(luó bó tè) - Robert in Mandarin
luóbótèTraditional: 羅伯特
Translation
Robert
Word origin
The standard Chinese transliteration of the English name Robert, using 罗, 伯 and 特 purely for their sounds. The traditional form writes 罗 as 羅.
- Origin
- transliteration
- Root
- 罗 (luó) + 伯 (bó) + 特 (tè), chosen to render the sounds of Robert
Stroke order
罗
伯
特
Examples
。
Robert is an old colleague of mine.
。
Robert speaks three languages.
封。
This letter was written by Robert.
。
I saw Robert at the station yesterday.
。
Robert and his family live in London.
罗伯特 (luó bó tè) is the settled Chinese spelling of Robert. Foreign names are written out syllable by syllable with characters picked for sound rather than meaning, so none of the three characters here is telling you anything about the person.
Transliterations are standardised, not improvised. A newspaper, a film subtitle and a textbook will all write Robert as 罗伯特, and inventing your own spelling makes you harder to understand, not more original. The same goes for 大卫 (David), 彼得 (Peter) and 安娜 (Anna).
The trap is word order and titles. Chinese puts the title after the name, so Mr Robert is 罗伯特先生, never 先生罗伯特. And where a full Western name appears, the two halves are joined by a middle dot rather than a space, which is why you see the interpunct in printed Chinese text.
Where this fits
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罗伯特: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "罗伯特" (Robert): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.