Chinese characters and their meanings
Chinese characters carry meaning in a single symbol, which is why they are so popular for designs, tattoos and greetings. This page lists well-known Chinese characters like 爱 love, 福 good fortune, 龍 dragon, 和 peace, 美 beauty, 喜 joy, 寿 long life and 囍 double happiness, plus numbers, nature words, animals and Chinese punctuation.
Tap a character to copy it, and open it with the i button to see its Unicode name and similar characters.
Popular Chinese characters
- 爱 / 愛: Love. 爱 is simplified, 愛 is traditional.
- 福: Good fortune, often hung upside down at Lunar New Year.
- 龍 / 龙: Dragon, a symbol of power and luck.
- 和: Peace and harmony.
- 喜 and 囍: Joy, and double happiness for weddings.
- 寿: Long life, used for birthdays of elders.
- 永: Forever.
- 心: Heart or mind.
Simplified and traditional Chinese
Chinese has two main writing styles. Simplified characters, like 爱 and 龙, are used in mainland China and Singapore. Traditional characters, like 愛 and 龍, are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Many characters are the same in both. When you choose a character for a design, pick the style your audience reads, or the one that looks best to you.
Characters for festivals and greetings
Lunar New Year is full of lucky characters. 福 brings good fortune, 春 means spring, and 发 hints at wealth. Weddings use 囍 double happiness on red cards and decorations. Birthdays for grandparents often feature 寿 for long life. Add 🧧 red envelopes and 🏮 lanterns for a festive message.
Before you get a tattoo
Chinese characters are a popular tattoo choice, but meanings can change with context, and a character that looks nice may mean something unexpected in a phrase. Always check with a native speaker before using characters in a permanent design. Single characters with clear meanings, like 爱, 和 or 勇 courage, are the safest choices.
Numbers and nature
Chinese numbers are simple to learn: 一 one, 二 two, 三 three, 四 four, 五 five, 六 six, 七 seven, 八 eight, 九 nine, 十 ten. Nature words include 山 mountain, 水 water, 火 fire, 木 tree, 月 moon and 日 sun. These are handy for lessons, puzzles and designs.
Chinese punctuation
Chinese text uses its own punctuation, which is wider than English marks. The full stop is a small circle 。, the comma is 、 or ，, and quotes are “ ” in simplified text or 「 」 in traditional text. Using the right marks makes Chinese writing look correct and easy to read.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Chinese symbol for love?
- Love is 爱 in simplified Chinese and 愛 in traditional Chinese.
- What does 福 mean?
- 福 means good fortune or blessing. It is one of the most popular characters at Lunar New Year.
- What is 囍?
- 囍 is double happiness, a symbol used for weddings and marriage.
- Are Japanese kanji the same as Chinese characters?
- Many kanji come from Chinese and look the same, but some have different shapes or meanings in Japanese.
- Can I copy Chinese characters on any device?
- Yes. Common Chinese characters are supported by all modern phones and computers.
- What is the Chinese symbol for dragon?
- Dragon is 龙 in simplified Chinese and 龍 in traditional Chinese.