Introducing Yourself in Chinese 自我介绍
zìwǒ jièshào
Self-introduction in Chinese is 自我介绍 (zì wǒ jiè shào).
Also searched for as: self introduction, my name is, introduce yourself, nice to meet you.
Who are you greeting? Say who you are. 15 essential introductions words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The quickest way to introduce yourself in Chinese is 我叫… (wǒ jiào…), 'I'm called…', followed by your name. These words take you from your name and surname to where you come from, where you live and how old you are, finishing with the all-purpose 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ), 'nice to meet you'. Chinese introductions often include more personal detail than English ones, so 姓 (xìng) and 岁 (suì) come up early.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 名字 | míng zi | name |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called |
| 姓 | xìng | surname; to be surnamed |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me |
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 来自 | lái zì | to come from |
| 国籍 | guó jí | nationality |
| 岁 | suì | years old |
| 今年 | jīn nián | this year |
| 住 | zhù | to live |
| 认识 | rèn shi | to know (someone) |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad |
| 介绍 | jiè shào | to introduce |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself |
| 很高兴认识你 | hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ | nice to meet you |
Usage tips
- To ask someone's name politely, say 您贵姓？ (nín guì xìng), 'what is your honourable surname?'; the reply is 我姓… (wǒ xìng…), never 我贵姓.
- Chinese names put the surname first, so in 王小明 (Wáng Xiǎo míng) Wang is the family name; at work or school people are usually called by surname plus title, such as 王老师 (Wáng lǎo shī).
- 认识 (rèn shi) is for knowing a person or recognising a character, not for knowing a fact; for facts, use 知道 (zhī dào).
Common mistakes
- Stacking 是 and 叫, as in 我是叫安娜: pick one, either 我叫安娜 (wǒ jiào Ān nà) or 我是安娜 (wǒ shì Ān nà).
- Asking an adult 你几岁？ (nǐ jǐ suì): 几岁 is for young children. Ask adults 你多大？ (nǐ duō dà), and older people 您多大年纪？ (nín duō dà nián jì).
- Leaving the verb out, as in 我从英国: say 我从英国来 (wǒ cóng Yīng guó lái), 我来自英国 (wǒ lái zì Yīng guó) or simply 我是英国人 (wǒ shì Yīng guó rén).
Mini dialogue
- A你好，我叫安娜。你叫什么名字？Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Ān nà. Nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?Hello, I'm Anna. What's your name?
- B我姓李，叫李明。你是哪国人？Wǒ xìng Lǐ, jiào Lǐ Míng. Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?My surname's Li, I'm Li Ming. Where are you from?
- A我来自英国，现在住在北京。Wǒ lái zì Yīng guó, xiàn zài zhù zài Běi jīng.I'm from the UK, and I live in Beijing now.
- B很高兴认识你！Hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ!Nice to meet you!
- A我也很高兴认识你。Wǒ yě hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ.Nice to meet you too.
Example sentences
- 你的名字怎么写？How do you write your name?
- 我叫王小明。My name is Wang Xiaoming.
- 老师姓李，是北京人。The teacher's surname is Li; she's from Beijing.
- 我是新来的学生。I'm the new student.
- 他是我的哥哥。He's my older brother.
- 安娜来自英国伦敦。Anna comes from London, in the UK.
- 请在这里写你的国籍。Please write your nationality here.
- 我女儿今年五岁。My daughter is five this year.
- 你今年多大了？How old are you this year?
- 我住在学校旁边。I live next to the school.
- 你认识那个女孩吗？Do you know that girl?
- 今天见到你，我很高兴。I'm really glad to see you today.
- 我来介绍一下，这是小张。Let me introduce you: this is Xiao Zhang.
- 请先介绍一下你自己。Please introduce yourself first.
- 你好，很高兴认识你！Hello, nice to meet you!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Introductions speaking island has 8 everyday questions about introductions to prepare your own answers to.