How To Choose a Great Chinese Name? And Why It’s So Important

There are two different types of Chinese names:

So you can have two different types of Chinese names. The first is a transliteration of your original name into Chinese characters, and the second is an actual Chinese name.

1. The transliteration of your name into Chinese. 

English words can be translated into Chinese. For example William Rogers, into Chinese is 威廉·罗杰斯 Wēilián·luōjiésī. You can see that the name is pronounced in Chinese sounds similiar to the English name (but with a Chinese twist).

The best way to get this is through Google translate. There is a full dictionary of these names into Chinese. This is the official name and Google translate is pretty good at this.

This is great if you would like to have an official name, but it sounds similar to a Chinese person’s name just being written in English, for example: Chen Yonghui. You can tell that it isn’t an English name.

2. An Actual Chinese Name

The better way is to get an actual Chinese name. Chinese has 50,000 characters+ and there are far more possibilities for names compared to English, so its a lot more difficult to name someone in Chinese than in English where you can just choose from a list.

Having a great Chinese name is powerful

If you actually want to use your name with Chinese speakers, it is better to have a name that is more original, and it sounds more local. That demonstrates that you understand Chinese culture and it means you are able to connect with them much more easily. It can also open up a lot more opportunities and enable you to build relationships and maybe even help you get a job or get accepted more easily into a Chinese university!

Even if you are doing business with Chinese people and not even going to China it can be useful.

Choosing a name is an opportunity to make a big impact, so why not get a great name that can make a big impact?

There are three ways to choose a Chinese name:

A Free Chinese Name Generator Tool

There are many free Chinese translator tools that you can find online. We have tried the top 10 online, and the main problem with them is that the Chinese names aren’t very good. You can try them for yourselves and then ask some native Chinese speakers. Here is the typical reactions that we got.

Ask Chinese Friends or Teachers

The best way to do it is to ask a Chinese friend or teacher who knows you. They can look at your English name, and your personality and goals and then suggest some options for you. Normally this process can take some time, perhaps a few weeks while they think about it. It is good to get a few different perspectives so you can choose a good option and get feedback.

A few tips: 

  • Don’t choose a celebrity or famous person
  • Pick a Chinese person to help you who is smart and well educated
  • Get feedback from multiple people

We can help – Chinese Naming Service

Because this is so important in Chinese culture to get right, we have a Chinese naming service.

We have also given some Chinese names for foreigners who are coming to study in China. The process typically takes 1-2 weeks. We will discuss it with about 5 native Chinese speakers who are highly educated from the top universities in China and come up with 3 suggestions for names for you.

The targets for choosing a great name:

– It impresses Chinese speakers who you meet – they will say it is a great name
– It demonstrates some unique aspect of your personality
– It demonstrates you’re not just another foreigner, but you have took the effort to

We have been featured in the media on this topic about the importance of choosing a Chinese name here.

About Our Basic Service

The fee for this service is $14.99 USD, and it takes 2 weeks. We will give you 3 Chinese names, the characters, pinyin and the meaning and why they are great.

About Our Advanced Service

The fee for our comprehensive service is $49.99 USD, and it takes 3 weeks.

We will give you 5 Chinese names, the characters, pinyin and the meaning. We will also create a questionnaire with 30 native Chinese people and ask their comments and ratings of which name to choose. We will also arrange a 1 on 1 call to explain the options and what they mean, and how to write it and how to use it.

Register for Our Service

If you are interested in using our naming service please complete the form below, and we will get back in contact.

  • What is your background and personality? What are your personal values? What is most important to you? What are your future goals? Please also share any bio / linkedin link. The more information you can share the better.

Founder and CEO at China Admissions. Originally from UK🇬🇧, based in Beijing. Studied at Peking University & BLCU. Preparing for HSK 6. Hope we can help more talented international students have the same amazing experiences and opportunities that I have had
Richard Coward

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