Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to open; to start; to operate
ancient ceremonial cap; to hasten; to be quick
different; unusual; strange
to abandon; to discard; to throw away
to play with; to handle; to do
To store up; to hoard; to collect and keep.
to cover; to conceal; narrow and deep (as a vessel)
To play chess or board games; specifically refers to the game of Go (Weiqi); to engage in strategic gameplay.
Large, grand, magnificent — an archaic character used to describe something of
harm; disadvantage; fraud
To shoot with a string-attached arrow; a small wooden stake; hunt
One — an archaic form of the numeral one (一).
Two — an archaic or formal variant of the numeral two (二),
Three (archaic or formal numeral form); variant of 三.
Style; type; pattern
Two; used as an alternative form for the number two, particularly in financial
To murder one's sovereign, parent, or superior; regicide; patricide
to murder (one's sovereign, father, or other superior); regicide; patricide
bow (archery); anything curved or arched like a bow; a unit of length (about 5 feet)
to mourn; to condole; to hang
to lead; to guide; to pull
A rare character, sometimes used as a variant form or in ancient; also used in Japanese as a kokuji (国字) meaning 'target' or 'bullseye'.
Not; negative particle meaning 'not' or 'do not'; used in classical Chinese and modern compounds.
vast; great; to enlarge
To draw a bow; to extend; to stretch.
An archaic character meaning to decline, fall, or collapse; also used in some historical texts.
to relax; to loosen; to slacken
Strong, firm, resolute; archaic character meaning strong bow; stubborn, unyielding.
The part of a bow grip where the hand holds; also refers to the handle of a stringed instrument.
To smile; to laugh; to grin (archaic usage)
younger brother; junior; disciple
to open up; to spread; to stretch
Strong, powerful (archaic); also an archaic variant form.
A bow case; to conceal, to hide; used metaphorically for talent or military prowess that is kept hidden.
The middle part of a bow's body where the hand grips it.
An ancient type of bow, specifically a red-colored bow used in ceremonies
To fill; to cover; full
Bowstring; string of a musical instrument; chord in mathematics
arc; curve; bow
A bow that is unstrung or relaxed; a bow with the ends upturned.
crossbow; a mechanical weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that
radian — a unit of plane angle measurement in mathematics, equal to
A bow with great tension or strength; an ancient term for a powerful bow.
A character used in ancient Chinese texts, particularly appearing in the classic
to stop; to cease; to end
A crossbow with a mechanism; to curl or bend; an ancient term for a type of crossbow.
bent, curved, crooked; to bend, to curve; a bend, a turn
Bow tip — the curved ends of a traditional bow where the; also refers to the bow itself in classical usage.
Weak; feeble; inferior
A crossbow with a curved bow; a type of ancient bow.
Radian — a unit of angular measurement equal to the angle at
A type of bow with painted decorations; specifically refers to an ancient ceremonial bow used in rituals.
Zhang — a common Chinese surname; to open, to spread, to stretch; to exaggerate
To trap or snare birds/animals; a bird trap; to capture using a snare.
Strong, powerful; to force, to compel; robust, vigorous
Bēng — refers to a bow being fully drawn; full, abundant; also used as a surname.
To shoot; to spring; to bounce
Strong, powerful, forceful; to strengthen, to force; superior, better
Bi — to assist, to aid; an ancient official title meaning assistant or helper.
Bi — to assist; to aid; originally refers to a tool for straightening bows, extended to mean assisting
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.