How do you say "What's your name?" in Chinese?

"What's your name?" in Chinese is 你叫什么名字？ — written in pinyin as Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 你叫什么名字？ mean in Chinese?

你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) means "What's your name?". Broken down word by word: 你 (nǐ) means "you"; 叫 (jiào) means "to be called"; 什么 (shénme) means "what"; 名字 (míngzi) means "name".

When would you use "What's your name?" in Chinese?

You ask it of someone your own age — a fellow traveller, a new colleague, a host's friend — where the direct form is completely normal. To somebody older, or to anyone whose name you need for a form, the polite version is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng) — the direct question can sound like you are checking up on them.

How to say “What's your name?” in Chinese

“What's your name?” in Chinese is 你叫什么名字？, written in pinyin as Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?.

你叫什么名字？

Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

What's your name?

Word by word

What each part of 你叫什么名字？ actually means.

你nǐyou
叫jiàoto be called
什么shénmewhat
名字míngziname

When you use it

You ask it of someone your own age — a fellow traveller, a new colleague, a host's friend — where the direct form is completely normal.
To somebody older, or to anyone whose name you need for a form, the polite version is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng) — the direct question can sound like you are checking up on them.

Use 你叫什么名字？ in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.

Other ways people say it

The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.

请问你叫什么名字？
Qǐngwèn nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
May I ask your name?
请问 in front is all it takes to move the same sentence from casual to polite. This is the safe version at a hotel or an office.
您贵姓？
Nín guìxìng?
What is your surname?
The formal question, used with older people and in business. 贵 is a courtesy word: literally 'your honourable surname'.
怎么称呼你？
Zěnme chēnghu nǐ?
What should I call you?
The easiest one to use, because it asks only what to call the person rather than for a full name. Very common in workplaces.

What usually trips people up

名字 is the full name; surname and given name are separate words. 姓 is the family name and it comes first — in 王小明, 王 is the 姓 and 小明 the given name — and 您贵姓 asks only for the 姓.
The question already contains 什么, so it takes no 吗. Adding one (你叫什么名字吗) is the mistake foreigners make most often with this sentence.
Do not build it as 你的名字是什么. It is a word-for-word translation of 'what is your name'; it is understood, but the natural sentence uses 叫.

What you might hear back

我叫李明。Wǒ jiào Lǐ MíngMy name is Li Ming.
我姓王。Wǒ xìng WángMy surname is Wang.
你呢？Nǐ ne?And you?

Common questions

How do you say "What's your name?" in Chinese?: "What's your name?" in Chinese is 你叫什么名字？ — written in pinyin as Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
What does 你叫什么名字？ mean in Chinese?: 你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?) means "What's your name?". Broken down word by word: 你 (nǐ) means "you"; 叫 (jiào) means "to be called"; 什么 (shénme) means "what"; 名字 (míngzi) means "name".
When would you use "What's your name?" in Chinese?: You ask it of someone your own age — a fellow traveller, a new colleague, a host's friend — where the direct form is completely normal. To somebody older, or to anyone whose name you need for a form, the polite version is 您贵姓 (nín guìxìng) — the direct question can sound like you are checking up on them.

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