(míng zì) - name (of a person or thing) in Mandarin

míngzì

Traditional: 名字

HSK 2

#244 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

name (of a person or thing)

Word origin

名字 (míngzi) 'name' joins 名 'name' with 字 'written character'. 名 is an ideograph of 夕 'evening' over 口 'mouth', from calling out one's name in the dark; 字 shows a child (子) under a roof (宀), an offspring of basic graphs.

Origin: compound
Root: 名 (name: 夕 evening + 口 mouth) + 字 (character)

Stroke order

名

字

Examples

？

What is your name?

李lǐ。

My name is Li Ming.

？

What is the name of this place?

。

Please write down your name.

。

I forgot his name.

名字 (míng zì) means name (of a person or thing). It is used as a noun in everyday Mandarin speech.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Used in

Stories

(8)

Grammar articles

(8)

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

名字: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "名字" (name (of a person or thing)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 5.