Chinese word

名字

Pronunciation

Pinyinmíng zì

Meaning

  • nounname

Example

他的名字叫王明。tā de míng zì jiào wáng míng

His name is Wang Ming.

Illustration for 名字 (name)

More examples

你的名字叫什么？nǐ de míng zì jiào shén me

What is your name?

Core concept

A person's identifying word or group of words, stretching from the form used in daily conversation to the complete form on a record.

Common phrases

  • 你的名字nǐ de míng zì

    your name

  • 名字叫míng zì jiào

    be named

  • 写名字xiě míng zì

    write one's name

Similar words

姓xìng: The family name that identifies a person's family and usually comes first in a Chinese personal name.
名míng: The individual name portion of a Chinese personal name.
姓名xìng míng: A formal full name made up of the family and individual name, especially on official documents.

Definition in Chinese

指个人用于书写或口头称呼的姓名，一般口语中可指全名或常用的名字，并不特指姓或名其中之一。zhǐ gè rén yòng yú shū xiě huò kǒu tóu chēng hū de xìng míng yì bān kóu yǔ zhōng kě zhǐ quán míng huò cháng yòng de míng zì bìng bú tè zhǐ xìng huò míng qí zhōng zhī yī

Word origin

名 (míng, "name") + 字 (zì, "written character or courtesy name") combines two traditional terms for identifying a person into a modern compound.

Usage tips

  • Chinese personal names usually place the family name first, so the first part is not automatically the part that English speakers call a first name.

Other meanings

  • full namenoun
  • given namenoun

Word lists with this word