Good Characters

Chinese naming specialists. Good Characters. That's who we are; that's what we do. Hanzi/kanji/hanja names and seals. Put the 心 back in 愛.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Our info deck is now updated for 2026.
Full PDF on our website.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Founded in 1665, the Tainan Confucius Temple became Taiwan’s first official school.

Officials once had to dismount before entering, a visible act of respect for learning.

That small detail may explain more than it first appears.

Full post: https://t.co/UIe69xxuc2

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Discover the Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters at https://t.co/6hzO7DOTnq → Writing → Discover the Chinese Alphabet. Explore 26 characters, watch stroke-by-stroke animations, and find the official books on Amazon.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Discover the Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters at https://t.co/6hzO7DOTnq → Writing → Discover the Chinese Alphabet. Explore 26 characters, watch stroke-by-stroke animations, and find the official books on Amazon.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Thank you for following along with Good Characters. Every name carries a story, and I’m thankful to share this work and journey with you. Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Now available on Amazon: 1000 Popular American Female Names in Japanese Katakana. Find Your Name in Japanese: This book shows how American female names are written and pronounced in Japanese Katakana. Visit our blog for links to Amazon in the United States, the United Kingdom…

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Let them, or let us?

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

Another silly book cover mockup made with AI. But there is a serious point behind it. Do not just let others translate your name however they want. Let us work together to figure out the best version that truly represents you.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

“The Three Chinese Names Problem”

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

This is just a fun book cover mockup made with AI. That said, if you are well known and do not have an official Chinese name, Chinese-language media will have to transliterate your name for you. Since there are many different ways a name can be translated, . . .

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

熊 🐻🐼

[【公式】2025年「今年の漢字」 @Kotoshinokanji]

2025年「#今年の漢字」第1位は「熊」でした！
応募総数189,112票から23,346票（12.34％）を集めての第1位でした。

2位以下の字は追ってお知らせいたします！
https://t.co/4wTnUgW5ky

#漢字の日　#熊

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

If you’re in the U.S. and order today, Amazon says it should arrive about 9 days before Christmas.

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

When I started Good Characters in 2001, it was martial arts school owners who kept me going. That’s why I’ve created something special for them — 1000 Popular American Male Names in Japanese Katakana.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Chinese Alphabet by Good Characters is a new, easy, fast, and fun way for speakers of alphabet-based languages to learn Chinese characters.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Good Characters: Chinese Character of the Year 2025

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

Good Characters: Chinese Character of the Year 2025

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Now that you’ve heard of the 5 levels of naming, 67 is where the fun begins. Contact us to explore how we can create your good Chinese name.

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

5 Levels of Chinese Naming: Phonetics, Meaning, and Brand Identity

Here’s a simple outline of the levels for finding a good Chinese name. There’s definitely more to think about, but this gives you a quick overview.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

If Fresno were to have one standard Chinese name, who should decide, and what should it be?

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

I visited the “From China to Fresno: A 150-Year Cultural Journey” exhibition at Kearney Mansion last Friday, curious about Fresno’s Chinese name. The truth is, there isn’t one official version.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

A small glimpse of everyday scenes while sending work out into the world.

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

Yesterday afternoon I shipped out another set of stamps. I tried something new and made a short video from a few photos. It begins with a park nearby. In between are the stamps I sent out. The video ends across from the post office, where they set up a temporary swing ride.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Twain would understand.

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

In Chinese, 豬 (zhū, pig) and 珠 (zhū, pearl) sound the same but mean very different things. Between 豬 (zhū, pig) and 珠 (zhū, pearl) lies the whole art of getting it right.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

Between 豬 (zhū, pig) and 珠 (zhū, pearl) lies the whole art of getting it right.

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

The difference between the almost right character and the right character is really a large matter — it’s the difference between 豬 (zhū, pig) and 珠 (zhū, pearl).
Inspired by Mark Twain’s lightning and lightning bug.

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

🐉 🐉

[Andy Chuang @andychuang]

Kasing Lung spent 3 years with zero income. He almost quit art.
His wife told him not to. Two friends told him not to.
Now the world knows Labubu 🧵

[Good Characters @GoodCharacters]

The Good Character Difference #4: We use high-detail lenses so we can reliably engrave as many as 36 seal characters in a .45” x .45” (11.4 mm x 11.4 mm) stamp. This makes forgery practically impossible.