How surname order, characters, sound, generation and social context make a Chinese name meaningful—and make some invented names sound unnatural.
13 guides · Page 1 of 2
Historical names
What Were Ming, Zi, and Hao?
Personal name · courtesy name · literary name
Foreign names
How Should You Write a Foreign Name in Chinese?
Public rendering · chosen name · passport spelling
Pinyin and characters
Why Can the Same Pinyin Mean Different Names?
Tone loss · homophones · identity records
Reduplicated names
Why Do Chinese Nicknames Repeat?
Affection · child-directed speech · complete given names
Familiar address
What Do Xiao, Lao and A Mean?
Relative age · hierarchy · word order · region
First meetings
How Should You Address a Chinese Person?
Introductions · surname plus title · full names · asking
Short names
Do Chinese People Shorten Names?
Given names · pet names · relationship and context
Name length
How Many Characters Are in a Chinese Name?
Two to four characters · surname and given name · exceptions
Married surnames
Do Chinese Women Change Their Surnames After Marriage?
Mainland rule · historical forms · regional options
Common surnames
What Are the Most Common Chinese Surnames?
Official rankings · pinyin · regional variation
Generation names
How Generation Names Link Chinese Relatives
Lineage · shared character · variation
Compound surnames
How Chinese Compound Surnames Work on English Forms
Ouyang · romanisation · form fields