Chinese names put the family name first: in 王小明王小明 Wáng Xiǎomíng, 王王 Wáng is the family name and 小明小明 Xiǎomíng is the given name. 姓姓 xìng introduces only the family name, while 叫叫 jiào introduces the full name (or whatever people call you).
1Structure
S + 姓姓 xìng + family name
姓姓 xìng means “to have the family name…”. It’s followed by the family name only.
我姓王
我姓王
My family name is Wang.
她姓李
她姓李
Her family name is Li.
我們老師姓陳
我们老师姓陈
Our teacher’s family name is Chen.
To say “not,” put 不不 bú in front of 姓姓 xìng.
我不姓王，我姓黃
我不姓王，我姓黄
My family name isn’t Wang, it’s Huang.
📌 姓姓 xìng is a verb, not a noun
In English, “surname” is a noun: My surname is Wang. In Chinese, 姓姓 xìng is usually used as a verb, “to be surnamed.” That’s why Chinese speakers rarely say 我的姓是我的姓是 wǒ de xìng shì…. It isn’t exactly wrong, but it sounds like a word-for-word translation from English.
我的姓是王我的姓是王
⚠️ Sounds translated: My surname is Wang.
我姓王我姓王
✅ Natural: My family name is Wang.
S + 叫叫 jiào + name
叫叫 jiào means “to be called.” It’s followed by the full name, a given name, or a nickname.
我叫王小明
我叫王小明
My name is Wang Xiaoming.
他叫大衛
他叫大卫
His name is David.
我的狗叫Lucky
我的狗叫Lucky
My dog is called Lucky.
你可以叫我小明
你可以叫我小明
You can call me Xiaoming.
2Asking Someone’s Name
Polite: 您貴姓您贵姓 nín guìxìng?
貴贵 guì means “honorable,” so 您貴姓您贵姓 nín guìxìng is the polite way to ask for someone’s family name, especially an older person or someone you just met.
您貴姓？
您贵姓？
What is your family name? (polite)
📌 Answering 您貴姓您贵姓 nín guìxìng
Never use 貴贵 guì about yourself. It’s only for honoring the other person. Answer with 姓姓 xìng, and add your full name with 叫叫 jiào if you like:
請問，您貴姓？请问，您贵姓？
A: May I ask your family name?
我姓林，叫林美美我姓林，叫林美美
B: My family name is Lin. My name is Lin Meimei.
Casual: 你叫什麼名字 nǐ jiào shénme míngzì你叫什么名字 nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
With friends, classmates, or kids, just ask what someone is called.
你叫什麼名字？
你叫什么名字？
What’s your name?
她姓什麼？
她姓什么？
What’s her family name?
In business: 你怎麼稱呼 nǐ zěnme chēnghū你怎么称呼 nǐ zěnme chēnghu?
In business or other formal settings, people usually ask 怎麼稱呼 zěnme chēnghū怎么称呼 zěnme chēnghu, “how should I address you?” It asks what the other person would like to be called, not just their name.
你怎麼稱呼？
你怎么称呼？
How should I address you?
請問，您怎麼稱呼？
请问，您怎么称呼？
May I ask how I should address you? (very polite)
🏮 Culture Note: why the family name matters
In Chinese-speaking societies, calling someone directly by their given name, especially an elder, a boss, a teacher, or someone you’ve just met, can feel too familiar or even rude. The most polite way to address someone is family name + title or job title, and the title always comes after the name. That’s why knowing someone’s 姓姓 xìng matters so much: it’s what you’ll call them.
王先生，早！王先生，早！
Good morning, Mr. Wang!
陳老師好！陈老师好！
Hello, Teacher Chen!
李小姐，謝謝！李小姐，谢谢！
Thank you, Miss Li!
林醫生，你好！林医生，你好！
Hello, Dr. Lin!
3Common Mistakes
❌
我是姓王
我是姓王
✅
我姓王
我姓王
姓姓 xìng is already the verb, so don’t add 是是 shì.
❌
我姓王小明
我姓王小明
✅
我叫王小明
我叫王小明
姓姓 xìng takes the family name only. For the full name, use 叫叫 jiào.
❌
我貴姓王
我贵姓王
✅
我姓王
我姓王
貴贵 guì is only for asking about someone else, never for talking about yourself.
4Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
01My family name is Zhang.
我姓張
我姓张。
👆 Tap to reveal
02My name is Anna.
我叫安娜
我叫安娜。
👆 Tap to reveal
03What’s your teacher’s name?
你的老師叫什麼名字
你的老师叫什么名字？
👆 Tap to reveal
04Is your family name Wang?
你姓王嗎
你姓王吗？
👆 Tap to reveal
05His family name isn’t Lin.
他不姓林
他不姓林。
👆 Tap to reveal
06My cat is called Mimi.
我的貓叫咪咪
我的猫叫咪咪。
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07Hello, Mr. Chen!
陳先生，你好
陈先生，你好！
👆 Tap to reveal
08Her family name is Wang, and her name is Wang Xiaomei.
她姓王，叫王小美
她姓王，叫王小美。
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