你姓什么？
nǐ xìng shénme?
In Chinese, "what is your last name?" is said as 你姓什么？ (nǐ xìng shénme?)
This phrase is used to ask someone for their family name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你姓什么？ breaks down literally as "you surname what?", where 你 means "you", 姓 means "to be surnamed" and 什么 means "what".
Which one should you use?
More formal options exist for different levels of respect.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 你姓乜嘢？ is used to mean "What is your surname?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question more respectful, you can replace the informal pronoun 你 (nǐ) with the polite version 您 (nín).
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ xìng shénme?
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid translating the English sentence literally as 你的名字是什么？ In Chinese, the verb 姓 (xìng) is specifically used when inquiring about surnames.
When do people say it?
When someone asks for your surname, a natural way to respond is to use the structure 我姓… (wǒ xìng) followed by your family name.
Did you know?
- In some contexts, asking 你姓什么？ can be seen as too blunt. In highly formal situations, people use 请问您贵姓？, where 贵 literally means 'expensive' or 'noble' to show respect for the other person's lineage.
- In ancient times, the characters used for 姓 often included radicals for women, as surnames were originally traced back to maternal ancestral lines.
- Many Chinese surnames are 'compound surnames' consisting of two characters instead of one. While rare today, these 复姓 (fùxìng) can be confusing for learners who expect only one character after 我姓…
Examples in context
- 你姓什么？Nǐ xìng shénme?What is your last name?
- 请问，你姓什么？Qǐngwèn, nǐ xìng shénme?Excuse me, what is your surname?
Example conversation
A new classmate is introducing herself to Junjie.
- 俊杰 Junjie你好，我叫俊杰。你姓什么？Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Jùnjié. Nǐ xìng shénme?Hello, my name is Junjie. What is your last name?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我姓林，叫林佳怡。Wǒ xìng Lín, jiào Lín Jiāyí.My last name is Lin, and my name is Jiayi Lin.
- 俊杰 Junjie很高兴认识你，林小姐。Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ, Lín xiǎojiě.Nice to meet you, Miss Lin.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我也很高兴认识你。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.Nice to meet you too.
