名字

• Pinyin: míng zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 名 = 夕 (evening) + 口 (mouth), calling out in the dark; 字 = 宀 (roof) + 子 (child)

Meaning

Name. Refers to a person's given name or full name.

The most common word for a person's name. In Chinese culture, names carry significant meaning — parents carefully choose characters with positive meanings. 名字 can refer to either the full name or just the given name depending on context.

Examples

1. 你叫什么名字？ What is your name?
2. 请写一下你的名字。 Please write down your name.
3. 她的名字很好听。 Her name sounds very nice.

Usage Guide

Context: introduction, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请问您贵姓？(May I ask your surname? — formal)
• 你的名字怎么写？(How do you write your name?)

Don't Say

• 你的名字是什么？(Not wrong, but less natural than 你叫什么名字？ which is the standard way to ask someone's name)

Origin & History

A compound of 名 (name/fame) and 字 (character/word). In ancient China, people had both a 名 (given at birth) and a 字 (courtesy name given at adulthood).

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal