Chinese Symbols Copy and Paste - Common Characters and Their Meanings
Chinese characters (汉字, Hànzì) are among the most beautiful and meaningful writing symbols in the world. Each character carries deep meaning, often representing concepts, ideas, or objects in a single elegant symbol. This page lists the most commonly searched Chinese characters with their meanings, pronunciation, and copy-paste access.
Common Chinese Symbols and Their Meanings
These are the most frequently used and sought-after Chinese characters:
- 爱 (ài) — Love, affection
- 福 (fú) — Luck, fortune, blessing
- 和 (hé) — Peace, harmony, togetherness
- 力 (lì) — Strength, power, energy
- 美 (měi) — Beauty, beautiful
- 勇 (yǒng) — Courage, bravery
- 智 (zhì) — Wisdom, intelligence
- 家 (jiā) — Family, home
- 心 (xīn) — Heart, mind
- 水 (shuǐ) — Water
- 火 (huǒ) — Fire
- 木 (mù) — Wood, tree
- 金 (jīn) — Gold, metal
- 土 (tǔ) — Earth, soil
Chinese Lucky Symbols
These characters are considered auspicious in Chinese culture — often used in decorations, gifts, tattoos, and New Year celebrations:
- 福 (fú) — Luck and fortune. Often displayed upside down (福倒 = 福到, "luck has arrived")
- 禄 (lù) — Prosperity, good salary, success in career
- 寿 (shòu) — Longevity, long life
- 喜 (xǐ) — Joy, happiness
- 囍 — Double happiness (used at weddings)
- 吉 (jí) — Good luck, auspicious
- 祥 (xiáng) — Propitious, good omen
- 财 (cái) — Wealth, money
- 旺 (wàng) — Flourishing, prosperous
- 吉祥 (jí xiáng) — Good luck and fortune (two-character phrase)
Chinese Symbols for Common Concepts
Emotions and relationships:
- 爱 (ài) — Love
- 友 (yǒu) — Friendship, friend
- 情 (qíng) — Feeling, emotion, love
- 恨 (hèn) — Hatred
- 喜 (xǐ) — Happiness
- 悲 (bēi) — Sorrow
- 怒 (nù) — Anger
- 乐 (lè) — Joy, happiness
Nature and elements:
- 山 (shān) — Mountain
- 水 (shuǐ) — Water
- 风 (fēng) — Wind
- 雨 (yǔ) — Rain
- 日 (rì) — Sun, day
- 月 (yuè) — Moon, month
- 天 (tiān) — Sky, heaven
- 地 (dì) — Earth, ground
- 花 (huā) — Flower
- 龙 (lóng) — Dragon
Chinese Zodiac Symbols
The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, each represented by a character:
- 鼠 (shǔ) — Rat
- 牛 (niú) — Ox
- 虎 (hǔ) — Tiger
- 兔 (tù) — Rabbit
- 龙 (lóng) — Dragon
- 蛇 (shé) — Snake
- 马 (mǎ) — Horse
- 羊 (yáng) — Goat/Sheep
- 猴 (hóu) — Monkey
- 鸡 (jī) — Rooster
- 狗 (gǒu) — Dog
- 猪 (zhū) — Pig
Chinese Numbers
Chinese number characters, commonly used in tattoos and decorative contexts:
- 一 (yī) — One
- 二 (èr) — Two
- 三 (sān) — Three
- 四 (sì) — Four
- 五 (wǔ) — Five
- 六 (liù) — Six
- 七 (qī) — Seven
- 八 (bā) — Eight (lucky number in China)
- 九 (jiǔ) — Nine (sounds like "long-lasting")
- 十 (shí) — Ten
- 百 (bǎi) — Hundred
- 千 (qiān) — Thousand
- 万 (wàn) — Ten thousand (used for "myriad")
Important Notes About Chinese Characters
Before using Chinese characters, especially for tattoos or permanent designs:
- Simplified vs. Traditional: Mainland China uses Simplified Chinese (simplified strokes); Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many overseas communities use Traditional Chinese. They look different but represent the same characters.
- Context changes meaning: Many characters have different meanings depending on context and combination with other characters.
- Verify with a native speaker: Always have a fluent Chinese speaker verify any character before using it in a tattoo, design, or professional context.
- Pinyin pronunciation: The romanized pronunciation (pinyin) shown above uses tone marks. Tones are essential to meaning in Mandarin.
How to Type Chinese Characters
Copy-paste is the easiest method, but you can also type Chinese characters:
- Windows: Add Chinese (Simplified) input method in Settings > Time & Language > Language. Use Microsoft Pinyin keyboard.
- Mac: System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources > add Simplified or Traditional Chinese
- iOS/Android: Settings > General > Keyboard > Add Chinese keyboard
- All platforms: Copy directly from this page using copy-paste