How to say “what's your name” in Chinese
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
Literally 'you called what name'. A more formal way to ask is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng), 'your honourable surname?'.
In a sentence
你叫什么名字？我叫李华。
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? Wǒ jiào Lǐ Huá.
What's your name? I'm Li Hua.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "what's your name" in Chinese?+
"what's your name" in Mandarin Chinese is 你叫什么名字, pronounced nǐ jiào shénme míngzi. Literally 'you called what name'. A more formal way to ask is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng), 'your honourable surname?'.
What does 你叫什么名字 mean literally?+
你叫什么名字 breaks down as 你 (nǐ) = you, 叫 (jiào) = to be called, 什么 (shénme) = what, 名字 (míngzi) = name. Together it means "what's your name".
How do I get the tones right in nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?+
Literally 'you called what name'. A more formal way to ask is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng), 'your honourable surname?'.
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