My Chinese Name: How to Say and Write Your Name in Chinese (+ Examples)
帕特里克 Pà tè lǐ kè… 夏洛特 Xià luò tè… 史蒂文 Shǐ dì wén…
Do these names sound familiar to you? They’re some of the most common English names pronounced in Mandarin Chinese. If you are visiting or living in China, one of the big questions you can’t get away with from Chinese people is “what’s your name?”. So you’ll definitely want to know how to say your name in Chinese.
If you don’t know yet, all foreign names can be easily translated into Chinese, one way or another. Sure, you can belt out your name in English. Problem is, people in China – except for young people in big cities like Shanghai or Beijing – generally don’t speak English. If you answer with “Patrick”, or “Charlotte”, chances are, they can’t recognize, remember, or even pronounce your name. That’s why it’s important to learn how to say your name in Chinese.
Luckily for you, we got this entire post dedicated to name in Chinese!
We’ll cover the most common names in the world – both their official Chinese translations and common variations, teach you how to write your name in Chinese characters, and pronounce it in standard Mandarin. Besides, we’ll look at the logic behind the Chinese translations of foreign names and show you how your name is translated from English or your native language in the first place. And at the end of the post, we’ll help you learn a few expressions you can use when introducing yourself to your Chinese-speaking friends.
Sound good? Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
First and foremost, let’s learn how to say “name” in Chinese.
“Name” in Chinese
The word for “name” in Chinese is:
- 名字 (míngzi)
It’s a very quick and simple word for you to add to your staple Chinese vocabulary! If you break the word into characters, 名 (míng) stands for “given name”, and 字 (zì) means “courtesy name”, which is the name given to a person when they reach adulthood in traditional Chinese culture.
Technically, 名字 (míngzi) only means given name, but informally, you can use 名字 (míngzi) to refer to your full name (family name + given name).
Another word for “name” in Chinese is:
- 姓名 (xìngmíng)
The difference between the two words is that 姓名 (xìngmíng), formed by the characters 姓 (xìng) – “family name” and 名 (míng) – “given name”, is the official word for full name, and is thus used in formal contexts like written documents. Meanwhile, 名字 (míngzi) is more frequently used in conversation, or when saying phrases such as “my name”, which in Chinese translates to 我的名字 (wǒ de míngzi).
How to Translate Your Name into Chinese
The Chinese language does not have an alphabet, rather, the writing system is made up of thousands of different characters. So in Chinese, all foreign names – whether they come from English, Greek, or Russian – need to be written in characters, which are words essentially, instead of letters.
“Then how do I translate my name into Chinese?”, you asked.
Well, with a few exceptions, the majority of the foreign names are translated, more accurately, transliterated into Chinese phonetically by stringing together Chinese characters that sound similar to the syllables or phonemes of the original name. For instance, Jason becomes 杰森 (Jié sēn), two Chinese characters that sound like Jason in English.
Translating Western Names into Chinese
For certain Western names, transliteration is rather convenient because all you have to do is break your name into its component syllables and imagine how you would pronounce them in a thick Chinese accent, and you’ve got it.
Case in point:
- Amanda → A-man-da → 阿曼达 (pronunciation: Ā màn dá)
- Kamila → Ka-mi-la→ 卡米拉 (pronunciation: Kǎ mǐ lā)
- Mina → Mi-na → 米娜 (pronunciation: Mǐ nà)
As you can see, even though these names may look completely unrecognizable when written in Chinese characters, their Pinyin versions (the Romanization of the Chinese characters) look pretty much the same as the originals, aside from the tone marks.
But here’s the main issue:
Because Chinese characters can only represent syllables as concrete blocks of sound but not as fluid combinations of letters, most western names, when transliterated into Chinese, don’t sound like the originals.
For instance,
- Bradley → B-ra-d-ley → 布莱德利 (pronunciation: Bù lái dé lì)
- Patricia → Pa-t-ri-ci-a → 帕特里西娅 (pronunciation: Pà tè lǐ xī yà)
Since each Chinese character is just one syllable, you need a different character to represent the different parts of a consonant or vowel cluster which would be pronounced together as one sound in English (e.g. “tr”, “ia”).
So, in the above examples, while “Bradley” is two syllables in English, it becomes a four-character/syllable name when transliterated into Chinese. And “Patricia”, a three-syllable English name is now five syllables in Chinese.
Besides, Mandarin Chinese has a much smaller stock of sounds compared with English (there are only around 400 syllables in Chinese while there are over 10,000 in English), so very often, the sounds in the foreign name don’t exist at all in Chinese. In that case, you just have to produce the closest equivalent you can!
Just look at what happened to these names.
- Kimberly → Kim-ber-ly → 金伯莉 (pronunciation: Jīn bó lì)
(There is neither “kim” nor “ber” sound in Chinese, so “jīn” and “bó” are used for approximation)
- Donald → Don-nal-d → 唐纳德 (pronunciation: Táng nà dé)
(There is neither “don” nor “nal” sound in Chinese, so “Táng” and “nà” are used for approximation)
Though these Chinese transliterations barely sound anything like the original names, it’s about the best you can do!
Bottom line: most of the time, Chinese transliterations are a very, very rough approximation of the sound of the foreign names.
Now, here’s the interesting part:
The Chinese transliterations of foreign names don’t always have to be based on their pronunciation in English. Many names are translated into Chinese in a way that uses the sounds of their original word.
For example, John is called 约翰 (Yuē hàn) in Chinese, which is nothing like the pronunciation of “John” in English. This is because the name “John” itself is derived from the Hebrew name “Yohanan”. So the Chinese translation of John is based on the name’s pronunciation in Hebrew rather than English – hence the translated name 约翰 (Yuē hàn).
In a similar fashion, “Joseph” is translated as 约瑟夫 (Yuē sè fū) in Chinese. It follows the pronunciation of its original Hebrew name “Yosef” instead of the English name “Joseph”.
Translating Asian Names into Chinese
While most foreign names are translated into Chinese by sound, it’s not the case for every name.
For Asian countries that have historically used Chinese characters, original names in characters are retained in Chinese.
For example, the famous Japanese artist Yoko Ono is 小野洋子 in Chinese, which is the same as her name written in Japanese Kanji. Since characters are read differently in Japanese and Chinese, 小野洋子 is pronounced “Ono Yōko” in the original Japanese but (Xiǎoyě Yángzǐ) in Chinese.
The same goes for Korean names and Vietnamese names – since both countries had once used a writing system based on Chinese characters, you don’t need to translate the names into Chinese phonetically as you would do with western names.
What Does Your Name Mean in Chinese?
Writing foreign names in Chinese characters has a long history and practical reasons. But do the names in Chinese actually mean anything?
Well, most of the time, the method of translating foreign names into Chinese is purely phonetic. Even though the Chinese characters that make up the names have meanings on their own, the conjunction of characters in a transliterated name doesn’t mean anything – it’s just a string of sounds.
For example, Christopher is written as 克里斯多夫 (Kè lǐ sī duō fū) in Chinese. If you take the characters literally, “克-里-斯-多-夫” means “gram-inside-thus-many-man” or “conquer-mile-this-more-husband” (a Chinese character may have many and varied meanings). But just by looking at it, Chinese people will immediately know it’s a foreign name and discard any meanings these characters may have originally had. Obviously, it’s just the phonetic representation of “Ch-ri-s-to-pher”.
That said, since there are so many characters to choose from when transcribing a foreign name, a translator can manipulate the transcription to add additional connotations to the name.
Just as Chinese parents like to choose names that feature characters with auspicious meanings for their babies, characters with negative connotations would be avoided in favor of “elegant” characters with positive or at least neutral meanings for transliteration. It’s nice when a name’s translation makes sense both phonetically and semantically.
For instance, the character 德 (dé), meaning “virtue”, is often used in transliteration to approximate the “d” sound in English names like Dwight – 德怀特 (Dé huái tè) and Gerald – 杰拉德 (Jié lā dé).
Similarly, the sounds of “t” and “Ge” are represented by 特 (tè) – “exceptional” and 杰 (Jié) – “outstanding”, respectively, in the above names – another two characters with positive meanings.
Additionally, some characters are considered typically masculine or feminine. For guys, this means characters that denote strength or firmness are usually used when transliterating their names into Chinese, and for girls, characters with suggestions of beauty or elegance.
For instance, the feminine name Hannah is 汉娜 (Hàn nà) in Chinese, with the character 娜 (nà) meaning “graceful”, while the masculine name Johnny is 强尼 (Qiáng ní) in Chinese, with 强 (qiáng) meaning “strong”.
For the same reason, a different set of characters may be chosen for transcribing the same syllable or phoneme in foreign names to give the names a distinctly masculine or feminine feel.
Example:
For Johnny – 强尼 (Qiáng ní), a neutral character 尼 (ní) is used to transcribe the “ny” sound in the name, whereas for Jenny – 珍妮 (Zhēn nī), 妮 (nī) – a feminine character is used instead to transcribe the same “ny” sound, implying the name bearer is likely a woman (the radical 女 on the left side of 妮 symbolizes woman).
To further illustrate the point, look at how the gender-neutral name “Ashley” is translated into different Chinese versions based on sex.
- Ashley (male) → A-sh-ley → 阿什利 (Ā shí lì)
- Ashley (female) → A-sh-ley → 阿什莉 (Ā shí lì)
The sound “ley” in the male “Ashley” is translated as 利 (lì), a neutral character meaning “benefit”, while in the female version, it’s translated as “莉”, a popular character used in Chinese girl names meaning “Jasmine”.
Name in Chinese: More Than One Version?
You’ve probably noticed by now that Mandarin Chinese has lots of homophonous characters (having the same pronunciation but different meanings, like the English “deer” and “dear”) due to its limited stock of syllables. So it’s easy to use various combinations of characters to transcribe the same foreign name. In other words, a foreigner may have multiple names in Chinese.
For instance, Chris can be written as 克里丝 as well as 克里斯 – both of them are pronounced (Kè lǐ sī).
And the number of possible transliterations can increase dramatically when a name doesn’t match exactly any Chinese sound and several similar-sounding characters can be considered.
For instance, Rachel can be 蕾切尔 (Lěi qiè ěr), 瑞吉儿 (Ruì jí ér) and 瑞秋 (Ruì qiū) at the same time since there is no particular character combination that sounds the same as the English “Rachel”.
Interestingly, western celebrities that have the same name are often given different transliterated names in Chinese on purpose as a way of helping Chinese people distinguish one person from another.
Take Trump, for example, the Former US President Donald Trump’s name is translated as 特朗普 (Tè lǎng pǔ) while the English snooker player Judd Trump is referred to as 特鲁姆普 (Tè lǔ mǔ pǔ) on Chinese media.
How to Write Your Name in Chinese
If you’re learning Chinese, one of the first things you should learn is how to introduce yourself! And you can’t do that unless you know your name in Chinese. So in this section, we’ll teach you the rope of writing your name in Chinese.
Writing the Name in Chinese Characters
Here is how you should do it:
1. Break Your Name into Constituent Sounds
Foreign names are written with Chinese characters that match phonetically with their original sounds. As each character is only one syllable, the first step to writing your name in Chinese is to break your name into its constituent sounds.
Here, you may fall into your first dilemma. Chinese characters must comprise a vowel sound. However, many English names only contain a consonant sound. In this case, you need to add a Chinese vowel to that consonant or between the consonant cluster to make the sound transcribable.
For example,
When saying the name “Francis” in English, the consonant cluster “Fr” is pronounced together without a break. So you need to add a Chinese vowel to the consonant “f”, which in this case is “u” – the closest match to the ending sound of “f”.
The rule also applies to the “s” in “Francis”. You need to add the Chinese vowel “i” (pronounced “ri”) to it to mimic the ending sound of “s”.
So if you want to transcribe the name “Francis”, first you have to break it into “F(u)-ran-ci-s(i)”, making it four syllables, rather than two, in Chinese.
2. Replace the Sounds with Similar-sounding Characters
The next step is to find Chinese characters that correspond to the constituent sounds of your name.
In the case of “Francis”, look for four Chinese characters that sound similar to the four syllables – “F(u)-ran-ci-s(i)”.
Now, to write your name in Chinese, you need to know the basics of characters. The easiest way is to find a character that sounds the same as the syllable. For example, 弗 (Fú) for F(u), and 斯 (sī) for “s(i)”.
Some syllables can’t be directly transferred to Chinese, and you would need to find a similar-sounding character to approximate the sound. For instance, “ran” and “ci” are not sounds that naturally occur in Chinese, so you need to find the closest equivalents you can. In this case, “ran” and “ci” can be approximated by 朗 (lǎng) and 西 (xī), respectively.
Now, you just need to put the characters together and write 弗朗西斯 (Fú lǎng xī sī) for “Francis”.
3. Use Feminine Characters to Transcribe Girl Names
Just like you can turn the name “Francis” into its female version “Frances” by changing the spelling, you can make a name in Chinese appear more feminine by using feminine characters in the transliteration process.
So, instead of using the neutral character 斯 (sī), meaning “thus”, to approximate the “si” syllable, you can opt for 丝 (sī), which means “silk”. Thus, the girl’s name “Frances” can be written as 弗朗西丝 (Fú lǎng xī sī) in Chinese.
Some other frequently used Chinese characters for transcribing girl names include: 娅 (yà), 玛(mǎ), 丽(lì), 莉(lì), 娜 (nà), 琳 (lín), 莎 (shā), 黛 (dài), 妮 (nī), 薇 (wēi), 莲 (lián), 梅 (méi), 蕾 (lěi) and etc.
4. Turn R-sounds into L-sounds to Fit the Chinese Pronunciation
Because determining which Chinese characters sound most like your name can be something highly subjective, in reality, there are no set ways of writing your name in Chinese. However, there are some popular ways of doing it. (China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency has set some rules which designate that foreign names be written in a certain way to avoid confusion)
For example, if your original name contains an “r+vowel” sound, it’s customary to change it to an “l+vowel” sound for Chinese transliteration. So, Randy becomes Landy – 兰迪 (Lán dí) and Frank becomes Flank – 弗兰克 (Fú lán kè).
5. Turn V-sounds into W-sounds
Since Mandarin does not use “v”, you have to replace the “v+vowel” sound in your name with “w+vowel”.
Examples:
- Victor – 维克多 (Wéi kè duō)
- Valentina – 瓦伦蒂娜 (Wǎ lún dì nà)
- Olivier – 奥利维尔 (Ào lì wéi ěr)
6. Turn “TH” sounds (/ð,θ/) into X-sounds or S-sounds
The consonant cluster “th”, which involves the biting of the tongue, doesn’t exist in Chinese either, so you need to substitute sounds like “x” or “s” that are easier for Chinese people to say.
Examples:
- Matthew – 马修 (Mǎ xiū)
- Cynthia – 辛西娅 (Xīn xī yà)
- Jonathan – 乔纳森 (Qiáo nà sēn)
7. Break up Consonant Clusters
Consonant clusters (e.g. “br”, “cl”, “pr”, etc) don’t exist in Chinese. So you need to split them up into two parts, separating them with two characters. While the last consonant can be transcribed with different characters depending on the subsequent vowel, there is usually a fixed character for the first consonant. Here are some examples:
- Blair – 布莱尔 (Bù lái ěr)
Brian – 布莱恩 (Bù lái ēn)
The “b” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 布 (bù).
- Claude – 克劳德 (Kè láo dé)
Craig – 克雷格 (Kè léi gé)
Chloe – 克洛伊 (Kè luò yī)
The “c” and “ch” in a consonant cluster are usually translated as 克 (Kè).
- Bradley – 布莱德利 (Bù lái dé lì)
Drew – 德鲁 (Dé lǔ)
The “d” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 德 (dé).
- Florentino – 弗洛伦蒂诺 (Fú luò lún dì nuò)
Franco – 弗兰科 (Fú lán kē)
The “f” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 弗 (fú).
- Glen – 格伦 (Gé lún)
Grace – 格蕾丝 (Gé lěi sī)
The “g” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 格 (gé).
- Platt – 普拉特 (Pǔ lā tè)
Presley – 普莱斯利 (Pǔ lái sī lì)
The “p” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 普 (pǔ).
- Tlaloc – 特拉洛克 (Tè lā luò kè)
Tracy – 特蕾西 (Tè lěi xī)
The “t” in a consonant cluster is usually translated as 特 (tè).
8. Transcribe the “l” and “lle” at the end of a name as 尔
To write names that end with an “l” or “lle”, you could use 尔 (ěr).
Examples:
- Michael – 迈克尔 (Mài kè ěr)
- Gabriel – 加布里埃尔 (Jiā bù lǐ āi ěr)
- Michelle – 米歇尔 (Mǐ xiē ěr)
9. Transcribe the “ia” at the end of a name as either 亚 or 娅
Other tricky names to write in Chinese would be those that end with “ia”. In this case, you could use either 亚 (yà) or 娅 (yà), though the latter is mainly used in girl names.
- Mattia – 马蒂亚 (Mǎ dì yà)
- Victoria – 维多利亚/维多利娅 (Wéi duō lì yà)
- Olivia – 奥利维亚/奥利维娅 (Ào lì wéi yà)
Writing Your Full Name
Since Chinese lacks spacing between characters, when writing both first and last names together in Chinese, the names should be separated by an interpunct・(a centered dot) to make it clear that you are writing a full name.
For example, Mark Twain (Mar-k T-wain) would be written as 马克·吐温 (Mǎ kè · Tǔ wēn), and Stephen King (S-te-phen King) would be written as 斯蒂芬·金 (Sī dì fēn · Jīn).
As for the order of names in Chinese, stick to the Western practice, that is, write your first name in Chinese first, then your middle name (if you have one), and finally your last name. You don’t need to reverse your names to conform to the Chinese name pattern where the family name is placed before the given name. Essentially, you are just transcribing your name with Chinese characters, not writing a Chinese name per se.
Find Your Name in Chinese
While a name can have multiple possible transcriptions in Chinese, if you have a fairly common name, then chances are there’s already a standard way of writing your name in characters that Chinese people are familiar with, so you don’t have to get all creative with character selection.
Below, we list the official, standard Chinese translations of foreign names used by mainstream media and publications in China, along with their common variant forms.
English Names in Chinese
We’ll start with the most common English names. They are translated into Chinese characters that are phonetically similar to the original name, without necessarily being very meaningful. The transliteration of “David”, for example, is 大卫 (Dà wèi), literally – “big guard”.
Common Male English Names in Chinese
Here’s the list of the top 100 English names for boys written in Chinese characters, along with Pinyin pronunciation. Looking at these will help you figure out how your name should be pronounced in Chinese as well!
| English Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| James | 詹姆斯 | Zhān mǔ sī | |
| Robert | 罗伯特 | Luó bó tè | |
| John | 约翰 | Yuē hàn | |
| Michael | 迈克尔 | Mài kè ěr | |
| William | 威廉 | Wēi lián | |
| David | 大卫 | Dà wèi | 戴维 |
| Richard | 理查德 | Lǐ chá dé | |
| Joseph | 约瑟夫 | Yuē sè fū | |
| Thomas | 托马斯 | Tuō mǎ sī | |
| Charles | 查尔斯 | Chá ěr sī | |
| Christopher | 克里斯托弗 | Kè lǐ sī tuō fú | 克里斯多夫 |
| Daniel | 丹尼尔 | Dān ní ěr | |
| Matthew | 马修 | Mǎ xiū | |
| Anthony | 安东尼 | Ān dōng ní | |
| Mark | 马克 | Mǎ kè | 马可 |
| Donald | 唐纳德 | Táng nà dé | |
| Steven | 史蒂文 | Shǐ dì wén | 斯蒂文 |
| Paul | 保罗 | Bǎo luó | 保尔 |
| Andrew | 安德鲁 | Ān dé lǔ | |
| Joshua | 约书亚 | Yuē shū yà | 乔舒亚 |
| Kenneth | 肯尼斯 | Kěn ní sī | |
| Kevin | 凯文 | Kǎi wén | |
| Brian | 布莱恩 | Bù lái ēn | 布瑞恩; 布里安 |
| George | 乔治 | Qiáo zhì | |
| Edward | 爱德华 | Ài dé huá | |
| Ronald | 罗纳德 | Luó nà dé | 罗纳尔 |
| Timothy | 蒂莫西 | Dì mò xī | 提摩太 |
| Jason | 杰森 | Jié sēn | |
| Jeffrey | 杰弗里 | Jié fú lǐ | 杰弗瑞 |
| Ryan | 瑞恩 | Ruì ēn | 赖安; 里安 |
| Jacob | 雅各布 | Yǎ gè bù | |
| Gary | 加里 | Jiā lǐ | 盖瑞 |
| Nicolas | 尼古拉斯 | Ní gǔ lā sī | |
| Eric | 埃里克 | Āi lǐ kè | 艾瑞克 |
| Jonathan | 乔纳森 | Qiáo nà sēn | |
| Stephen | 史蒂芬 | Shǐ dì fēn | 斯蒂芬 |
| Larry | 拉里 | Lā lǐ | |
| Justin | 贾斯丁 | Jiǎ sī dīng | 贾斯汀 |
| Scott | 斯科特 | Sī kē tè | |
| Brandon | 布兰登 | Bù lán dēng | 布兰顿 |
| Benjamin | 本杰明 | Běn jié míng | |
| Samuel | 塞缪尔 | Sài miù ěr | 萨缪尔; 萨穆埃尔 |
| Gregory | 格里高利 | Gé lǐ gāo lì | |
| Frank | 弗兰克 | Fú lán kè | |
| Alexander | 亚历山大 | Yà lì shān dà | |
| Raymond | 雷蒙德 | Léi méng dé | |
| Patrick | 帕特里克 | Pà tè lǐ kè | |
| Jack | 杰克 | Jié kè | |
| Dennis | 丹尼斯 | Dān ní sī | |
| Jerry | 杰瑞 | Jié ruì | |
| Tyler | 泰勒 | Tài lè | |
| Aaron | 亚伦 | Yà lún | 艾伦 |
| Jose | 何塞 | Hé sài | 约瑟; 荷西 |
| Adam | 亚当 | Yà dāng | |
| Henry | 亨利 | Hēng lì | |
| Nathan | 内森 | Nèi sēn | 南森 |
| Douglas | 道格拉斯 | Dào gé lā sī | |
| Zachary | 扎克瑞 | Zhā kè ruì | 扎卡里 |
| Peter | 彼得 | Bǐ dé | |
| Kyle | 凯尔 | Kǎi ěr | |
| Walter | 沃尔特 | Wò ěr tè | 瓦尔特 |
| Ethan | 伊桑 | Yī sāng | 伊森 |
| Jeremy | 杰里米 | Jié lǐ mǐ | 杰瑞米 |
| Harold | 哈罗德 | Hā luó dé | |
| Keith | 凯斯 | Kǎi sī | 基斯; 基思 |
| Christian | 克里斯蒂安 | Kè lǐ sī dì ān | 克里斯丁 |
| Roger | 罗杰 | Luó jié | |
| Noah | 诺亚 | Nuò yà | |
| Gerald | 杰拉德 | Jié lā dé | 杰拉尔德 |
| Carl | 卡尔 | Kǎ ěr | |
| Terry | 特里 | Tè lǐ | 特瑞 |
| Sean | 肖恩 | Xiāo ēn | |
| Austin | 奥斯丁 | Ào sī dīng | 奥斯汀 |
| Arthur | 亚瑟 | Yà sè | |
| Lawrence | 劳伦斯 | Láo lún sī | |
| Jesse | 杰西 | Jié xī | |
| Dylan | 迪伦 | Dí lún | 狄伦 |
| Bryan | 布莱恩 | Bù lái ēn | 布赖恩 |
| Joe | 乔 | Qiáo | |
| Jordan | 乔丹 | Qiáo dān | |
| Billy | 比利 | Bǐ lì | |
| Bruce | 布鲁斯 | Bù lǔ sī | |
| Albert | 阿尔伯特 | Ā ěr bó tè | |
| Willie | 威利 | Wēi lì | |
| Gabriel | 加布里埃尔 | Jiā bù lǐ āi ěr | |
| Logan | 罗根 | Luó gēn | 洛根 |
| Alan | 阿伦 | Ā lún | 阿兰 |
| Juan | 胡安 | Hú ān | |
| Wayne | 韦恩 | Wéi ēn | |
| Roy | 罗伊 | Luó yī | |
| Ralph | 拉尔夫 | Lā ěr fū | 拉夫 |
| Randy | 兰迪 | Lán dí | |
| Eugene | 尤金 | Yóu jīn | |
| Vincent | 文森特 | Wén sēn tè | |
| Russel | 罗素 | Luó sù | 拉塞尔 |
| Elijah | 伊利亚 | Yī lì yà | 伊莱贾 |
| Louis | 路易斯 | Lù yì sī | |
| Bobby | 博比 | Bó bǐ | 波比; 鲍比 |
| Philip | 菲利普 | Fēi lì pǔ | |
| Johnny | 约翰尼 | Yuē hàn ní | 强尼 |
Common Female English Names in Chinese
As for the translations of female English names, elegant characters reflecting feminine attributes are often used to transcribe the names. Some top occurring characters in female names include 丽 (lì) – “beautiful”, 莉 (lì) – “Jasmine”, 娜 (nà) – “graceful”, 妮 (nī) – “young girl”, and 琳 (lín) – “beautiful jade”.
Here’s the list of the 100 most common English names for girls written in Chinese.
| English Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| Mary | 玛丽 | Mǎ lì | 玛莉 |
| Patricia | 帕特里西娅 | Pà tè lì xià | 帕特丽夏; 派翠西亚 |
| Jennifer | 珍妮佛 | Zhēn nī fú | 詹妮弗 |
| Linda | 琳达 | Lín dá | |
| Elizabeth | 伊丽莎白 | Yī lì shā bái | |
| Barbara | 芭芭拉 | Bā bā lā | |
| Susan | 苏珊 | Sū shān | |
| Jessica | 杰西卡 | Jié xī kǎ | 杰茜卡; 洁西卡 |
| Sarah | 莎拉 | Shā lā | 萨拉 |
| Karen | 凯伦 | Kǎi lún | |
| Nancy | 南希 | Nán xī | |
| Lisa | 丽莎 | Lì shā | 丽萨 |
| Betty | 贝蒂 | Bèi dì | |
| Margaret | 玛格丽特 | Mǎ gé lì tè | |
| Sandra | 桑德拉 | Sāng dé lā | |
| Ashley | 阿什莉 | Ā shí lì | 艾希礼 |
| Kimberly | 金伯莉 | Jīn bó lì | 金伯利 |
| Emily | 艾米莉 | Ài mǐ lì | 艾米丽 |
| Donna | 唐娜 | Táng nà | |
| Michelle | 米歇尔 | Mǐ xiē ěr | 米雪儿; 蜜雪儿 |
| Dorothy | 多萝西 | Duō luó xī | 桃乐西 |
| Carol | 卡萝尔 | Kǎ luó ěr | 卡罗尔; 卡洛尔 |
| Amanda | 阿曼达 | Ā màn dá | |
| Melissa | 梅丽莎 | Méi lì shā | |
| Deborah | 黛博拉 | Dài bó lā | 底波拉 |
| Stephanie | 史黛芙妮 | Shǐ dài fú nī | 斯蒂芬妮 |
| Rebecca | 丽贝卡 | Lì bèi kǎ | 瑞贝卡 |
| Sharon | 莎伦 | Shā lún | 莎朗; 雪伦 |
| Laura | 劳拉 | Láo lā | |
| Cynthia | 辛西娅 | Xīn xī yà | |
| Kathleen | 凯瑟琳 | Kǎi sè lín | 凯思琳 |
| Amy | 艾米 | Ài mǐ | |
| Shirley | 雪莉 | Xuě lì | |
| Angela | 安吉拉 | Ān jí lā | |
| Helen | 海伦 | Hǎi lún | |
| Anna | 安娜 | Ān nà | |
| Brenda | 布兰达 | Bù lán dá | 布伦达 |
| Pamela | 帕梅拉 | Pà méi lā | 帕米拉 |
| Nicole | 妮可 | Nī kě | 尼科尔 |
| Emma | 艾玛 | Ài mǎ | 爱玛 |
| Samantha | 萨曼莎 | Sà màn shā | |
| Katherine | 凯瑟琳 | Kǎi sè lín | 凯萨琳 |
| Christine | 克里斯蒂娜 | Kè lǐ sī dì nà | 克里斯汀 |
| Debra | 黛博拉 | Dài bó lā | 黛布拉 |
| Rachel | 蕾切尔 | Lěi qiè ěr | 瑞吉儿; 瑞秋 |
| Catherine | 凯瑟琳 | Kǎi sè lín | 凯萨琳 |
| Carolyn | 卡洛琳 | Kǎ luò lín | 卡罗琳 |
| Janet | 珍妮特 | Zhēn nī tè | |
| Ruth | 露丝 | Lù sī | 鲁斯 |
| Maria | 玛丽亚 | Mǎ lì yà | 玛莉亚; 玛丽娅 |
| Heather | 希瑟 | Xī sè | 海瑟 |
| Diane | 戴安娜 | Dài ān nà | 戴安; 黛安娜 |
| Virginia | 弗吉尼亚 | Fú jí ní yà | |
| Julie | 朱莉 | Zhū lì | 朱丽 |
| Joyce | 乔伊斯 | Qiáo yī sī | |
| Victoria | 维多利亚 | Wéi duō lì yà | 维多利娅 |
| Olivia | 奥利维亚 | Ào lì wéi yà | 奥利维娅 |
| Kelly | 凯丽 | Kǎi lì | 凯莉 |
| Christina | 克里斯蒂娜 | Kè lǐ sī dì nà | |
| Lauren | 劳伦 | Láo lún | |
| Joan | 琼 | Qióng | |
| Evelyn | 伊芙琳 | Yī fú lín | 伊夫林 |
| Judith | 朱迪思 | Zhū dí sī | 朱迪斯; 茱蒂丝 |
| Megan | 梅根 | Méi gēn | |
| Cheryl | 谢丽尔 | Xiè lì ěr | 谢莉尔 |
| Andrea | 安德莉亚 | Ān dé lì yà | 安德烈娅 |
| Hannah | 汉娜 | Hàn nà | |
| Martha | 玛莎 | Mǎ shā | |
| Jacqueline | 杰奎琳 | Jié kuí lín | |
| Frances | 弗朗西丝 | Fú lǎng xī sī | 弗兰西丝 |
| Gloria | 格罗丽娅 | Gé luó lì yà | 歌莉娅 |
| Ann | 安 | Ān | |
| Teresa | 特蕾莎 | Tè lěi shā | 特丽莎 |
| Kathryn | 凯瑟琳 | Kǎi sè lín | 凯思琳 |
| Sara | 莎拉 | Shā lā | 萨拉 |
| Janice | 珍妮丝 | Zhēn nī sī | 詹妮丝 |
| Jean | 珍 | Zhēn | 吉恩 |
| Alice | 爱丽丝 | Ài lì sī | 爱丽斯; 艾莉丝 |
| Madison | 麦迪逊 | Mài dí xùn | |
| Doris | 多丽丝 | Duō lì sī | 桃瑞丝 |
| Abigail | 阿比盖尔 | Ā bǐ gài ěr | |
| Julia | 茱莉亚 | Zhū lì yà | 茱莉娅 |
| Judy | 朱迪 | Zhū dí | |
| Grace | 格蕾丝 | Gé lěi sī | |
| Denise | 丹妮丝 | Dān nī sī | 丹妮斯 |
| Amber | 艾梅柏 | Ài méi bó | 安柏 |
| Marilyn | 玛丽莲 | Mǎ lì lián | 玛莉莲 |
| Beverly | 贝弗莉 | Bèi fú lì | 贝弗利 |
| Danielle | 丹妮尔 | Dān nī ěr | |
| Theresa | 特蕾莎 | Tè lěi shā | 特丽莎 |
| Sophia | 索菲亚 | Suǒ fēi yà | 索菲娅 |
| Marie | 玛丽 | Mǎ lì | 玛莉 |
| Diana | 戴安娜 | Dài ān nà | 黛安娜 |
| Brittany | 布里特妮 | Bù lǐ tè nī | 布里塔妮; 布列塔尼 |
| Natalie | 娜塔莉 | Nà tǎ lì | 娜塔丽 |
| Isabella | 伊莎贝拉 | Yī shā bèi lā | |
| Charlotte | 夏洛特 | Xià luò tè | |
| Rose | 露丝 | Lù sī | 萝丝 |
| Alexis | 亚历克西斯 | Yà lì kè xī sī | 阿莱克西斯 |
| Kayla | 凯拉 | Kǎi lā |
Spanish Names in Chinese
Although in the majority of cases, the Chinese characters which are used to transcribe a certain name hardly change at all between Spanish to Chinese and English to Chinese, there are other occasions when there is a big difference which makes the name almost unrecognizable if you do not know already how the name is pronounced in original Spanish.
For instance,
The Spanish name “Jorge” is translated as 豪尔赫 (Háo ěr hè) in Chinese based on its Spanish pronunciation, while an Englishman named “Jorge” would be called 乔治 (Qiáo zhì) instead since English speakers would say “George” for “Jorge”.
Now, learn your Chinese name with this list of common Spanish names and their Chinese translations. They’re ordered by gender and popularity and are translated into Chinese based on the Spanish pronunciation.
| Spanish Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| José | 何塞 | Hé sài | 约瑟; 荷西 |
| Luis | 路易斯 | Lù yì sī | |
| Carlos | 卡洛斯 | Kǎ luò sī | |
| Juan | 胡安 | Hú ān | |
| Jorge | 豪尔赫 | Háo ěr hè | 乔治 |
| Pedro | 佩德罗 | Pèi dé luó | |
| Jesús | 赫苏斯 | Hè sū sī | |
| Manuel | 曼努埃尔 | Màn nǔ āi ěr | 马努埃尔 |
| Santiago | 圣地亚哥 | Shèng dì yà gē | 桑蒂亚哥 |
| Sebastián | 塞巴斯蒂安 | Sài bā sī dì ān | 塞巴斯汀 |
| Matías | 马蒂亚斯 | Mǎ dì yà sī | |
| Nicolás | 尼古拉斯 | Ní gǔ lā sī | |
| Samuel | 塞缪尔 | Sài miù ěr | 萨缪尔; 萨穆埃尔 |
| Alejandro | 亚历杭德罗 | Yà lì háng dé luó | 亚历山大 |
| Mateo | 马特奥 | Mǎ tè ào | 马蒂奥 |
| Diego | 迭戈 | Dié gē | |
| Benjamín | 本杰明 | Běn jié míng | |
| Daniel | 丹尼尔 | Dān ní ěr | |
| Joaquín | 华金 | Huá jīn | |
| Tomás | 托马斯 | Tuō mǎ sī | |
| Pablo | 巴勃罗 | Bā bó luó | |
| Lucas | 卢卡斯 | Lú kǎ sī | |
| Martín | 马丁 | Mǎ dīng | |
| Emmanuel | 埃曼努埃尔 | Āi màn nǔ āi ěr | 伊曼纽尔 |
| Alexander | 亚历山大 | Yà lì shān dà | |
| Sofía | 索菲亚 | Suǒ fēi yà | 索菲娅 |
| Valentina | 瓦伦蒂娜 | Wǎ lún dì nà | |
| Isabella | 伊莎贝拉 | Yī shā bèi lā | |
| Camila | 卡米拉 | Kǎ mǐ lā | |
| Valeria | 瓦莱里娅 | Wǎ lái lǐ yà | 瓦乐瑞亚 |
| Mariana | 玛丽安娜 | Mǎ lì ān nà | 玛莉安娜 |
| Gabriela | 加布里埃拉 | Jiā bù lǐ āi lā | |
| Sara | 莎拉 | Shā lā | 萨拉 |
| Daniella | 丹妮埃拉 | Dān nī āi lā | 丹妮拉; 达尼埃拉 |
| María José | 玛丽亚·何塞 | Mǎ lì yà · Hé sài | 玛莉亚·何塞 |
| Victoria | 维多利亚 | Wéi duō lì yà | |
| Martina | 玛蒂娜 | Mǎ dì nà | |
| Luciana | 露西安娜 | Lù xī ān nà | 卢西亚娜 |
| Ximena | 西梅娜 | Xī méi nà | 西米娜 |
| María Fernanda | 玛丽亚·费尔南达 | Mǎ lì yà · Fèi ěr nán dá | 玛莉亚·费尔南达 |
| Lucía | 露西亚 | Lù xī yà | 卢西亚, 露西娅 |
| Natalia | 娜塔莉亚 | Nà tǎ lì yà | 纳塔莉亚 |
| Catalina | 卡塔琳娜 | Kǎ tǎ lín nà | 卡特琳娜 |
| Mía | 米亚 | Mǐ yà | 米娅 |
| Fernanda | 费尔南达 | Fèi ěr nán dá | |
| Nicole | 妮可 | Nī kě | 尼科尔 |
| Julieta | 茱莉塔 | Zhū lì tǎ | 朱丽塔 |
| Abril | 阿比蕊儿 | Ā bǐ ruǐ ér | 阿布里 |
| Samantha | 萨曼莎 | Sà màn shā | |
| Paula | 宝拉 | Bǎo lā | 保拉 |
French Names in Chinese
Below is a list of the most common French names translated into Chinese by pronunciation, ordered by popularity.
As with English names, different characters have been assigned to reflect the pronunciation of the French name, of which some are officially endorsed by Xinhua News Agency and others organically occurred back when French novels were first translated into Chinese (prior to the founding of PRC).
For instance, the first name of the French actor Jean Reno is translated as 让 (Ràng) in Chinese, while the “Jean” in “Jean Valjean”, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables, is translated as 冉 (Rǎn).
| French Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| Jean | 让 | Ràng | 尚; 冉 |
| Marie | 玛丽 | Mǎ lì | 玛莉 |
| Michel | 米歇尔 | Mǐ xiē ěr | |
| Claude | 克劳德 | Kè láo dé | 克洛德 |
| Dominique | 多米尼克 | Duō mǐ ní kè | 多米妮可 (female) |
| Philippe | 菲利普 | Fēi lì pǔ | |
| Francis | 弗朗西斯 | Fú lǎng xī sī | |
| Pierre | 皮埃尔 | Pí āi ěr | |
| Alain | 阿兰 | Ā lán | |
| Nathalie | 娜塔莉 | Nà tǎ lì | 娜塔丽 |
| Bernard | 伯纳德 | Bó nà dé | 贝尔纳德 |
| Isabelle | 伊莎贝尔 | Yī shā bèi ěr | |
| Andre | 安德烈 | Ān dé liè | 安德列 |
| Patrick | 帕特里克 | Pà tè lǐ kè | |
| Catherine | 凯瑟琳 | Kǎi sè lín | 凯萨琳 |
| Daniel | 丹尼尔 | Dān ní ěr | |
| Jacques | 雅克 | Yǎ kè | 贾克 |
| Sylvie | 西尔维 | Xī ěr wéi | 希尔薇 |
| Christian | 克里斯蒂安 | Kè lǐ sī dì ān | 克里斯丁 |
| Eric | 埃里克 | Āi lǐ kè | 艾瑞克 |
| Thierry | 蒂埃里 | Dì āi lǐ | |
| Christophe | 克里斯托弗 | Kè lǐ sī tuō fú | 克里斯多夫 |
| Laurent | 劳伦特 | Láo lún tè | 劳伦; 罗朗 |
| Pascal | 帕斯卡 | Pà sī kǎ | |
| Rene | 雷内 | Léi nèi | 蕾妮 (female) |
| Monique | 莫妮克 | Mò nī kè | 莫尼克 |
| Christine | 克里斯蒂娜 | Kè lǐ sī dì nà | 克里斯汀 |
| Joseph | 约瑟夫 | Yuē sè fū | |
| Olivier | 奥利维尔 | Ào lì wéi ěr | 奥利维耶; 奥利维埃 |
| Martine | 玛蒂娜 | Mǎ dì nà | |
| Anne | 安妮 | Ān nī | |
| Nicolas | 尼古拉斯 | Ní gǔ lā sī | |
| Robert | 罗伯特 | Luó bó tè | |
| Sandrine | 桑德琳 | Sāng dé lín | |
| Valerie | 瓦莱丽 | Wǎ lái lì | 瓦莱莉 |
| Jean-Pierre | 让·皮埃尔 | Ràng · Pí āi ěr | 尚·皮埃尔 |
| David | 大卫 | Dà wèi | 戴维 |
| Jacqueline | 杰奎琳 | Jié kuí lín | |
| Roger | 罗杰 | Luó jié | |
| Sophie | 索菲 | Suǒ fēi | 苏菲 |
| Guy | 居伊 | Jū yī | |
| Jean-Claude | 让·克劳德 | Ràng · Kè láo dé | 尚·克劳德 |
| Didier | 迪迪埃 | Dí dí āi | 迪迪尔 |
| Bruno | 布鲁诺 | Bù lǔ nuò | |
| Nicole | 妮可 | Nī kě | 尼科尔 |
| Marcel | 马塞尔 | Mǎ sài ěr | |
| Marc | 马克 | Mǎ kè | 马可 |
| Yves | 伊夫 | Yī fū | |
| Georges | 乔治 | Qiáo zhì | |
| Serge | 塞尔吉 | Sài ěr jí | 瑟杰 |
German Names in Chinese
All German names can be rendered into Chinese sounds and assigned their characters too. Below is a collection of the most common German names for males and females written in Chinese characters, complete with Pinyin Romanization and their common variant forms.
| German Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| Peter | 彼得 | Bǐ dé | |
| Michael | 迈克尔 | Mài kè ěr | |
| Wolfgang | 沃夫冈 | Wò fū gāng | 沃尔夫冈 |
| Thomas | 托马斯 | Tuō mǎ sī | |
| Klaus | 克劳斯 | Kè láo sī | |
| Werner | 维尔纳 | Wéi ěr nà | 沃纳 |
| Manfred | 曼弗雷德 | Màn fú léi dé | 曼菲德 |
| Ursula | 厄休拉 | È xiū lā | 乌苏拉 |
| Maria | 玛丽亚 | Mǎ lì yà | 玛莉亚 |
| Hans | 汉斯 | Hàn sī | |
| Heinz | 海因茨 | Hǎi yīn cí | 海因兹 |
| Andreas | 安德烈亚斯 | Ān dé liè yà sī | 安德烈斯 |
| Jürgen | 尤尔根 | Yóu ěr gēn | |
| Monika | 莫妮卡 | Mò nī kǎ | 莫尼卡 |
| Helmut | 赫尔穆特 | Hè ěr mù tè | 海尔姆特 |
| Gerhard | 格哈德 | Gé hā dé | 格哈特 |
| Petra | 佩特拉 | Pèi tè lā | |
| Günter | 君特 | Jūn tè | 金特 |
| Renate | 蕾娜特 | Lěi nà tè | 雷纳特 |
| Helga | 海尔格 | Hǎi ěr gé | 赫尔加 |
| Karin | 卡琳 | Kǎ lín | 卡林 |
| Dieter | 迪特尔 | Dí tè ěr | 迪特 |
| Horst | 霍斯特 | Huò sī tè | |
| Sabine | 萨比娜 | Sà bǐ nà | |
| Brigitte | 布丽奇特 | Bù lì qí tè | 布里吉特 |
| Josef | 约瑟夫 | Yuē sè fū | |
| Ingrid | 英格丽 | Yīng gé lì | 英格丽德 |
| Elisabeth | 伊丽莎白 | Yī lì shā bái | |
| Frank | 弗兰克 | Fú lán kè | |
| Andrea | 安德莉亚 | Ān dé lì yà | 安德烈娅 |
| Gisela | 吉塞拉 | Jí sài lā | |
| Walter | 沃尔特 | Wò ěr tè | 瓦尔特 |
| Bernd | 伯恩德 | Bó ēn dé | 贝恩德 |
| Erika | 艾莉卡 | Ài lì kǎ | 艾丽卡 |
| Karl | 卡尔 | Kǎ ěr | |
| Christa | 克丽斯塔 | Kè lì sī tǎ | 克里斯塔 |
| Claudia | 克劳迪娅 | Kè láo dí yà | 克劳蒂娅 |
| Herbert | 赫伯特 | Hè bó tè | 贺伯特; 赫尔伯特 |
| Martin | 马丁 | Mǎ dīng | |
| Birgit | 比吉特 | Bǐ jí tè | |
| Christine | 克里斯蒂娜 | Kè lǐ sī dì nà | 克里斯汀 |
| Susanne | 苏珊娜 | Sū shān nà | |
| Christian | 克里斯蒂安 | Kè lǐ sī dì ān | 克里斯丁 |
| Stefan | 史蒂芬 | Shǐ dì fēn | 斯蒂芬; 史提芬 |
| Heike | 海可 | Hǎi kě | |
| Franz | 弗兰兹 | Fú lán zī | 弗朗兹; 弗朗茨 |
| Elke | 埃尔克 | Āi ěr kè | |
| Uwe | 乌韦 | Wū wéi | |
| Barbara | 芭芭拉 | Bā bā lā | |
| Karl-Heinz | 卡尔·海因茨 | Kǎ ěr · Hǎi yīn cí | 卡尔·海因兹 |
Italian Names in Chinese
And finally, for our Italian readers, here’s a list of the most popular Italian names written in Chinese. You can see that the characters selected to transcribe the names are aimed to produce a close approximation in sound to their Italian originals.
| German Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation | Common Variants |
| Leonardo | 莱昂纳多 | Lái áng nà duō | 李奥纳多 |
| Francesco | 弗朗切斯科 | Fú lǎng xī sī kē | 弗朗西斯科 |
| Alessandro | 亚历桑德罗 | Yà lì sāng dé luó | 亚历山德罗 |
| Lorenzo | 洛伦佐 | Luò lún zuǒ | |
| Mattia | 马蒂亚 | Mǎ dì yà | |
| Andrea | 安德烈 | Ān dé liè | 安德列 |
| Gabriele | 加布里埃尔 | Jiā bù lǐ āi ěr | |
| Riccardo | 里卡多 | Lǐ kǎ duō | |
| Tommaso | 托马索 | Tuō mǎ suǒ | |
| Edoardo | 爱德华多 | Ài dé huá duō | |
| Marco | 马可 | Mǎ kě | 马科 |
| Giuseppe | 朱塞佩 | Zhū sài pèi | 乔治白 |
| Flavio | 弗拉维奥 | Fú lā wéi ào | |
| Luca | 卢卡 | Lú kǎ | |
| Giovanni | 乔瓦尼 | Qiáo wǎ ní | 乔凡尼; 吉奥瓦尼 |
| Roberto | 罗伯托 | Luó bó tuō | |
| Stefano | 斯蒂法诺 | Sī dì fǎ nuò | 史蒂芬劳 |
| Angelo | 安杰洛 | Ān jié luò | 安吉洛 |
| Mario | 马里奥 | Mǎ lǐ ào | |
| Luigi | 路易吉 | Lù yì jí | 路易基 |
| Antonio | 安东尼奥 | Ān dōng ní ào | |
| Vincenzo | 文森佐 | Wén sēn zuǒ | |
| Pietro | 彼得罗 | Bǐ dé luó | |
| Salvotore | 塞尔瓦托 | Sài ěr wǎ tuō | 萨尔瓦托 |
| Carlo | 卡罗 | Kǎ luó | 卡洛 |
| Sophia | 索菲亚 | Suǒ fēi yà | 索菲娅 |
| Guilia | 茱莉亚 | Zhū lì yà | 茱莉娅 |
| Aurora | 奥萝拉 | Ào luó lā | 欧若拉 |
| Alice | 爱丽丝 | Ài lì sī | 爱丽斯; 艾莉丝 |
| Ginevra | 吉妮弗拉 | Jí nī fú lā | 吉内芙拉 |
| Emma | 艾玛 | Ài mǎ | 爱玛 |
| Giorgia | 乔治娅 | Qiáo zhì yà | 乔琪亚 |
| Greta | 格蕾塔 | Gé lěi tǎ | |
| Beatrice | 比阿特丽斯 | Bǐ ā tè lì sī | 碧翠斯 |
| Anna | 安娜 | Ān nà | |
| Maria | 玛丽亚 | Mǎ lì yà | 玛莉亚 |
| Sara | 莎拉 | Shā lā | 萨拉 |
| Laura | 劳拉 | Láo lā | |
| Valentina | 瓦伦蒂娜 | Wǎ lún dì nà | |
| Rosa | 罗莎 | Luó shā | 罗萨 |
| Gianna | 吉安娜 | Jí ān nà | |
| Giuseppina | 朱塞平娜 | Zhū sài píng nà | |
| Angela | 安吉拉 | Ān jí lā | |
| Giovanna | 乔凡娜 | Qiáo fán nà | |
| Stella | 斯特拉 | Sī tè lā | |
| Teresa | 特蕾莎 | Tè lěi shā | 特丽莎 |
| Lucia | 露西亚 | Lù xī yà | 露西娅; 卢西亚 |
| Carmela | 卡梅拉 | Kǎ méi lā | 卡蜜拉 |
| Caterina | 卡特琳娜 | Kǎ tè lín nà | 卡泰丽娜 |
| Francesca | 弗朗切丝卡 | Fú lǎng xī sī kǎ | 弗朗西丝卡 |
Name in Chinese Converter
If your name is not popular enough to crack the top name lists, or, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can use an online name tool to convert your name into Chinese. Chinese Gratis, for example, can autogenerate a name in Chinese for you instantly after you input your name on their web page.
The good thing about the tool is that it allows you to submit your gender as well as the linguistic origin of your name, thus you can get a gender-appropriate name in Chinese based on the pronunciation of your name in your native language.
But remember, whichever name converter you use (and however reliable it claims to be), you must check your name in Chinese with a native speaker. Even though the Chinese transliteration is aimed to stay as close as possible to the original pronunciation of your name, some character combinations autogenerated by the systems just sound weird for Chinese people. Plus, since Chinese characters have multiple meanings, it’s hard to avoid amusing coincidences, especially when your name is long and uncommon. So, double-check with native speakers to be sure!
Bonus: Western Celebrities’ Names in Chinese
From political leaders to sports stars, did you know that Chinese media has given an official Chinese name to each and every one of the influential western celebrities? Find out how to say and write the names of the world’s most famous people in Chinese with the help of the chart below.
| English Name | Name in Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation |
| Donald Trump | 唐纳德·特朗普 | Táng nà dé · Tè lǎng pǔ |
| Joe Biden | 乔·拜登 | Qiáo · Bài dēng |
| Kamala Harris | 卡玛拉·哈里斯 | Kǎ mǎ lā · Hā lǐ sī |
| Barack Obama | 贝拉克·奥巴马 | Bèi lā kè · Ào bā mǎ |
| Boris Johnson | 鲍里斯·约翰逊 | Bào lǐ sī · Yuē hàn xùn |
| Bill Gates | 比尔·盖茨 | Bǐ ěr · Gài cí |
| Elon Musk | 埃隆·马斯克 | Āi lóng · Mǎ sī kè |
| Steve Jobs | 史蒂夫·乔布斯 | Shǐ dì fū · Qiáo bù sī |
| Mark Zuckerberg | 马克·扎克伯格 | Mǎ kè · Zhā kè bó gé |
| Jeff Bezos | 杰夫·贝索斯 | Jié fū · Bèi suǒ sī |
| Anthony Fauci | 安东尼·福奇 | Ān dōng ní · Fú qí |
| Stephen Hawking | 斯蒂芬·霍金 | Sī dì fēn · Huò jīn |
| Stephen Spielberg | 史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格 | Shǐ dì wén · Sī pí ěr bó gé |
| Tom Hanks | 汤姆·汉克斯 | Tāng mǔ · Hàn kè sī |
| Tom Cruise | 汤姆·克鲁斯 | Tāng mǔ · Kè lǔ sī |
| Brad Pitt | 布拉德·皮特 | Bù lā dé · Pí tè |
| Hugh Jackman | 休·杰克曼 | Xiū · Jié kè màn |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | 莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥 | Lái áng nà duō · Dí kǎ pǔ lǐ ào |
| Ben Affleck | 本·阿弗莱克 | Běn · Ā fú lái kè |
| Benedict Cumberbatch | 本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇 | Běn ní dí kè tè · Kāng bó bā qí |
| Robert Downey Jr. | 小罗伯特·唐尼 | xiǎo Luó bó tè · Táng ní |
| Johnny Depp | 约翰尼·德普 | Yuē hàn ní · Dé pǔ |
| Goerge Clooney | 乔治·克鲁尼 | Qiáo zhì · Kè lǔ ní |
| Dwayne Johnson | 道恩·强森 | Dào ēn · Qiáng sēn |
| Will Smith | 威尔·史密斯 | Wēi ěr · Shǐ mì sī |
| Kayne West | 坎耶·维斯特 | Kǎn yé · Wéi sī tè |
| Justin Bieber | 贾斯汀·比伯 | Jiǎ sī tīng · Bǐ bó |
| Justin Timberlake | 贾斯汀·汀布莱克 | Jiǎ sī tīng · Tīng bù lái kè |
| Oprah Winfrey | 奥普拉·温弗瑞 | Ào pǔ lā · Wēn fú ruì |
| Jennifer Aniston | 詹妮弗·安妮斯顿 | Zhān nī fú · Ān nī sī dùn |
| Jennifer Lopez | 詹妮弗·洛佩兹 | Zhān nī fú · Luò pèi zī |
| Taylor Swift | 泰勒·斯威夫特 | Tài lè · Sī wēi fū tè |
| Adele | 阿黛尔 | Ā dài ěr |
| Rihanna | 蕾哈娜 | Lěi hā nà |
| Beyoncé | 碧昂丝 | Bì áng sī |
| Anne Hathaway | 安妮·海瑟薇 | Ān nī · hǎi sè wēi |
| Angelina Jolie | 安吉丽娜·朱莉 | Ān jí lì nà · Zhū lì |
| Nicole Kidman | 妮可·基德曼 | Nī kě · Jī dé màn |
| Emma Stone | 艾玛·斯通 | Ài mǎ · Sī tōng |
| Emma Watson | 艾玛·沃特森 | Ài mǎ · Wò tè sēn |
| Scarlett Johanssen | 斯嘉丽·约翰逊 | Sī jiā lì · Yuē hàn xùn |
| Sophie Marceau | 苏菲·玛索 | Sū fēi · Mǎ suǒ |
| Britney Spears | 布兰妮·斯皮尔斯 | Bù lán nī · Sī pí ěr sī |
| Kim Kardashian | 金·卡戴珊 | Jīn · Kǎ dài shān |
| Kylie Jenner | 凯莉·詹娜 | Kǎi lì · Zhān nà |
| Billie Eilish | 比莉·艾利什 | Bǐ lì · Ài lì shí |
| Ariana Grande | 爱莉安娜·格兰德 | Ài lì ān nà · Gé lán dé |
| Selena Gomez | 赛琳娜·戈麦斯 | Sài lín nà · Gē mài sī |
| Kate Perry | 凯蒂·佩里 | Kǎi dì · Pèi lǐ |
| Demi Lavato | 黛米·洛瓦托 | Dài mǐ · Luò wǎ tuō |
| David Beckham | 大卫·贝克汉姆 | Dà wèi · Bèi kè hàn mǔ |
| Leo Messi | 里奥·梅西 | Lǐ ào · Méi xī |
| Christiano Ronaldo | 克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多 | Kè lǐ sī dì yà nuò · Luó nà ěr duō |
| Neymar | 内马尔 | Nèi mǎ ěr |
| Michael Jordan | 迈克尔·乔丹 | Mài kè ěr · Qiáo dān |
| Mike Tyson | 迈克·泰森 | Mài kè · Tài sēn |
| LeBron James | 勒布朗·詹姆斯 | Lè bù lǎng · Zhān mǔ sī |
| Tom Brady | 汤姆·布雷迪 | Tāng mǔ · Bù léi dí |
| Roger Federer | 罗杰·费德勒 | Luó jié · Fèi dé lè |
| Usain Bolt | 尤塞恩·博尔特 | Yóu sāi ēn · Bó ěr tè |
Different Names in Chinese: Mainland China vs Hong Kong vs Taiwan
So far, we’ve been looking at how the foreign names are said and written in standard Mandarin used in Mainland China. Although the languages spoken in Hong Kong (Cantonese) and Taiwan (Taiwanese Mandarin) are of the same origin, there are substantial differences in many name translations between the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan due to the different historical and cultural backgrounds and the influence of dialects.
For example, different names are given to these people on Chinese-language media platforms in the three regions:
- Ronaldo
Mainland China: 罗纳尔多 (Luó nà ěr duō)
Hong Kong: 郎拿度 (Láng ná dù)
Taiwan: 郎拿度 (Láng ná dù)
- Reagon
Mainland China: 里根 (Lǐ gēn)
Hong Kong: 列根 (Liè gēn)
Taiwan: 雷根 (Léi gēn)
- Mrs Thatcher
Mainland China: 撒切尔夫人 (Sā qiè ěr fūrén)
Hong Kong: 戴卓尔夫人 (Dài zhuó ěr fūrén)
Taiwan: 柴契尔夫人 (Chái qì ěr fūrén)
In Mainland China, transcription of foreign names has been standardized by the Proper Names and Translation Service of the state-run Xinhua News Agency. There is a “palette” of about 500 pre-selected Chinese characters to choose from – ones that are recognizable and inoffensive.
Generally, there are two characteristics in the translation of foreign name in mainland China:
1. Chinese surnames are typically avoided, and only transliteration is used. Therefore, very few names begin with a common Chinese surname. In doing so, the name maintains a “foreign favor” to it, making it easier for people to identify that it’s a foreign name.
2. Neutral characters are favored when translating famous people’s names, and combinations of characters that can easily form special meanings are avoided. For instance, 尼克松 (Ní kè sōng) – Nixon, 克林顿 (Kè lín dùn) – Clinton, 肯尼迪 (Kěn ní dí) – Kennedy – the characters chosen to form these names are all very neutral, and the character combinations don’t convey any actual meaning.
Hong Kong and Taiwan are different.
First of all, Chinese surnames are often included in foreign names, even though they don’t bear too much resemblance to the original sounds.
For example, Hong Kong gave Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair a very Chinese-sounding name “彭雪玲 Peng Xueling” (彭 is a common Chinese surname). Taiwan has adopted the same approach, giving Barack Obama a typical Chinese surname 欧 (Ōu) and name him 欧巴马 (Ōu bā mǎ). (In mainland China, Obama is called 奥巴马 Ào Bā Mǎ, and 奥 is not a Chinese surname).
Secondly, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, some syllables in names are dropped entirely during the translation process for brevity, while in mainland China, you can almost expect every syllable or phoneme to be fully pronounced.
Compare the different Chinese versions of these names:
- Donald Trump
Mainland China: 唐纳德·特朗普 (Táng nà dé · Tè lǎng pǔ)
Hong Kong: 唐纳·川普 (Táng nà · Chuān pǔ)
Taiwan: 唐纳·川普 (Táng nà · Chuān pǔ)
- Johnson
Mainland China: 约翰逊 (Yuē hàn xùn)
Hong Kong: 詹森 (Zhān sēn)
Taiwan: 詹森 (Zhān sēn)
- Eisenhower
Mainland China: 艾森豪威尔 (Ài sēn háo wēi ěr)
Hong Kong: 艾森豪 (Ài sēn háo)
Taiwan: 艾森豪 (Ài sēn háo)
Thirdly, for famous female figures, Hong Kong and Taiwan tend to adopt feminine names. For example, Hong Kong and Taiwan translate the name of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary (Clinton) as 希拉蕊 (Xī lā ruǐ), with 蕊 (ruǐ) meaning “flower bud”, and Michelle (Obama) as 蜜雪儿 (Mì xuě ér), with 蜜雪 (mì xuě) meaning “honeydew snow”. In mainland China, however, neutral characters would be used when it comes to translating the names of female politicians or scientists to give the names a sense of seriousness.
How to Say Your Name in Chinese
Now you’ve known how to write your name in Chinese script, let’s talk about how you can actually say your name in Chinese.
Before we get into the various ways of introducing yourself in Chinese, here is one crucial thing you always need to keep in mind:
Chinese is a tonal language. If you change the tone of your name in Chinese, it will likely become another word with a different meaning! For instance, 杰克 (Jié kè) is “Jack” in Chinese, but 接客 (jiē kè) means “accommodate guests”, while 解渴 (jiě kě) means “quench thirst” and 皆可 (jiē kě) – “it’s all good”. They are just one tone apart! So pay close attention to the tones when you say your name out loud.
If you want to master your Chinese pronunciation, We suggest you start with the Pinyin system. It’s an incredibly useful tool for foreigners to learn the sound of Chinese using the Roman alphabet. We’ve written a detailed guide to help you get started. Read more about Pinyin.
“My Name is …” in Chinese
No matter how little Chinese you know, it’s easy to introduce yourself to someone who speaks Chinese. Here are six ways you can say “my name is…” in Chinese:
1. 我叫…
Pronunciation: Wǒ jiào …
Literally, “I am called …”
When you want to introduce yourself to Chinese speakers, the most natural way to say your name in Chinese is to start with 我叫 (Wǒ jiào) and then follow it up with your name. In this sentence, 我 (wǒ) is the personal pronoun “I”, and 叫 (jiào) is a versatile verb, meaning “be called” here. So this sentence can be translated to “I am called…”.
With this expression, you can either introduce yourself with your full name or just your first name, though in formal situations such as a business setting, you’ll more likely need to say your full name in Chinese.
For example:
- 我叫詹姆斯·布雷迪
Wǒ jiào Zhān mǔ sī · Bù léi dí.
My name is James Brady.
Literally, “I am called James Brady.”
Since the full name is a direct translation from English and not a Chinese name per se, you don’t need to reverse the order to comply with the “family name + given name” Chinese name structure. You still say your first name before your last name.
2. 我是…
Pronunciation: Wǒ shì …
Literally, “I am …”
Another easy and popular way of saying your name in Chinese is to start with 我是 (Wǒ shì) followed by your name. 是 (shì) is the verb “to be”, so it’s just like saying “I am…” in English.
3. 我的名字叫…
Pronunciation: Wǒ de míngzi jiào …
Literally, “My name is called …”
4. 我的名字是…
Pronunciation: Wǒ de míngzi shì …
Literally, “My name is …”
It’s usually fine to say your name in Chinese with either format, beginning the self-introduction with 我叫 (Wǒ jiào) or 我是 (Wǒ shì), but in some situations, you might want to add a formal element to the name introduction and make the statement longer. To do so, simply replace 我 (wǒ) with the phrase 我的名字 (wǒ de míngzi) – “my name”. Again, you can say your full name or just your first name afterward, depending on how serious you want to make yourself sound.
5. 我的中文名字叫…
Pronunciation: Wǒ de Zhōngwén míngzi jiào …
Literally, “My Chinese name is called …”
6. 我的中文名字是…
Pronunciation: Wǒ de Zhōngwén míngzi shì …
Literally, “My Chinese name is …”
If you want to be specific that you’re giving your name in Chinese, you can add the word 中文 (Zhōngwén), which means “Chinese”, before 名字 (míngzi) – “name” in the previous sentences. This is also good for establishing preference, letting people know that you prefer to be addressed by your name in Chinese.
“What Is Your Name” in Chinese
Now that you know how to say your name and introduce yourself, let’s learn how to properly ask someone their name in Chinese as well. This will come in handy when your meet new Chinese friends or colleagues.
As with any expression in Chinese, there is more than one way to ask “what’s your name” in Chinese. Here are the four most common questions we use.
1. 你叫什么名字？
Pronunciation: Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Literally, “You are called what name?”
The standard form of “what’s your name” in Chinese is 你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi). In this question, 什么 (shénme) is the question word, meaning “what”. So this sentence can be translated to “You are called what name?”.
This question can be used in most situations. However, when you meet senior people, it’s better to change it to 您叫什么名字？(Nín jiào shénme míngzi?) to help you sound more polite. 您 (nín) is the honorific form of 你 (nǐ), which is used to address someone who is older than you or in a more senior position than you.
2. 你叫什么？
Pronunciation: Nǐ jiào shénme?
Literally, “You are called what?”
You can omit 名字 (míngzi) after the question word 什么 (shénme) to make the question sound less formal. You can use the shortened form of “what’s your name” in casual situations.
3. 你的名字叫什么？
Pronunciation: Nǐ de míngzi jiào shénme?
Literally, “Your name is called what?”
4. 你的名字是什么？
Pronunciation: Nǐ de míngzi shì shénme?
Literally, “Your name is what?”
Two other expressions for asking someone’s name in Chinese is 你的名字叫什么？(Nǐ de míngzì jiào shénme) and 你的名字是什么？(Nǐ de míngzì shì shénme). They convey a more serious tone and you’ll most likely hear them in very formal situations, such as when you are making a transaction at a bank, and the bank staff needs to identify who you are. Generally, these formal forms are not commonly used in daily speech.
There you go! Once you have these patterns down, you’re golden. So, tell me, what’s your name in Chinese?
FAQ about Names in Chinese
English (and other European languages) and Chinese are fundamentally different languages with drastic differences in phonetics and script. Most Chinese people will have a hard time pronouncing a foreign name that’s written in letters. Translating foreign names into Chinese enables Chinese speakers to recognize, pronounce these names with ease and helps them remember the names better.
Yes, one way or another, all foreign names can be translated into Chinese and pronounced in the Chinese way, even if your name is “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”!
No, foreign names are customarily transliterated into Chinese by sound. You can’t use a straight translation even if your name is a common noun.
For instance, Emma Stone’s name is translated as 艾玛·斯通 (Ài mǎ · Sī tōng) – not 艾玛·石头 (Ài mǎ · Shí tou) – in Chinese, even though her last name indeed has a meaning in English.
That said, it’s okay sometimes to translate a foreign nickname or art name into Chinese based on its meaning. For example, Dwayne Johnson (Chinese: 道恩·强森; Pinyin: Dào ēn · Qiáng sēn) was nicknamed 巨石强森 (Jù shí Qiáng sēn) – meaning “Giant rock Johnson” – by his fans in China.
The reason why some people have different names in Chinese is a matter of media, with various mainstream outlets adopting different ways to transliterate a name, and without there being any clear consensus on which name to use across the board.
“First name”, “middle name” and “last name” in Chinese are 名 (míng), 中间名 (zhōngjiān míng), and 姓 (xìng), respectively.
An authentic Chinese name must consist of a 姓 (xìng) – last name (family name), and a 名 (míng) – first name (given name). The last name is usually just one character, while the first name normally comprises one or two characters (a full Chinese name must be between two and six characters in length). Besides, the first name always comes after the last name, and there is no middle name in a Chinese person’s name.
Transliterations of foreign names, however, have no restriction on the number of characters. Plus, the characters used for transliterations are usually uncommon for Chinese names, therefore, the names translated into Chinese are often easily recognizable as foreign names on purpose.
It’s generally fine to use your transliterated name if you don’t speak Chinese or are just staying in China for a very short time. But if you want your name to sound like a typical Chinese person’s name that any native speaker could understand and remember easily, then make yourself a Chinese name. It’ll also help you build an awareness of Chinese culture! Read our guide to Choosing Your Chinese Name to get started!
According to the latest report compiled by the Ministry of Public Security of China in 2022, the most popular Chinese names now are 沐宸 (Mùchén) for boys and 若汐 (Ruòxī) for girls. Read more about the Most Popular Chinese Names (Trends in 2023 and Across the Decades).
By the way, if you’re interested in learning Chinese, we strongly recommend that you take a structured Chinese course online.
We’ve taken the time to try out dozens of Chinese courses online, some are fabulous while others are abysmal. Read our unbiased reviews here and discover our top recommendations!