Triad Name Generator

Real triad names follow conventions that are easy to imitate once you see them. Hong Kong societies usually carry a three-syllable Cantonese name built from auspicious characters: Wo (harmony), Shing (victory), Yee (righteousness), On (peace), Luen (united), Tung (together), Fuk (fortune), Tak (virtue). Wo Shing Wo, Sun Yee On and Wo On Lok all work this way, and the first syllable often marks the parent group, which is why so many Wo and Luen societies exist. Others use a number only insiders understand, the way 14K took its name from 14 Po Wah Road, with sub-branches adding a single character (14K Tak, 14K Ngai).

The older, more ceremonial layer comes from the Hung Mun, or Heaven and Earth Society, the 17th-century brotherhood that gave the triads their lodges, oaths and ranks. Names from that tradition translate grandly into English: Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, Red Flower Pavilion, City of Willows, Society of the Five Ancestors. Rank titles such as Dragon Head, Red Pole, White Paper Fan and Straw Sandal, and the code numbers 489, 426, 415 and 432, make good names for factions and crews.

This generator also includes overseas tongs and benevolent associations, street-level crews named after Kowloon districts, front businesses, and the blunt nicknames (Four-Eyed Fai, Iron Hand Lau, Uncle Nine) that members actually use.