Chinese Name Pronunciation
Type a Chinese name in characters or in pinyin letters and hear it spoken, with every syllable broken down: the tone, the sound in plain English, and the traps that catch English speakers out. It's free, and there's no signup.
How Chinese names are put together
A Chinese name is short and strictly ordered: family name first, given name second. In 王小明, 王 (Wáng) is the family name and 小明 (Xiǎomíng) is the given name. Written in English that becomes “Wang Xiaoming” and the order usually stays the same, which is why so many people greet the wrong half of the name.
- Family names are nearly always one character. A handful are two, like 欧阳 (Ōuyáng) and 司马 (Sīmǎ).
- Given names are one or two characters, chosen by the parents for their meaning rather than picked from a fixed list of names.
- Every character is one syllable, and every syllable carries a tone. A three-character name is exactly three beats, all the same length.
There's no equivalent of a middle name, and given names aren't drawn from a shared pool the way “James” or “Sarah” are. Two people almost never have the same full name by coincidence. Our guide to how Chinese names work covers the naming customs in full.
The four things English speakers get wrong
- Reading the letters as English. Pinyin isn't English spelling. X is an “sh” sound, q is a “ch”, c is a “ts”, and zh is a “j”. So Xu is “shyoo”, Qian is “chyen”, and Cao is “tsow”.
- Dropping the tones. Tones aren't decoration; they're part of the name the way a vowel is. Saying every syllable flat is closer to saying “Jahn” for “John” than to a small accent.
- Stressing a syllable. English gives one syllable of a name the emphasis. Chinese doesn't. Keep all the syllables even in length and volume, and let the tones do the work.
- Assuming the surname reads normally. Family names often use a special reading, which is the next section.
Our full guides to Chinese tones and Chinese pronunciation cover the sounds properly, and how to pronounce Chinese names is the long-form version of this page.
Surnames that aren't said the way they look
A good number of characters change their reading when they're used as a family name. Dictionaries and translation apps routinely give the everyday reading instead, which is how someone ends up being called the wrong name for years. These are the common ones, and the tool above checks for all of them.
- 曾 zēng as a name, not céng
- 任 rén as a name, not rèn
- 覃 qín as a name, not tán
- 纪 jǐ as a name, not jì
- 翟 zhái as a name, not dí
- 解 xiè as a name, not jiě
- 单 shàn as a name, not dān
- 区 ōu as a name, not qū
- 仇 qiú as a name, not chóu
- 查 zhā as a name, not chá
- 华 huà as a name, not huá
- 乐 yuè as a name, not lè
- 缪 miào as a name, not móu
- 朴 piáo as a name, not pǔ
Just ask. It works better than guessing.
This tool will get you close, and for a name you only ever see written down, close is a big improvement. But the person whose name it is remains the best source, and asking is welcome almost every time.
A line that works: “I want to get your name right. Could you say it for me?” Then repeat it and let them correct you once. If you want to ask in Chinese, it's 请问，你的名字怎么念？ (Qǐngwèn, nǐ de míngzi zěnme niàn? “May I ask, how is your name pronounced?”)
Questions
How do you pronounce Chinese names?
Chinese names are written family name first, then given name. Each character is one syllable, and each syllable carries a tone that changes the word. Say the family name first, keep every syllable the same length, and give each one its tone. Paste the name into the tool above to hear it spoken and see each syllable broken down.
Can you tell the tones from the romanized spelling?
No, and that's the single biggest trap. "Wang Li" could be several different names with different tones and different characters, because the Latin spelling drops the tone marks. The consonants and vowels are exact, so the tool can always tell you the sounds. For the tones you need the characters, or you can ask the person directly.
Which part of a Chinese name is the surname?
The first part. 王小明 is Wang (family name) Xiaoming (given name), which is the reverse of the English order. Most family names are one character; a small number, like 欧阳 (Ōuyáng) and 司马 (Sīmǎ), are two. Given names are one or two characters.
Why is the surname pronounced differently from the character I looked up?
Because a fair number of characters have a special surname reading. 单 is dān in ordinary words but Shàn as a family name, 解 is jiě normally but Xiè as a name, and 曾 is céng but Zēng as a name. The tool checks the name against a list of common surnames first, so it gives you the surname reading rather than the dictionary's everyday one.
What's the polite way to ask someone how to say their name?
Ask directly and early: "I want to get your name right. Could you say it for me?" Then repeat it back and let them correct you. Almost nobody minds being asked, and most people are pleased that you bothered. Guessing quietly and getting it wrong for a year is the option people actually dislike.
Is the audio a real voice?
It's a neural text-to-speech voice from Microsoft Azure, the same voice used throughout Chenjin's reader and flashcards. It's accurate for tones and pronunciation. For a real native recording of a specific person's name, ask them.
Do I need an account?
No. The tool is free and works without signing in. A free Chenjin account adds audio on every word in the dictionary, flashcards, graded reading, and the Tone Coach, which records you and compares your pitch to a native speaker's.