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Chosen for you · checked by a person
A Chinese name that sounds right to Chinese ears.
Tell us about you, and we’ll choose three real Chinese names to fit. Will, a native Mandarin speaker raised in Sydney, checks every one before it reaches you.
One payment. Your names arrive by email within 3 days of your details.
Sample name
林若澜
Lín Ruòlán
Like rolling waves
A sample name for someone who loves the sea.
Why ask a person?
A generator can match sounds and meanings. It can’t tell you whether a name sounds natural, dated or slightly odd to someone who grew up with Chinese. That’s the part a native speaker hears straight away, so that’s what you’re getting.
What you get
- Three names, made for youEach with its characters, pinyin, meaning and the reason it fits you, plus Will’s pick of the three.
- How to say itAudio of each name, at natural speed and slowly, checked by Will.
- How to write itA printable guide with stroke order and practice boxes for every character.
Your order also includes The Chinese Naming Kit as a free extra, ready to download straight away.
What Will checks
Every name is said aloud with your family name, then checked for the four things that make a Chinese speaker pause.
- DatedNames carry their decade, just as English ones do.
- Too commonIt should read as real, without being one of three in a class.
- A word, not a namePeople should hear a name, not an everyday object.
- Chosen by look aloneA beautiful character can still sound wrong or mean something odd.
A sample order
Here’s the kind of thing you’d receive. This is an example for an imaginary customer, Emma Lindsay, a nurse from Melbourne who works early shifts and loves the sea. Her family name became 林 (Lín), from the first sound of Lindsay.
Why it fits you: You love the sea. 澜 (lán) is a great wave and 若 (ruò) means like, so the name carries the sea with you.
How it sounds: Rises, falls, then rises again. People will expect the more common 若兰, so you get a small story to tell about the 澜 in 波澜 (bōlán, waves).
Will’s pick for you.
Why it fits you: Early shifts mean you see plenty of sunrises. 晓 (xiǎo) is dawn and 彤 (tóng) is a bright red, the colour of the sky at that hour.
How it sounds: Young, bright and easy to say, and you’d rarely need to explain it.
Why it fits you: For the calm you go to the water for. 秋月 is the clear moon of autumn, a long-loved image in Chinese poetry.
How it sounds: Quieter and more classic than the other two. That’s deliberate, and it suits someone who likes that feel.
How it works
- OrderPay securely by card. It takes a minute.
- Tell us about youAnswer a few short questions on the next page.
- Get your namesThey arrive by email within 3 days.
Checked by Will
Will is the founder of WillyChina. He was born in China and raised in Sydney, speaking Mandarin at home and English everywhere else, and has spent more than ten years teaching Mandarin online.
That means he can hear a name the way a native speaker does, and explain it the way an English speaker needs. More about Will.
FAQs
How do you choose my names?
You tell us your name, your background and what you’d like the name to say about you. We shortlist names that fit, check each character against a dictionary, and Will checks each one against the four traps below and says it aloud with your family name.
How long does it take?
You’ll get your three names by email within 3 days of sending us your details.
What do I need to send you?
Just a few details after you’ve paid: your full name, a little about you, and what the Chinese name is for. It takes a couple of minutes.
What if I only want a free name?
Our free Chinese name generator gives you a name straight away. This service is for when you want a person to choose and check it.
What’s included with my order?
Three names with what they mean and why they fit you, audio of each name at natural speed and slowly, Will’s pick of the three, a printable guide with stroke order, and The Chinese Naming Kit as a free extra.
Is this a subscription?
No. It’s one payment, with nothing else to pay.
Get a name you’ll be glad to use
Three names, chosen for you and checked by a native speaker.