graceful, elegant (used in ancient texts to describe women's demeanor).
Beautiful; elegant; used in ancient times as a female name
Lovely; beautiful; charming
孍 — archaic character meaning 'beautiful appearance' or 'graceful demeanor'; used in classical texts to describe elegant beauty.
Cautious, careful, prudent; also used as a female name in ancient times.
Lazy, indolent, sluggish; variant form of 懶 (lǎn).
Child, son; seed, egg; offspring
Lone; solitary; isolated
A variant form meaning 'larvae' or 'mosquito larvae'; also used as a variant of 孓.
Larvae of mosquitoes; used in the word 孑孓 (juéjué) meaning mosquito larvae or wiggler.
Opening, hole, aperture; very, extremely; a surname
pregnant; to conceive; to be with child
twin; double; pair
Character, word, letter; written symbol; style of writing
to exist; to live; to store
grandson; descendant; a common Chinese surname
To inspire confidence; to be trustworthy; to hatch (eggs)
A comet; luxuriant growth; flourishing
diligent; industrious; hardworking
filial piety — respect and care for one's parents and ancestors; mourning; a mourning period.
A variant form of 信, meaning belief, trust, faith, confidence; a letter, message; to trust, to believe.
eldest among siblings; first in a series; beginning
An archaic character meaning 'to inherit' or 'to continue', equivalent to 嗣.
An archaic variant of 胎 (fetus, embryo); to be pregnant.
Spore — a reproductive cell capable of developing into a new individual
season; quarter of a year; the last month of a season
orphan; solitary; lone
Children; one's wife and children; in ancient usage, slaves or servants.
to learn; to study; learning
A variant form of 幼, meaning young, immature, or childhood; also used in some dialects.
Weak; timid; triplets
Child — refers to a young person, offspring, or young of animals; also used in words for childhood and childishness.
Twin — refers to twins or double birth; describes things that come in pairs or are identical.
Sun — a common Chinese surname; grandson; descendant
bad; cowardly; wicked
To carry on the back; to shoulder a burden; to bear responsibility.
A rare Chinese character with uncertain meaning, possibly related to lineage or; used in personal names.
Ancient character meaning 'diligent', 'industrious', or 'to hold firmly'; also used as a variant form in some contexts.
Who; which; what
Weak; frail; feeble
Infant, baby — refers to a newborn or very young child, often
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.