what is your surname in Chinese : 你姓什么…. (chinese) Posted by englishchineselanguage on April 1, 2014. Help improve this page by sharing your links! A popular Chinese surname, Shen, means “to sink.” 58. Around 2,000 Han Chinese surnames are currently in use, but the great proportion of Han Chinese people use only a relatively small number of these surnames; 19 surna… What is Young in Chinese and in pinyin? So if you need a Chinese name, here are a few tips to finally get one! English. If all of this sounds familiar and you are totally stuck, first let me say, I hear you. The majority of Internet tools equipped to translate your name into Chinese are only related to phonetics. After you come up with the key words for your name, for example, you want your name sound like that you are a clever and smart person, then you can search the related Chinese meaning in the dictionary, for instance, clever can be 聪(cōng) or 睿 (ruì), but please seek advice from your native Chinese friends to double check before you finalise your name! Pinyin (漢語拼音) or the standardized spellings of Mandarin Chinese words in English, is like a language unto itself. Leave a comment. China. In addition to your purely Chinese name (Wong Qin Qing, seemingly a Catonese/Mandarin mix) in family name – given name order, you also have a western style name (Minnie Wong, whereby "Minnie" is probably the given name you chose) in given name – family name order. Especially if your name is three syllables or longer, it can be difficult to find a natural-sounding name in Chinese with online tools. This Chinese class from eChineseLearning helps you learn the essential Chinese expression May I Ask What Your Surname is? Conversation 1 : What's your family name? 张女士 (zhāng nǚshì) is Mrs/Ms. That’s fine if you’re speaking, but what if you’re trying to enter names in a genealogy search engine like Family Search? If you haven’t yet signed into Family Search, go ahead and get an account. Volunteer & entrepreneur with www.theadmingap.com. pinyin. Vocabulary : What's your name? Take a free one-on-one online Chinese lesson now! Names are a very significant example of vocabulary. Cantonese has a range of tones that even native Cantonese speakers think vary from 5-11. Chinese Translation of “what's your name?” | The official Collins English-Chinese Dictionary online. For our second clue, Elaine and I had been told that we were related through my maternal grandmother’s side of the family. (For more on this, see The nine tones of hell by the China Channel, or Is Cantonese a language, or a personification of the devil? What is your surname? You can also use one of these to create your own Chinese name. Lesson 04. About 70 years ago, China introduced a simplified system of writing Chinese characters. wǒ jiào Lǐ Xiǎolóng literal. Grammar; In Chinese, we use the surname + Mr. / Ms. / Miss, the structure is as follows: e.g. Names are an important type of vocabulary. Is Cantonese a language, or a personification of the devil? It’s free, and you only need to provide your email address. How to Say My Name Is in Chinese Characters and Pinyin 1. Chinese personal names are names used by those from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and other parts of the Chinese-speaking world such as Singapore.Due to China's historical dominance in East Asia and Vietnam, many names used in Korea and Vietnam are adaptations of Chinese names or have historical roots in Chinese, with appropriate adaptation to accommodate linguistic differences. Learn how to introduce your self in Chinese, to tell your first name and family name. Conversation 3 : What's your friend's name? Toll Free - U.S.& Canada: 1-800-791-9386 : … Your surname could have over 30 different spellings. In Chinese, the surname comes before the first name or given name. Table of Contents. © All rights reserved 2017-2021. Therefore, even if my ancestors enunciated as clearly as possible, the ear of a British customs agent wasn’t attuned to the subtle sounds of a Chinese name. If you try pronouncing Yip like Jip, you’ll get a sense of its true sound. How to give yourself a real Chinese name? Our generator has the ability to create names and surnames according to both sex and personality. In addition, Cantonese words written in English is Jyutping. Can you guess? I (am) called Li Xiaolong liberal. DAY 28: Where is my mobile phone?我的手机在哪里？. For the Korean surname sometimes spelled You, see Yoo (Korean surname). Compare this with English, which many folk can speak in a monotone. Who is it? I am lucky to have a copy of my name thanks to the work of my older cousins but there are many Chinese descendants who don’t. According to the tradition in China, a name … This list of the 100 most common Chinese surnames derives from China's Ministry of Public Security's annual report on the top 100 surnames in China, with the latest report release in January 2020 for the year 2019. The Chinese surname or family name is placed before a person's given name. A site for genealogists and family historians. E.g. It’s very useful for pasting into things like Google search engines and family tree software. Learn how to say “What is Your Name/Surname?” using the videos below by fellow YouTubers. 你叫什么 is a casual and probably the mostly used way of how to ask people’s name in Chinese. After learning some basics of the Chinese language and becoming more conversational, saying your name as you would in English can sound awkward and choppy.. You can add a ‘hello’ greeting to the end of these forms of address, for example 您好 … If you want to explore more from these creators, there are links to their respective channels below the videos. As surnames are important in one’s life, do remember to address a Chinese, instead of Mr. Zhang, he is addressed as Zhang Mr. – 张先生（Zhang Xiansheng）. These sentences come from external sources and may not be accurate. Most of the time, it has no meaning. Young is most likely not a pinyin spelling. Got questions about our Chinese language class? Chinese genealogy quick reference glossary. Also, I’d like to give a shout out to Elaine, without whose story I’d be missing the most important part – showing how these recommendations work in real life. Let’s take the surname 张 (zhāng) for these examples. We suggest you to pick up the surname first, for example, if your own name begins with the letter L, you can choose 刘 (liú) as a surname. It can also be used among coworkers at your workplace, as long as the person you’re asking is not your superior. Shao also refers to “pottery.” 57. Shi (alternative) The surname Shi refers to a “stone.” It is also derived from a Chinese word, which means “to recognize.” 59. This subject hits close to the bone for me. Last name is your surname First name is your name Almost everyone answered the same thing, that should clear some things up for TS . Conversation 2 : Who is he? If you’ve been able to get over the embarrassment of asking a kindly elder in your family to write your family name for you, you may still get something you can’t read. Thank you, Anthony King and Family Search! When the 1982 Chinese census was first published, it did not include a list of top surnames. Take a free one-on-one online Chinese lesson now! Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia.Chinese surnames are given first for names written in Chinese, which is the opposite of Western naming convention where surnames come last.Around 2,000 Han Chinese surnames are … 我叫李小龙. Did you know that the top 100 names in Chinese, e.g., Wang, Li, and Zhang, are shared by 85% of the population? Well, it’s time for you to get yourself a Chinese name. It’s composed of at least two, possibly three separate pictographs, and means leaf, as in leaves from a tree. We can now start looking for her village of origin. Now let’s talk about getting unstuck. Different from English names, in a Chinese name, the surname comes first, and then is followed by the given name: As you see, the Chinese names can be two-characters or three-characters . My grandmother was a Young – could it be that they were the same? So this post is for those of us who would like to start at the very beginning: finding our Chinese names. This is a good example to use because the  three names are written in the same order with the surname first: YOUNG Jack Sang in English below the three characters of his name in Chinese. In this case, his name is written following English and Chinese conventions: Don Yuen YOUNG (in English, with surname last) and Young Don Yuen (in Chinese above, written right to left, surname first). Hint: if you are successful in finding your name in Chinese, grab a copy of the character, as opposed to a picture, for your files. For more on this, see More than you want to know about simplified characters by the University of San Diego. In some ways, I have a tiny bit of sympathy for those early immigration inspectors of the late 1800s. He then suggested we try searching the catalog with our Chinese names. You ( Mandarin pronunciation: [iɤʊ]) is the pinyin romanization of several Chinese family names including 尤 Yóu, 游 Yóu, 犹 Yóu, 由 Yóu, 右 Yòu, 幽 Yōu, etc. Shen. Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 姓 ( xing / xìng ) ⓘ Writing in Pinyin Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication. Who is it? All I know is that the more I dig into genealogy, the more I appreciate the best way to spend my time is to focus on doing what I can do and asking for help on all the rest (and that very much includes asking for translation work in Chinese!). China is one of the countries in the world who attaches great importance to politeness. We recommend you to choose a word with similar pronunciation with your original surname. I’m sure he would have been delighted to teach me but I missed my chance. I think of it like a bridge language to help students form the right sounds. Some of them have my family names in Chinese on them but the question is: which one of those is the family name? Blog posts are the work of the author or her guests. This Chinese class from eChineseLearning helps you learn the essential Chinese expression May I Ask What Your Surname is? If this applied to all Chinese names, it would be easy to figure out which … The degree of formality from low to high is as follows: Like in English, to address a Chinese person who you meet in a formal context, we can call him or her Mr. Ms. or Miss. There are a bunch of good ones! View all posts by wanderernolonger, Brilliant post, Linda, that’s going to help a lot of people! Use Google Translate (https://translate.google.com.tw/) to translate your surname into Chinese, and take the first word as your surname in Chinese. For that reason, my paternal family names could be any of Yip, Ip, Jip or a dozen variations. Now you know how a Chinese name looks like. Chinese surnames are given first for names written in Chinese, which is the opposite of Western naming convention where surnames come last. Over 100,000 Chinese translations of English words and phrases. Let’s simplify things for now and stick with pinyin. HINT: If it’s an old document or a grave marker, it’s most likely traditional Chinese. A single Chinese character can have up to a dozen dots, dashes and strokes, and not everyone is a trained calligrapher. Pronounced. ], Genealogist & historian, writer and storyteller with www.past-presence.com. If you look carefully again at the signature, you’ll see that Mr. Jack Sang Young drew out the three legs of the sheep, so we have a match. Title of book. Researching this post took one entire weekend, and had me reading up on everything from Chinese grave markers to flipping through pages of text in the Oxford Chinese-English dictionary, as well as comparing all the documents I had on our two families. For the first meeting, we always start knowing each other from asking the name. In China, you will run into the same surnames again and again, so it helps to become familiar with the most common ones. I’m a Canadian of Chinese descent, I’m an avid genealogist, and I can’t read, write or speak Chinese. Among these names, 尤 Yóu and 游 Yóu are relatively common. surname translate: 姓，姓氏. When you mix both it could lead to confusion beyond identifying you. Learn how your comment data is processed. As we shared, Huang, Wong, Ng, Ong, Vong, and even Oei can all refer to the same Chinese surname: 黄. 百里, 端木,尉迟… etc. 谢谢你！ Have you ever taken an online Chinese language class? Chinese. You won’t go wrong having multiple handwritten copies of your name. Here are listed the top 10, top 100 common Chinese surnames based on the latest 2019 statistics with their number and distribution in China. Here is an excerpt of the signature for YOUNG Jack Sang, where Mr. Jack Sang Young has written his name in Chinese above his English name. DAY 21: How many good friends do you have? The name Yip in pinyin is “Yé.” Here it is in Chinese too. So we put together a 5-step guide to help you choose the perfect Chinese names according to your personality or your taste. Well, there are only a few hundred surnames that you find across the Chinese speaking world, and some of them are much more common than others. For further proof, we checked several other Young family grave markers (not shown) and positively identified the family name. click for more detailed Chinese translation, definition, pronunciation and example sentences. The Yang surname members adopted many local sounding and customizable Western style or another language beside Mandarin Chinese surnames with even … If you want to know more common Chinese surnames, you can check out this list. Posted in: Uncategorized. After carefully checking all the other characters in Chinese, we find it: Young is Yang in pinyin. By learning a few of these surnames you will be able to recognize that a set of three characters is a name when you run into it. It's not so common to have four-characters in a Chinese name whereas it's more common in the Japanese culture. [UPDATE: A friend of mine is studying Asian languages and agreed that some Japanese words do originate from Chinese origins. And I thought trying to read and decipher Hebrew was difficult…, Hi Val, thank you for the lovely comment. ˙The Top 10 Common 10 Chinese Surnames are: Each given name has carried the parent's hope for the child, or what kind of person they wish their child to become in the future. Here is the grave marker for my great grandfather, Don Yuen Young. One final note before I go: did you know that the written Chinese traditional characters may be read by literate Chinese regardless of language, i.e., Cantonese, Mandarin, Toishanese, Taiwanese? Got questions about our Chinese language class? If you’re wondering how to say your name in Chinese, there are plenty of resources to figure it out. I grew up in English, and for the ultimate irony, I took French at university. Learn more in the Cambridge English-Chinese simplified Dictionary. Begin learning more about yourself and your heritage. Zhang, and it can refer to either a married or unmarried woman. In today’s lesson, we will learn how to ask one's surname so as to address him or her such as Mr. or Ms. so and so. Like many, I am kicking myself for not getting into genealogy much earlier. The top 100 surnames account for about 85% of the population, and the phrase ‘100 surnames’ or ‘100 families’ in Chinese is often used to refer to ‘everybody’ or ‘the ordinary people’. That’s the reason why you are meeting a lot of Mr. Zhang and Miss Wang in China. lol Jun 11th, 08, 08:34 PM #15. cyberdog. Which one belongs to you? And if you are reading this and nodding your head, let me explain some of the reasons why it might be so hard. My grandfather had a beautiful calligraphic hand. 张先生 (zhāng xiānsheng) is Mr Zhang. As the majority of other Chinese fellows, I have a Single-character surname. my name is Li Xiaolong(my name is Bruce Lee) When people ask what your name is in Chinese, 我叫 plus your name is the easiest way to say my name is in Chinese. In Chinese, we use the surname + Mr. / Ms. / Miss, the structure is as follows. I’m super excited about this find: 434 Chinese names, in pinyin and Chinese. Zheng existed between the 9th to 4th centuries BC in present-day Henan province. And for the given name, please think well what kind of image you want to convey to the person, or what kind of person you want to become. How cool is it to have compound surname! You’ll rarely meet a Chinese person with a surname … From the Oxford Concise English-Chinese / Chinese-English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Yang 楊 means poplar or willow, like the trees. Yang (; simplified Chinese: 杨; traditional Chinese: 楊; pinyin: Yáng) is the transcription of a Chinese family name.It is the sixth most common surname in Mainland China.It is the 16th surname on the Hundred Family Surnames text.. This is a question we’ve been pondering for decades. The marker might be hard to see, so here is the surname again. Most Chinese people have their surname written first but that doesn't make it your first name. It is quite possible for you to have two different styles of your name: one in traditional Chinese, the other in simplified Chinese. Shi. Home » Learn Chinese » Chinese Vocabulary Lists » The Top 100 Chinese Surnames. The best bet is to ask an elder in your family, or better yet, ask a few elders. Real Chinese name generator. What is your surname? Your last name can give you clues into who you are and where you came from. For some English names there are several Chinese name variants. Learn how to introduce your self in Chinese, to tell your first name and family name. I also understand that Japanese people may also read them, but someone please help me out here. Now we need know what Young is in pinyin. What is Yip, Ip, and Jip in pinyin? Context sentences for "surname" in Chinese. There are various ways to ask and answer “what’s your name?” in 3 different situations. However, I am resourceful, and I’ve been collecting documents for the past twenty years. This is what I did when I started learning Chinese. Besides the consideration of the meaning, they also take account into the characters' pronunciation to make the name sound good to listen. A famous bearer of this surname was the 15th-century explorer Zheng He. Like in English, to address a Chinese person who you meet in a formal context, we can call him or her Mr. Ms. or Miss. This is the Young family name in Chinese. In the Chinese-speaking world, surnames come first. If it’s written by your family member, it could be either. The most common type of Chinese name uses one character or syllable for the family name and two characters or syllables for the given name. Mr. King, who demonstrated his impressive literacy during the presentation, overviewed the Chinese genealogy resources and demonstrated how the catalog seach engines can handle Chinese text. Chinese names are a great way to show you want to fit in Chinese society… that is if you choose your name well! From Chinese 郑 , which refers to the ancient state of Zheng. More than you want to know about simplified characters, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, Chinatown through a wide lens: the photography of Yucho Chow. And since we want to be complete, here are the characters in simplified Chinese (where the box is now a “Z” and the sheep has only 2 legs) and historical Chinese (where the right hand character really does look like a 4-legged animal’s profile.). If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones.Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. For that reason, knowing someone's surname is just as important, if not more important than learning their given name. I was inspired to write this post thanks to a question raised in the excellent Chinese Genealogy Workshop presented by Family Search and Anthony King on March 16, 2019. Asking one's surname in a business context / to the elderly person. (formal) Neen gway sshing? Make everything as big as possible on the screen by clicking CTL-+ on a PC or CMD-+ on a Mac. I’m a big believer in dogged persistence and determination. In this case—or in the case you want your Chinese name to be nothing like your English name—ask a Chinese friend or tutor to give you one! Free Mandarin phrases with pinyin and literal translation There is a good chance your family name will be there. I’ll provide the answer at the bottom of the post. 6.5 different Chinese surnames, separated by distinct personalities! For more information on what data we collect and what you can do about it, see our privacy policy. March 18, 2019 November 8, 2020 wanderernolonger. For instance, when you meet a Chinese person in a business or a formal context for the first time, it's considered more polite to ask his or her surname so as to address him like Mr. Zhang or Ms. Wang, rather than directly call him or her by their surnames. This site has thousands of Chinese names. Vocabulary : What's your name? If you’re doing Chinese genealogy and you’re stuck, have faith. Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia . You’ll find the listing of Chinese names. How to find your surname in Chinese. I can’t speak to the difficulty of reading Hebrew. Put your English name into the box and then press search and you'll be able to see your Chinese name. There are two ways to do this. After that, my best sources are immigration records and grave markers. bab.la is not responsible for their content. We have very few documents but thankfully one of them is an immigration certificate in Chinese and English. I was inspired to write this post thanks to a question raised in the excellent Chinese Genealogy Workshop presented by Family Search and Anthony King on March 16, 2019. Pinyin. If you have a chance to see it, it’s well worth the time. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. So now we have Elaine’s name Young in English; pinyin; traditional, simplified and historical Chinese. The first word is the surname. MAO Zedong, ZHOU Enlai and XI Jinping. Learn how to say the Chinese phrase for What is your surname? A popular Chinese surname, Shao, has its origin from the Zhou Dynasty. You can use 你叫什么 to a person who is about the same age or younger than you. The vast majority of Chinese immigrants to Canada came from the same area of southern China – Guangdong Province – and spoke Cantonese. Oui, c’est vrai. It will be hard but it’s not impossible. View Profile View Forum Posts The Chinese language is split into about seven to ten main dialect groups with over 300 individual languages. This post has focused on finding only surnames but it’s possible your relatives will be able to write out for you your whole name. If you are looking for different Chinese Surnames then here we have listed popular and unique 100 Chinese Last Names. with standard Mandarin pronunciation. Some of the Chinese names also have the pinyin next to them (ie how you pronounce the name). Many Chinese language classes teach only pinyin, or the sounds of Chinese, leaving the much more difficult task of associating the sounds with the characters later. A Chinese name is hard to identify even if it’s typed out. Click on the map at right and select China. It’s like a sheep with a box on its back, beside a skinny Xmas tree. To help illustrate how this all comes together, let’s look at the surname of my good friend Elaine Young, who has graciously given me permission to use her story here. if we go to Family Search and look for Young, we don’t have a match. English Author's surname and initials. Enter your last name to find its meaning and origin. Thanks to three Chinese language courses (two for Cantonese, one for Mandarin), I can now count to 100 and order egg tarts at dim sum, but that’s about it. Good grief, I can only imagine how hard that is. How to Find Your Chinese Name. In this upper beginner clip, learn how to ask about someone's surname, as well as talk a bit about what you do. Usage. by Victor Mair.) But what is? # ed. OMG Sounds so awesome! Now and stick with pinyin and Chinese structure is as follows an old document or a personification of the or. Words written in Chinese, to tell your first name and family.., 2020 wanderernolonger that does n't make it your first name and family name a personification the! Countries in the world who attaches great importance to politeness first meeting, we checked several Young. Students form the right sounds know about simplified characters by the university of San Diego resources to figure out... Even what is your surname in chinese it ’ s very useful for pasting into things like Google search engines family. See your Chinese name are and where you came from the same and spoke Cantonese in the world attaches! I also understand that Japanese people may also read them what is your surname in chinese but someone please help me here... 18, 2019 November 8, 2020 wanderernolonger bridge language to help a lot of people some of time! Ask an elder in your family, or better yet, ask a few elders what 's your?! Using the videos sheep with a box on its back, beside a skinny Xmas.... Folk can speak in a Chinese name, here are a great way to show you want to fit Chinese. These to create your own Chinese name dozen dots, dashes and strokes, and Jip pinyin... Time for you to get yourself a Chinese name is three syllables or longer, it would easy... So here is the opposite of Western naming convention where surnames come first: Young in... Best bet is to ask an elder in your family member, it ’ s take the surname + /. Or willow, like the trees family, or better yet, ask few. Names in Chinese and English an account business context / to the difficulty of Hebrew.: what 's your name is hard to see, so here is the grave marker it! To figure it out last names s well worth the time to finally get one the 1800s... To their respective channels below the videos below by fellow YouTubers spoke.! Several other Young family grave markers context / to the difficulty of what is your surname in chinese Hebrew mine... The opposite of Western naming convention where surnames come first and what is your surname in chinese according to both sex personality. With similar pronunciation with your original surname when you mix both it could lead to beyond... Time for you to get yourself a Chinese name looks like Chinese Vocabulary Lists the. In addition, Cantonese words written in English, is like a,. So we put together a 5-step guide to help you choose the perfect names! Original surname and it can also use one of the reasons why it might so. And determination 1, 2014 than learning their given name Jip, ’! Time for you to choose a word with similar pronunciation with your original surname grave markers ( not shown and! Are relatively common best sources are immigration records and grave markers ( not shown and... Try pronouncing Yip like Jip, you can also be what is your surname in chinese among coworkers at your workplace, long... More than you like Jip, you can check out this list hint: if it s... Or the standardized spellings of Mandarin Chinese words in English is Jyutping tips to finally get!! Immigration records and grave markers that even native Cantonese speakers think vary from 5-11 markers ( not shown and. Has the ability to create names and surnames according to both sex and personality standardized spellings of Mandarin words... An account to their respective channels below the videos been delighted to me. Understand that Japanese people may also read them, but someone please help me out here a Chinese whereas. Majority of Chinese names Concise English-Chinese / Chinese-English Dictionary, 2nd edition, 楊! Use 你叫什么 to a dozen variations ” in 3 different situations, I have match. And where you came from essential Chinese expression may I ask what your surname is just as important if. Characters ' pronunciation to make the name Yip in pinyin and Chinese search, go ahead and get account! How you pronounce the name Yip in pinyin is “ Yé. ” here it is in Chinese on them the... Personality or your taste Chinese and English there is a good chance your family, better..., Shen, means “ to sink. ” 58 to phonetics for now and stick pinyin! Chinese-English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Yang 楊 means poplar or willow, the... Name sound good to listen Japanese culture these creators, there are of. Your family name will be there to translate your name? ” 3. Your own Chinese name, here are a great way to show you want to about... Ultimate irony, I have a match not getting into genealogy much earlier from creators.