How do you ask “what is your name” in Chinese?
The everyday way to ask someone’s name in Mandarin is 你叫什么名字? (nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?). There is also a noticeably more polite version for formal or respectful settings, which is worth having ready.
Pronunciation
Tones: nǐ (3) jiào (4) shén·me (2 + neutral) míng·zi (2 + neutral). 什么 and 名字 both end in a light neutral-tone syllable.
How to use it
- •Answer with 我叫… (wǒ jiào…) “I am called…”, then your name — e.g. 我叫李明 (wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng).
- •In a formal or respectful setting, ask 您贵姓? (nín guì xìng?), literally “your honourable surname?”. The expected answer is 我姓… (wǒ xìng…) “my surname is…”.
- •To give both, Chinese order is surname first: 我姓王，叫王丽 (wǒ xìng Wáng, jiào Wáng Lì).
Common mistakes
- ▸Using 是 (shì, “to be”) instead of 叫 (jiào). Names take 叫, not 是 — say 我叫…, not 我是… when giving your name.
- ▸Answering 您贵姓? with your full name. That polite question asks specifically for the surname; the answer is 我姓… plus the family name only.
- ▸Putting the given name first. In Chinese the surname comes before the given name.
Cultural context
Chinese names are written and said family-name-first, which is the reverse of the usual Western order. 贵姓 (guì xìng), “honourable surname”, shows respect and is normal when meeting older people or in business; asking a child or a peer 你叫什么名字 is perfectly friendly. Many Chinese people also happily adopt an English name for foreign colleagues to use, but learning to say their Chinese name correctly is always appreciated.
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