“My name is Anna” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
My name is Anna
“My name is Anna” in Chinese is 我叫安娜, wǒ jiào Ānnà, roughly “woh jyow ahn-nah”. Word for word: “I am called Anna”. Put your own name after 叫 and you have introduced yourself.
What the phrase is made of
- 我wǒI, me
- 叫jiàoto be called
- 安娜ĀnnàAnna
叫 is a verb: “I am called”, not “my name is”. So the sentence starts with a plain “I”, 我, and you don’t need “my” or “name” at all. Chinese words also never change their form: 我 is both “I” and “me”. wǒ is third tone, low; jiào is fourth, sharply down.
我叫, 我是 or 我姓: how to introduce yourself
- 我叫安娜。wǒjiàoĀnnàmy name is Anna
- 我是安娜。wǒshìĀnnàI’m Anna; this is Anna
- 我姓王。wǒxìngWángmy surname is Wang
我叫… is the usual way to give your name when you meet someone. After 叫 comes your first name or your full name. 我是… is “I am so-and-so”: you say it when you are expected or already known by name — on the phone, in a message, arriving at a meeting. 姓 is a verb too, “to have the surname”, and only a surname follows it. In business, Chinese people often introduce themselves by surname.
With 是 you can go on and tell more about yourself:
- 我是美国人。wǒshìMěiguórénI’m American
- 我是学生。wǒshìxuéshengI’m a student
- 我来介绍一下。wǒláijièshàoyíxiàlet me introduce myself; let me introduce you
Swap the country for your own: 英国 Yīngguó is Britain, 加拿大 Jiānádà is Canada, 澳大利亚 Àodàlìyà is Australia. 人 rén, “person”, after it makes the nationality.
How to say your English name in Chinese
Western names aren’t translated into Chinese but written in characters by their sound: Anna is 安娜, Ānnà. Common names have settled spellings, so there is no need to invent one: John is 约翰 Yuēhàn, Mary is 玛丽 Mǎlì, David is 大卫 Dàwèi. Find yours on the page “Your name in Chinese” — it also shows how it is read.
How to ask someone’s name back
- 你叫什么名字？nǐjiàoshénmemíngziwhat’s your name?
- 您贵姓？nínguìxìngmay I ask your surname?polite
- 认识你很高兴。rènshinǐhěngāoxìngnice to meet you
The question is taken apart on the page “What’s your name?” in Chinese. You close the introduction with 认识你很高兴, literally “knowing you — very glad”: 认识 is “to know, to be acquainted”, .
Common mistakes
The first is copying English: 我的名字是安娜, “my name is Anna” word for word. People will understand you, but it sounds like a textbook; in real life it is 我叫安娜. The second is saying 我姓安娜: only a surname can follow 姓. The third is jiào: it is one syllable, not “jee-ow”, and the pinyin j is softer than the English j in “jaw”, with the tongue flat behind the lower teeth. The tone falls; if you let it rise like a question, it becomes a different syllable.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “my name is Anna” in Chinese?
“My name is Anna” in Chinese is 我叫安娜, in pinyin wǒ jiào Ānnà.
How do you pronounce 我叫安娜?
我叫安娜 is read wǒ jiào Ānnà. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “my name is Anna” in Chinese characters?
我叫安娜 is 4 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 我叫安娜 mean?
我叫安娜 (wǒ jiào Ānnà) means “my name is Anna”.
Introduce yourself in Chinese
The lesson “Meeting people”: say your name, ask someone else’s, say where you are from. Five minutes, free during the beta.
Start for free