Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 名 | |
| 名字 | ming⁴ zi⁶ |
| 名稱 / 名称 | ming⁴ cing¹ |
In Cantonese, the way you say 'name' depends on whether you are referring to a person, an object or an institution. For personal names, you will most commonly use 名 or 名字. When referring to the designation of objects, institutions or abstract concepts, use 名稱 / 名称.
Which one should you use?
名 is the shortened form used frequently in speech for people, whereas 名稱 is used for the names of things, institutions or abstract concepts rather than people's personal names.
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken Cantonese, 名 is often used as a shortened form of 名字 when it follows a possessive or a classifier, such as in the phrase 佢個名 (his name).
When do people say it?
When addressing people formally in Cantonese, the surname is usually stated first. For adult males, the titles 先生 / 生 (Mr. or Sir) are used, while for adult females, 女士 (Mrs./Ms.) is used. For young or unmarried women, 小姐 (Miss) is common. For informal settings, you might use nicknames like 珍珍 or even a phonetic version of a Western name like 珍妮 (Janet) to address someone.
Did you know?
- In traditional Cantonese culture, a person's 名 may be kept secret and only used by close family, while they are publicly identified by their surname and a title.
- When people exchange names in Hong Kong, it is common to provide a 'milk name' 乳名, which is a childhood nickname used by parents that persists into adulthood within the family.
- The character 名 can also function as a classifier for people in specific contexts, such as 一名學生 to mean 'one student'.
Examples in context
- 佢個真名係咩？What's his real name?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's real name using 名.Tatoeba #5761153 by nickyeow, translation #5711959 by CK
- 你個名點讀㗎？How do you say your name?This sentence is useful for asking how to pronounce a name using 名.Tatoeba #7999332 by nickyeow, translation #7999333 by nickyeow
- 文勒有個怪名。Mennad has a weird name.This sentence is useful for describing a name as being weird using 名.Tatoeba #12069087 by thesilhouette, translation #8013611 by OsoHombre
- 陳小姐Miss Chan
- David 黃David Huang
- 47 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are meeting for the first time at a party.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan你好，我叫嘉欣。你個名係咩？nei5 hou2, ngo5 giu3 gaa1 han1. nei5 go3 ming2 hai6 me1?Hello, I'm Ka Hin. What is your name?
- 志強 Chi Keung你好，我叫志強。nei5 hou2, ngo5 giu3 zi3 keung4.Hello, my name is Chi Keung.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan志強，呢個名好聽喎。zi3 keung4, ni1 go3 ming2 hou2 teng1 wo3.Chi Keung, that's a nice name.
- 志強 Chi Keung多謝你。do1 ze6 nei5.Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “name” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
