Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
Wide, broad, spacious; lenient, tolerant, generous; to relax, to loosen
Wise, intelligent, clever; to understand thoroughly; discerning judgment.
Hut, shack, small house; also refers to Laos (寮国) and historically to government offices or monastic
Jun — outstanding, superior; to gather, assemble; a talented person.
Vast realm; the entire world; the universe
To talk in one's sleep; somniloquy.
To examine carefully; to scrutinize; to investigate thoroughly (archaic/rare character).
Treasure, precious object; something of great value; to cherish
To visit; intimate; close relationship
Favor, dote on, pamper — to show special affection or preference; to spoil with indulgence; also refers to being in someone's good graces.
Treasure, precious object; something of great value; to cherish
Majestic, grand, magnificent; describes something large and imposing, particularly referring to grand houses or buildings.
A unit of length (about 3.33 cm); inch; very small
correct, right; to face, opposite; to pair, couple
temple; monastery; government office (archaic)
to search; to seek; to look for
to guide; to lead; to conduct
An ancient unit of weight equal to six zhu (about 2 grams); to grasp, to seize; phonetic component in some characters.
Correct, right; to answer; to face
longevity; old age; life span
Cannot, unable to; variant form of 叵.
to seal; to close; to confer (a title or land)
Specialize; exclusive; concentrate on one thing
To spread out; to diffuse; to extend
to shoot; to fire; to launch
will; shall; to take
General; commander; to take
Specialized, focused, expert; dedicated to one thing; exclusive
Military officer; military rank; official title
Respect, honor, venerate; senior, elder; a measure word for cannons, statues, etc.
To search, to seek, to look for; a unit of length in ancient China (about 8 feet); to investigate thoroughly.
To stand; to erect; to establish
Correct, right; to answer, reply; to face, oppose
To guide, lead, conduct; to transmit; to instruct
small; little; minor
Rare character meaning 'few', 'little', or 'insect'. Also used as a variant
few; little; less
Ancient variant of 尔 (you, your); also used in classical texts to mean 'this', 'that', or as a
You, your (archaic variant of 爾/尔); also used in some historical and literary contexts.
you (archaic/formal); that; such
Small, little; a dialectal term used in Northwest China (especially Gansu, Qinghai) to indicate
sharp; pointed; tip
An ancient form of 叔, meaning beans; also used to refer to the youngest of brothers.
Dust; dirt; fine particles
still, yet; even; fairly
still; yet; to esteem
tiny, small, minute; an ancient variant of 麼 (used in 麼尛 as an emphatic particle)
A spinning top toy; something shaped like a top (wider in the middle and tapered at; also used to describe someone clever or tricky.
to taste; to try; to experience
Liao — ancient character meaning 'to burn'; to offer sacrifices by burning; also used in names meaning 'bright', 'clear', or 'to understand'.
rare; scarce; few
Few; scarce; rare
A rarely used Chinese character with obscure meaning, primarily found in historical
lame; weak; a variant form of 尪, describing physical weakness or lameness
Lame; having a withered leg; variant form of 尪.
outstanding; particularly; especially
To kick backward with the hind legs (of an animal); to cause trouble or act unruly.
A rare character meaning to tangle, intertwine, or be complicated; archaic variant of 尥.
Yao — a legendary sage-king in Chinese mythology; lofty, high, eminent.
Shaggy; hairy; long-haired dog
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.