Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 名字 | míngzì | /miŋ³⁵ d͡z̥ɹ̩³/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Mainland China, standard, Taiwan, variant, Sinological IPA) /miŋ³⁵ t͡sɹ̩⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Taiwan, standard, Mainland China, variant, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 名 | miâ | /miã²¹³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun) /miã²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Yongchun, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
| 名字 | miâ-jī, miâ-lī | /miã²⁴⁻²² li²²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen, Sinological IPA) /miã²⁴⁻¹¹ li³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
| 名稱 / 名称 | miâ-chheng | Hokkien |
The term refers to a word or phrase that indicates a particular person, place, class or thing. Related verbs include 命名, which means to give a name to something and 任命, which means to designate someone for a role.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 名字 is composed of 名, meaning name or identity and 字, meaning character or word.
Which one should you use?
名字 is used for people's names, whereas 名稱 is used for the names of objects, concepts or formal titles. Additionally, when referring to a person's full name (surname and given name) in formal contexts such as filling out forms, 姓名 is used instead of the more casual 名字.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term минзы is used in Dungan, while the Hokkien language uses several variations: 名, 名字 and 名稱 / 名称.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 名字 is miâ-jī, miâ-lī.
Did you know?
- The character 名 is believed to represent the act of a person speaking their name in the dark, combining the characters for 'moon' and 'mouth' to identify oneself.
- In traditional Chinese culture, using a person's 名 (given name) was once considered overly intimate or even rude, which is why the 字 (courtesy name) was created for social use.
Examples in context
- 那名字是肯。That name is Ken.This sentence uses 名 to identify a specific name.Tatoeba #5555549 by verdastelo9604, translation #378828 by blay_paul
- 以姓名搜尋。Search by name.This sentence uses 名 in the context of searching by name.Tatoeba #13138986 by LeviHighway, translation #11478069 by dbahasa
- 你叫什麼名字？What is your name?This sentence uses 名 to ask for a person's name.Tatoeba #6142025 by xjjAstrus, translation #70623 by frpzzd
- 277 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
浩然 and 晓雯 are looking at a contact list on a phone.
- 浩然 Haoran這個名字很熟悉。Zhège míngzi hěn shúxī.This name is very familiar.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你記不記得他是誰？Nǐ jì bù jì tā shì shuí?Do you remember who he is?
- 浩然 Haoran我只記得他的名字。Wǒ zhǐ jìdé tā de míngzi.I only remember his name.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那也算是一點印象。Nà yě suànshì yīdiǎn yìnxiàng.That's still a bit of an impression.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “name” translations and entries 名字, 名, 名字, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 名, 名字, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
