Introducing Yourself in Chinese
After learning your first Chinese conversation, the next step is introducing yourself. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say your name, ask someone else’s name, and practise one of the most common conversations you’ll use when meeting new people.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to confidently introduce yourself in Mandarin using simple HSK 1 vocabulary.
You'll learn:
✓ Saying hello
✓ Introducing yourself
✓ Asking someone’s name
Conversation
Listen to the complete conversation a few times while following the Chinese text. Once you’re comfortable, try listening without looking at the words and see how much you understand.
Person A: 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!)
Person B: 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!)
Person A: 我叫 Ian。你叫什么名字？(Wǒ jiào Ian. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)
Person B: 我叫小明。(Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.)
Person A: 很高兴认识你！(Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!)
Person B: 我也很高兴认识你！(Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ!)
Translation
Person A: Hello!
Person B: Hello!
Person A: My name is Ian. What’s your name?
Person B: My name is Xiaoming.
Person A: Nice to meet you!
Person B: Nice to meet you too!
Vocabulary Spotlight (8 Words)
Language Notes
Saying your name with 叫.
The most common way to introduce yourself is:
我叫……
Literally, this means “I am called…”, but it’s used in exactly the same way as “My name is…” in English.
Examples
* 我叫 Ian。 (My name is Ian.)
* 我叫小明。 (My name is Xiaoming.)
Asking someone’s name.
To ask another person’s name, simply say:
你叫什么名字？
Literally, this means:
You are called what name?
Don’t worry about translating it word for word. Simply remember it as the natural way to ask:
“What’s your name?”
Try it yourself
Can you introduce yourself in Chinese?
Try saying the conversation aloud, replacing 亦安 with your own name.
Then practise asking a friend:
你叫什么名字？
If you’re learning with a language partner, see if you can complete the whole conversation without looking at the text.
Review
- ✓ Listen again
- ✓ Read aloud and shadow the audio
- ✓ Practise today’s vocabulary
- ✓ Explore further HSK 1 words