How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese — A Beginner’s Guide

When you start learning Chinese, one of the first things you want to master is introducing yourself. Whether you are meeting a new friend, a colleague, or your landlord in China, knowing how to say your name and greet someone properly is essential.

你好 (nǐ hǎo) — Saying Hello

The most common greeting in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). It literally means “you good” or “you well” — it is like saying “I hope you are doing well today.”
There is an important tone rule to remember here. Both 你 (nǐ) and 好 (hǎo) are third-tone words when spoken individually. But when two third tones appear together, the first one changes to a second tone in speech — even though it is still written as a third tone. So 你好 is pronounced ní hǎo, not nǐ hǎo.

Two Ways to Introduce Your Name

Chinese names follow a different order than English names. The last name (姓 xìng) comes first, followed by the first name (名 míng). For example:

• Bruce Lee → 李小龙 (Lǐ Xiǎolóng) — 李 (Lǐ) is the surname, 小龙 (Xiǎolóng) means “little dragon.”
• Jackie Chan → 成龙 (Chéng Lóng) — 成 (Chéng) is the surname, 龙 (Lóng) means “dragon.”

Method 1: 我姓 (wǒ xìng) — My Last Name Is

Use 我姓 (wǒ xìng) followed by your surname when you want to introduce your family name:

我姓。 (Wǒ xìng .) — My last name is __.
Examples:

• 我姓李。 (Wǒ xìng Lǐ.) — My last name is Li.
• 我姓王。 (Wǒ xìng Wáng.) — My last name is Wang.

Method 2: 我叫 (wǒ jiào) — I Am Called

Use 我叫 (wǒ jiào) to introduce either your full name or your first name:
我叫。 (Wǒ jiào .) — My name is . / I am called .
Examples:

• 我叫成龙。 (Wǒ jiào Chéng Lóng.) — My name is Jackie Chan.
• 我叫小龙。 (Wǒ jiào Xiǎolóng.) — I am called Xiaolong.
  Important exception: If your first name has only one character (one syllable), you cannot use 我叫 with just your first name — you must use your full name or a two-character nickname. This is because 叫 (jiào) should be followed by at least two characters to sound natural.

Putting It All Together

Here is a complete introduction:
你好！我姓王，我叫王小明。 (Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ xìng Wáng, wǒ jiào Wáng Xiǎomíng.) Hello! My last name is Wang, and my name is Wang Xiaoming.

Quick Review

Chinese Pinyin English
你好 nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo Hello
我姓 wǒ xìng My last name is…
我叫 wǒ jiào My name is… / I am called…
你 nǐ You
好 hǎo Good / well
我 wǒ I / me