莎拉
Shālāalso
The English given name Sarah is translated into Mandarin as 莎拉 (Shālā). Wiktionary also lists 薩拉 / 萨拉 (Sàlā).
Meaning: given name from Hebrew (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 莎拉 | Shālā | also |
| 薩拉 / 萨拉 | Sàlā |
These forms are transliterations used to represent the Hebrew name Sarah in Mandarin.
Which one should you use?
The forms 薩拉 / 萨拉 (Sàlā) and 莎拉 (Shālā) both represent the name Sarah. The form 莎莎 (Shā Shā) is an informal version, while 小莎 (Xiǎo Shā) is an informal way to refer to younger individuals named Sarah.
How do you pronounce it?
Shālā
Did you know?
- The character 拉 (lā) in the transliteration means 'to pull' or 'to drag', which is a common way to represent the 'ra' sound in foreign names.
- In Mandarin, the character 莎 is most commonly used in names of plants, such as 'gramineous' or 'grass-like' species, rather than in names of people.
- Doubling a character to make 莎莎 is a common linguistic pattern called 'reduplication' used to create a cute or endearing nickname.
Examples in context
- 你好，我叫莎拉。Hello, my name is Sarah.
- 我有一个朋友叫莎拉。Wǒ yǒu yīgè péngyǒu jiào Shālā.I have a friend named Sarah.
- 莎拉在写信。Shālā zài xiě xìn.Sarah is writing a letter.
- 莎拉去超市买东西了。Shālā qù chāoshì mǎi dōngxi le.Sarah went to the supermarket to buy things.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new classmate.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你认识那个女孩吗？Nǐ rènshí nàge nǚhái ma?Do you know that girl?
- 俊杰 Junjie认识，她叫莎拉。Rènshí, tā jiào Shālā.Yes, her name is Sarah.
- 佳怡 Jiayi莎拉是从哪里来的？Shālā shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de?Where is Sarah from?
- 俊杰 Junjie她来自美国。Tā láizì Měiguó.She comes from the United States.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sarah” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
