Browse meaningful Chinese characters for names — pronunciations, core meanings, radicals, stroke counts, and structure.
to guard against; to warn; to admonish
An ancient place name; a rare character used in historical texts.
To wound, cut down, kill; small, few, trivial; used in reduplicated form 戔戔 to mean 'trifling' or 'meager'.
to kill; to injure; to harm
or; perhaps; maybe
to go against the grain; to clash; to be counter to
war, battle, fight; to fight, to combat; to struggle
To prop up; to support; to stand upright
Qi — refers to relatives, kin; sorrow, grief; an ancient type of battle-axe
To halt; to stop; to cease
A type of ancient weapon or tool; to pierce or stab; to advance
Thief, robber; to steal; used in historical or literary contexts.
To strike; to clash; an ancient weapon
Ji — an ancient Chinese pole weapon combining a spear tip with; halberd; also used metaphorically for military prowess or conflict.
To record; to note; a pledge or token
To suppress; to quell; to subdue
To store away; to sheathe (a sword); to cease
A type of ancient bronze battle-axe or halberd used in ceremonial and
To infringe; to encroach; to counterfeit
A small steelyard for weighing gold, silver, or medicines; to weigh with such a balance.
War, battle, fight; to wage war; to struggle
To oppose; to clash; to be contrary
Ge — an archaic character meaning 'to attack' or 'to strike'; also used in ancient texts as a variant form.
To exterminate; to cut down; to destroy
To cut off; intercept; stop
Majestic, awe-inspiring; martial appearance; used in ancient texts to describe formidable military presence.
To cut off; to exterminate; to destroy
Spear; long lance; also used as a surname.
To kill; to slaughter; to massacre
Play, drama, performance; to play, to sport, to joke; to fight, to engage in a contest.
War, battle, fight; to fight, to combat; also refers to struggle or contest in various contexts.
Play, drama, theatrical performance; to play, to jest, to make fun of; military flag or banner.
Play, drama, performance; to play, to sport, to joke; to make fun of.
to poke; to stab; to pierce
To wear (on head/body); to put on; to respect
A type of ancient spear or lance; a weapon used in historical Chinese warfare.
door; household; family
door; household; family
Door; household; family
Distress, hardship, difficulty; originally refers to the axle-tip of a carriage; by extension, danger, crisis, or being in a tight spot.
Door pivot; the stone base or socket for a door pivot; threshold.
To open a door; to push open; to perverse, contrary
An ancient form of the character 卯, representing the fourth Earthly Branch; also an archaic form of 冒 (to cover, to risk).
A bailing bucket; to bail water; a device for drawing water, such as a water-lifting tool.
perverse; cruel; violent
house, room, building; branch of a family; chamber
place; location; that which
flat; level; even
door bolt; door latch; to close or fasten a door
door bolt; door latch; to close or shut a door
door bolt; door latch; to close or shut a door
door bolt; latch (archaic usage)
Screen — a type of folding screen or partition used in ancient; also refers to the ceremonial screen behind the emperor's throne.
fan (noun); to fan (verb); also refers to a door leaf or a movable part of a
Hù — a surname; to follow; retinue
door leaf; door; title page
Door latch; specifically refers to the crossbar or bolt used to secure a door.
hand; a person skilled in a particular activity; personally
Hand radical — a variant form of the character 手 (hand) used
talent, ability; just, only then; a moment ago
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.