My name in Chinese
There are two answers to "what is my name in Chinese". The first is a transliteration: characters chosen only for sound, the way a newspaper writes a foreign name (Emma Watson becomes 艾玛·沃森, Àimǎ Wòsēn). It is correct, and nobody is called it. The second is a Chinese name: a surname that echoes yours, then a given name with meaning (王艾美, Wáng Àiměi). Type your name below and you get the second kind, three ways, with every character explained. Ask for the sound-first style if you want the name to stay close to how yours sounds.
Already have a Chinese name?
Choose how it is written
Four pieces per collection. You can add another collection afterwards.
The first piece is written now, free. Unlock the rest when you like it.
How it works
Enter your name. For a closer sound, open "More about the name" and choose the sound-first style.
Compare the three names: each character’s pinyin and meaning, and how the name fits yours.
Choose one and see it written in calligraphy, or cut as a seal.
Questions
How do I write my name in Chinese characters?
Either by transliteration (characters that imitate the sound, used for foreign names in print) or by taking a real Chinese name: a surname that matches the first sound of your family name and a given name of one or two characters with meaning. Chinese people and long-term expats use the second.
Does my name have a direct translation in Chinese?
Names rarely translate. A name that means something (Rose, Grace, Leo) can carry that meaning into the Chinese given name, which is what the "meaning-first" style does.
How do you pronounce the Chinese name?
Every name comes with pinyin, the standard romanisation, with tone marks. Say the surname first; that is how Chinese names are spoken.
Read more
- Why 艾米丽·沃森 is not a Chinese name: transliteration vs a real nameA transliteration spells the sound of a foreign name in Chinese characters; a Chinese name is a surname and a meaningful given name. What each is for, how to tell them apart, and which one to use.