Lesson 5: Names in Chinese
Unlike western culture, Chinese people introduce their names by referring to the last name first. There are many common last names in Chinese, which means you may meet 2 Mr. Chen, 3 Mr. Li in the same room. However if you are not familiar with them, you still need to refer to them by using the last name first then their first names.
To simplify the contents, I have separated them into two different parts: A and B.
Vocabulary A:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | word class | English Translation | |
| 您 | nín | (pro.) | you(respectful) | ||
| 我 | wǒ | (n.) | I,me | ||
| 我的 | wǒ dē | (pro.) | my;mine | ||
| 贵姓 | guì xìng | (v) | your surname (respectfully) | ||
| 贵 | guì | (adj.) | honor; expensive | ||
| 姓 | xìng | (n.) | surname;be surname | ||
| 小明 | xiǎo míng | (n.) | a first name | ||
| 王 | wáng | (n.) | a surname | ||
| 叫 | jiào | (v.) | call | ||
| 什么 | shén me | (pro.) | what | ||
| 名字 | míng zì | (n.) | name | ||
Tips A:
- Please note the very first word in the vocabulary 1, 您 (nǐn) is another form of you, very similar to 你 (nǐ), it is often used among conversations between strangers to show respect. It is also a good idea to use this word to the people who is older than you.
- As we have pointed in the very beginning of this lesson, Chinese people normally ask for each other's family name first, especially in formal conversations. When speaking casually or dating, you may directly ask for the other person's name, he/she will likely tell you the full name, again, last name then first name.
Dialog A:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation A:
What's your family name? (respectfully)
My family name is Wang.
What's your name?
My name is Wang Xiaoming.
Vocabulary B:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | word class | English Translation |
| 你的 | nǐ de | (pro.) | your | |
| 他 | tā | (pro.) | he | |
| 她 | tā | (pro.) | she | |
| 他的 | tā de | (pro.) | his | |
| 她的 | tā de | (pro.) | her | |
| 是 | shì | |||
| 谁 | shéi | |||
| 李 | lǐ | (n,) | a surname | |
| 小红 | xiǎo hóng | (n.) | a first name | |
| 朋友 | péng yǒu | (n.) | friend |
Tips 2:
- Similar to English, Chinese use 他 to refer to "he" and 她 to refer to "she". Both words pronounces as "tā".
- The same as 我的 （“my"), 他的/她的 are used to refer to "his" and "her".
Dialog 2:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation 2:
Who is she?
She is my friend.
What's your friend's name?
Her family name is Li, her name is Li Xiaohong.
Chinese Calligraphy:
您 我 他 她 的 是 谁 贵 姓 叫 什 么 名 字 朋 友 王 小 李 红
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