Good Characters helps founders, leadership teams, and organizations make confident Chinese naming decisions.

A Chinese name is not just a translation. It becomes part of how a brand is perceived, trusted, and remembered across cultures.

This work exists to help people get that decision right before it becomes permanent.

 

Names Matter More Than You Think

A name is not a label. It carries perception, identity, and long-term impact—especially across languages and cultures. When a name enters public use, it becomes part of how people interpret your brand, remember it, and talk about it. Once a name sticks, changing it is rare and often costly.

At Good Characters, I help founders, leadership teams, and organizations make naming decisions with clarity and confidence—especially when those names cross linguistic and cultural boundaries and carry real strategic weight.

My work focuses on helping you think through the implications before a name becomes permanent.

 

The Story of Good Characters

Every name has a story, and this is mine.

Before you see your name written in Chinese characters or Japanese katakana or Korean hangul, I want to share how Good Characters began. It is an American journey rooted in language, guided by faith, and devoted to helping others discover the meaning within their own names.

Good Characters began as a simple idea and grew into a long journey through language, identity, and meaning.

It started with a simple frustration: I was tired of seeing poor translations. I believed people deserved better. What began as a small idea on July 5, 2001, has grown into a twenty-year mission to restore integrity and artistry to the way names are expressed across languages.

The Unexpected Turn

In the beginning, I bootstrapped the business by designing and crafting custom name stamps. Each stamp bore a name engraved in beautiful ancient Chinese seal characters, just as artists, officials, and scholars have done for thousands of years across Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. I loved the balance of power and grace in each stroke—the interplay of positive and negative space.

Then came September 11, 2001.

In the difficult months that followed, I began receiving unexpected orders from martial arts schools in the New York area. They needed authentic stamps to sign rank and black-belt certificates.

Those orders sustained Good Characters in its darkest early days. But more than that, they gave us purpose. Today, tens of thousands of students worldwide hold certificates bearing our characters—symbols that reflect both discipline and honor. I will always be grateful to that community for transforming Good Characters from an idea into a living tradition.

This is my mom holding me when I was little. One year, I used this photo for a Lunar New Year card to show how the ancient Chinese character for “good” comes from the image of a mother and child.

A “Humble Heart” in the USA

From the start, our website stated: “Made with Pride in the USA.”

An American scholar once told me, “That’s an interesting idea.” I smiled, because growing up in Taiwan, humility was a core value. To me, the word pride felt uncomfortable. What I really wanted to say was, “We made this with a humble heart.”

But I eventually realized that being “Made in the USA” wasn’t about arrogance. It was about a quiet confidence that what we make here carries quality, sincerity, and the shared values of freedom and creativity.

Here is a card we once sent to thank our team and our customers, with their names printed on it. I sometimes miss the days when we had a bigger team and worked on many kinds of character projects. Over time, especially after the 2008 financial crisis, I learned to narrow my focus and do the kind of work that only a few people can do. Along the way, I came to understand that my ideal life is a writer’s life.

A “Chinese Adam”

Specializing in Chinese naming in America hasn’t always been easy. There were difficult years when I questioned why I kept going. Then one day, I read Genesis 2:19 in the Amplified Bible, describing how the first man gave names to every living creature.

So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field . . .

I laughed out loud. It occurred to me that, in some small way, I was called to be a “Chinese Adam”—naming not animals, but people, brands, and ideas.

That realization gave me peace. I came to see that my work was not just about translation, but about identity. This work was later recognized by the United States government through an EB-2 National Interest Waiver, acknowledging that creating great Chinese names serves the national interest of America.
 

Good Characters helps clients around the world find names that matter and resonate across cultures.

Good Names, Good Characters

Over the last 24 years, Good Characters has helped global corporations, unicorn startups, and family businesses create names that protect trademarks and connect authentically with Chinese audiences.

A good name [earned by honorable behavior, Godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches.—Proverbs 22:1, Amplified

That verse reminds me daily why we exist. It’s more than a company; it’s a calling.

And it all began with a name.

How I Help You

Choosing a name that resonates across languages and cultures is not about aesthetics alone. It is about understanding how linguistic meaning, cultural interpretation, and reputational impact intersect.

I work with founders, leadership teams, and organizations who need to make Chinese naming decisions that will stand up to scrutiny, time, and cultural interpretation.

• cultural nuance
• linguistic interpretation
• reputational strength
• long-term viability

Each engagement is confidential, thoughtful, and aligned with your strategic priorities. When you work with Good Characters, you make naming decisions with clarity and confidence.

Who This Is For

This work is suited for:

• Founders and leadership teams preparing for international expansion
• Organizations where reputation and positioning matter
• Decision-makers who treat naming as a strategic choice

If You Are Considering a Name

If you are considering a Chinese name—or questioning whether your current one truly serves you—I welcome a private conversation.

 

Andy Chuang
Founder, Good Characters