NetChai Chinese
你叫什么名字
nǐ jiào shén me míng zì
What's your name · trad. 你叫什麼名字

你叫什么名字 is the standard way to ask someone's name in Mandarin Chinese. It's appropriate for most everyday interactions, from meeting new friends to casual conversations.

When to use it

Neutral to casual. For a more polite or formal approach, especially with elders or in business settings, use 您叫什么名字 or 您贵姓, which specifically asks for their honorable surname. To reply, say 我叫 [your name].

How to pronounce it

Sounds like "nee jyao shuhn-muh ming-dzuh." The "zi" in 名字 is often pronounced with a very light, neutral tone.

Other ways to say it

  • 您叫什么名字nín jiào shén me míng zìwhat's your name (polite)
  • 您贵姓nín guì xìngwhat is your honorable surname (very polite/formal)
  • 你姓什么nǐ xìng shén mewhat's your surname (casual)

Examples

你好，你叫什么名字？
nǐ hǎo ， nǐ jiào shén me míng zì ？
Hello, what's your name?
请问，您贵姓？
qǐng wèn ， nín guì xìng ？
Excuse me, what is your honorable surname?
我叫王明，你叫什么名字？
wǒ jiào wáng míng ， nǐ jiào shén me míng zì ？
My name is Wang Ming, what's your name?
Pro tip: When asking for someone's full name, use 叫什么名字. If you only want to know their surname, you can use 你姓什么 (casual) or the very polite 您贵姓.

Related phrases

和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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