Chinese name generator

Chinese names with hanzi, pinyin and real meanings, for novels, games, C-drama fan fiction and language learners. Describe the person and get names that read as natural to a native speaker.

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90+ Chinese name ideas

  • Wang Hao (王浩, vast)
  • Zhang Wei (张伟, great)
  • Li Ming (李明, bright)
  • Liu Yang (刘洋, ocean)
  • Chen Jie (陈杰, outstanding)

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Chinese names built from real characters

A Chinese name is a surname followed by a given name, and the meaning lives in the characters. Most surnames are one character: Wang (王), Li (李), Zhang (张), Liu (刘), Chen (陈). The given name is one or two characters, picked for what they say together, so Li Wei (李伟, great) and Lin Haoran (林浩然, vast and upright) carry a wish from the parents. This generator is built for writers, game designers, wuxia and xianxia readers, C-drama fans and learners who want a Chinese name of their own.

Tell it who the person is: a Shanghai office worker born in the 1990s, a Song dynasty scholar who needs a courtesy name, a sword-wielding disciple of a mountain sect, a student starting Mandarin who wants a name close to their own. You get hanzi, pinyin with and without tone marks, and a short note on what each character means. Run any name you plan to use for yourself past a native speaker before you print it on a business card.

  • Hanzi, pinyin and meaning

    Every name comes as characters, pinyin and a plain English gloss: Zhang Min (张敏, quick-witted), Wang Fang (王芳, fragrant). Tone-marked pinyin such as Wáng Fāng is there when you need to say it right.

  • Modern, historical and wuxia styles

    A 1950s Jianguo (建国, build the nation) sounds nothing like a 2010s Zixuan (子轩) or a martial hero named Murong Qianxue (慕容千雪). Describe the era or genre and the names follow it.

  • Generation and courtesy names

    Many families share one character across a generation of siblings and cousins. Historical fiction also needs a courtesy name, or zi (字), used by peers. Ask for either and get a matching set.

5 tips for choosing a Chinese name

  1. Put the surname first

    In Chinese order the family name leads: Zhang Wei, not Wei Zhang. Keep that order in fiction set in China or written from a Chinese point of view. Flip it only where the character would do so themselves, such as on an English resume abroad.

  2. Choose characters for meaning, not just sound

    Dozens of characters share the pinyin "wei" or "jing", and each says something different. Jing can be 静 (quiet), 晶 (crystal) or 婧 (slender and graceful). Pick the character first, then check how it reads next to the surname.

  3. Listen to the tones together

    Mandarin names get read as a tune. Parents often mix tones so a name does not sound flat, as in Wáng Fāng or Lǐ Míng. If you cannot hear tones yet, read the tone-marked pinyin aloud with a recording or ask a speaker to say it.

  4. Match the name to the era

    Given names follow fashion. Jianguo (建国, build the nation) was common for boys born around 1949; Zixuan (子轩) and Yutong (雨桐) are names of recent decades. For dynastic settings, use classical characters and add a courtesy name for adult men.

  5. Check it with a native speaker

    Homophones can turn a fine name into a joke. Du Ziteng (杜子腾) sounds like dùzi téng, stomachache, and Fan Tong (范统) sounds like fàntǒng, a good-for-nothing. A native speaker will catch that in seconds. It is also the respectful thing to do.

Want names made for yours? Describe what you're naming and Nomi finds names that fit.

Frequently asked questions

The surname comes first, then the given name. Most surnames are a single character, such as Wang (王), Li (李) or Zhang (张), and a few are two-character compounds like Ouyang (欧阳) or Sima (司马). Given names are one or two characters chosen for their meaning. In Zhang Wei (张伟, great), Zhang is the family name and Wei is the personal name.

Many learners pick a surname that echoes their own: a Lee can simply become Li (李). Then choose one or two given name characters for meaning and sound, and avoid rare characters that people cannot type or read. Skip names of famous people. Describe yourself to the generator for a shortlist, then ask a teacher or native speaker which one sounds natural.

Wang (王), Li (李), Zhang (张), Liu (刘) and Chen (陈) are the most common surnames in mainland China, each carried by tens of millions of people. Spelling changes by region: Chen is Chan in Hong Kong Cantonese, Zhang appears as Cheung in Hong Kong and Chang in Taiwan, and Wang is often Wong in Hong Kong. Pick the spelling that fits where your character is from.

A courtesy name, or zi (字), was a second name traditionally given to men when they came of age and used by peers out of respect, since calling an equal by their given name could be rude. Zhuge Liang's courtesy name was Kongming (孔明), and Cao Cao's was Mengde (孟德). The two names often echo each other in meaning, which is worth copying in historical fiction.

Wuxia names lean on poetic imagery: wind, frost, cloud, moon, ink and swords. Compound surnames such as Murong (慕容), Ouyang (欧阳) and Shangguan (上官) suggest an old martial family. Xianxia and cultivation stories add Daoist names (道号) and sect titles. Avoid lifting famous characters like Guo Jing (郭靖) or Linghu Chong (令狐冲) from Jin Yong's novels; generate a fresh name instead.

In everyday English text, no. Passports, business cards and news reports write Li Wei, not Lǐ Wěi. Tone marks matter when someone needs to pronounce the name correctly, so they are useful for language learners, audiobook narrators and the glossary at the back of a novel. Ask for tone-marked pinyin in your description if you want both versions side by side.

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