How to Say "Confucius" in Chinese

孔子

Kǒngzǐ

Confucius in Chinese is 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ). Wiktionary also lists 孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ).

Meaning: Chinese philosopher (name)

Ways to say it

“confucius” in Chinese
Chinese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
孔子	Kǒngzǐ
孔夫子	Kǒng Fūzǐ

孔子 refers to the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius. The name is constructed using his family name 孔 and an honorific title.

The name consists of the surname 孔 (Kǒng) and the honorific title 子 (Zǐ), which means 'master' or 'teacher'.

Kǒngzǐ

The name 孔子 is so iconic that the surname 孔 is still associated with his direct descendants. There is a recognized clan in China that maintains a genealogical record of his lineage over two millennia.
While 子 means 'master', it was not always an honorific. In very early Chinese, the word simply meant 'son', and its shift to a title for scholars reflects a change in how society viewed intellectual authority.
In traditional Chinese calligraphy, writing the characters for 孔子 is often treated as a meditative act of respect rather than just writing a name.

子是中国古代对有学问的人的尊称，如孔子，老子，墨子，韩非子。
The title "Zi" was an honorific title for learned scholars in ancient China, such as Confucius, Laozi, Mozi and Han Feizi.
This sentence explains how 孔子 is an example of the honorific title 'Zi' used for ancient scholars.
Tatoeba #13947930 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #13947931 by jan_OkulaJu
孔子是誰？
Who was Confucius?
This sentence is a simple question asking who 孔子 was.
Tatoeba #12451740 by Iye_Tete, translation #9419477 by CK

Two students are studying in a library.

俊杰 Junjie

這本關於孔子的書在哪裡？
Zhè běn guānyú Kǒngzǐ de shū zài nǎlǐ?
Where is this book about Confucius?
梓涵 Zihan

在那個書架的第三層。
Zài nàge shūjià de dì sān céng.
It is on the third shelf of that bookcase.
俊杰 Junjie

謝謝妳，梓涵。
Xièxiè nǐ, Zǐhán.
Thank you, Zihan.
梓涵 Zihan

不客氣，俊杰。
Bú kèqì, Jùnjié.
You're welcome, Junjie.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏