How to Say ‘What is your name?’ in Simplified Chinese
你叫什么名字？
nǐ jiào shén me míng zì
[nee jiào shuhn-muh ming dzuh]
💬 Usage Tip: Question words like 什么 "what" stay in the spot where the answer would go, so the question has the same word order as the answer 我叫….
Phrase Breakdown
你叫
nǐ jiào
you are called
叫 (jiào) means 'to be called' or 'to be named'. Say it with a sharp falling 4th tone.
你叫小明吗？
Are you called Xiaoming?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
The informal or neutral word for “you,” suitable for peers or casual conversation.
如果对方和你年纪差不多，可以说“认识你”。
If the other person is about your age, you can say “nice to meet you” with 你.
叫
jiào
[jiào]
to be called; to be named
Used to ask or state someone's name.
你的狗叫什么？
What is your dog called?
什么名字？
shén me míng zì
what name?
什么 (shénme) means 'what', and 名字 (míngzi) means 'name'. 么 and 字 are light, neutral tones.
这是什么名字？
What name is this?
Words in this phrase
什么
shén me
[shuhn-muh]
what
A question word used to ask about things, details, or specific information.
你想知道什么时候可以取消，就先问“什么”规则。
If you want to know when you can cancel, first ask what the rules are.
名字
míng zì
[ming dzuh]
name
A noun meaning a person's name.
你的名字叫什么？
What is your name?
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