Learning how to introduce yourself in Chinese is definitely the very first skill that you’ll need in order to make a great first impression to win over new Chinese friends.
Sure, if you’ve ever done a Chinese language course, you’ve probably spent a considerable amount of time learning how to introduce yourself in Chinese. But if you were to meet a Chinese for the first time at this very moment, would you be prepared to speak about yourself in a natural, convincing way? Probably not.
Let’s face it. You have to deal with awkwardness, nervousness, and shyness. Not to mention that the pressure feels much higher when you’re supposed to introduce yourself in a foreign language like Chinese. But fear not! This article will help you get off to a good start with your new Chinese friends, associates, and acquaintances by hitting all the introduction marks and coming up with neat sentences for your very first Chinese self-introduction.
Table of Contents
- How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese – An Overview
- Basic Self-introduction in Chinese
- Chinese Etiquette to Introduce Yourself
- Beyond the Basics – Talking about Yourself in Chinese
- Concluding Your Chinese Self-introduction
- How to Introduce Yourself in a Business Setting
- How to Introduce Someone in Chinese
- Introducing Yourself in Chinese: Quick Summary
- Example Self-introduction in Chinese
- And One More Thing
How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese – An Overview
In Chinese, a self-introduction is called 自我介绍 (zìwǒ jièshào). In theory, introducing yourself in Chinese should be quite simple as it’s not too different from how you would introduce yourself in any other language: you start with hello, say your name, and then tell people a little bit about yourself.
In practice, however, there are certain cultural differences and unique concepts you need to be aware of when introducing yourself in Chinese. Since you only get one shot at making a first impression, it’s important to learn how to do it right.
We’ll start by teaching you the three-piece basic Chinese self-introduction, then cultural subtleties, and finally a ton of extra introductory phrases you can use to talk about yourself when you first meet a Chinese speaker, whether the encounter is social, educational, or strictly business. These simple but powerful phrases will boost your Chinese-speaking skills and give you confidence in your early Chinese conversations.
So, read on to learn all the essential steps to a perfect Chinese self-introduction.
Basic Self-introduction in Chinese
Chinese introductions are pretty straightforward on a basic level, so keep it simple: smile, extend a hand, and respond appropriately to the person you’re meeting or the one you’re being introduced to.
Here’s the 3-step Chinese introduction method that will get you through most situations. You can learn it right away.
1. Start with a Greeting – “Hello” in Chinese
First thing first: greetings. They are how almost any conversation in Chinese will start.
This is true – whether you’re meeting a Chinese person for the first or the hundredth time – you’ll want to use an appropriate greeting to start off the conversation on the right foot!
你好 (Nǐ hǎo)
A basic, middle-of-the-road greeting in Chinese is 你好 (Nǐ hǎo). 你 (nǐ) means “you”, and 好 (hǎo) means “good”, so this expression literally translates to “you good”. Both of the syllables in this word should be pronounced using the third tones, with the first one slightly faster than the latter. You can use this well-wish at any time of the day, and it’s almost as universal as the English “hi” or “hello.”
If you don’t know how to read Pinyin (the standard Romanization of Chinese) yet, You can read our guide here to learn the basics of Pinyin.
您好 (Nín hǎo)
A more formal version of “hello” in Chinese is 您好 (Nín hǎo). When respect is called for, replace the 你 (nǐ) – “you” in 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) with its honorific form 您 (nín) to help you sound humble and polite. (This polite form is particularly common in Beijing)
Now, before discussing other essential phrases, it’ll be helpful to know the basic rule of thumb when to use 您 (nín) over 你 (nǐ) in Chinese.
- When talking to family, friends, or colleagues, you’re expected to use the informal 你 (nǐ). And in casual social situations, it’s perfectly acceptable to use 你 (nǐ) right away to address people near your age – even if they are strangers.
- When you’re introducing yourself to someone who’s older or has higher social status than you (e.g. teacher, manager, officer), use the honorific form of “you” instead and say 您 (nín). You also need to use the formal form of address with people you’re in a professional relationship with, such as your business partners, clients, or customers.
- When you’re in doubt, start with the honorific form – 您 (nín) and don’t take the initiative to break the relationship out of 您 (nín). You can switch to 你 (nǐ) when the other person tells you to address him/her otherwise.
And don’t worry, Chinese people are aware that the cultural nuance could be quite tricky for foreigners, so they always accept the use of 你 (nǐ) with no grudges!
大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo)
Both 你 (nǐ) and 您 (nín) are singular only – they can’t be used to address more than one person.
If you’re greeting a group of people – it doesn’t matter what your relationship is – say 大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo). This is a polite Chinese equivalent of “hello everyone” (literally, “everyone good”).
Time word + 好 (hǎo)
You could also choose your greeting according to the time. Though less common, it’s totally fine to replace the fitting pronouns with a time word depending on the time of the day before the word 好 (hǎo).
For instance, you may say 早上好 (Zǎoshang hǎo) – “morning good” for the morning, 下午好 (Xiàwǔ hǎo) – “afternoon good” for the afternoon and 晚上好 (Wǎnshang hǎo) – “evening good” for the evening. You could also say 晚安 (Wǎn’ān) – “evening peace”, but that’s generally used to say goodbye when it’s late at night or when you’re heading to bed.
喂 (Wèi)
Lastly, if you’re talking to someone on the phone, answer or greet them with 喂 (Wèi) – “hello”. In other contexts, however, 喂 (Wèi) is a pretty rude way of getting people’s attention.
To learn about all the ways you can greet people in Chinese, check out our guide to Saying “Hello” in Chinese: 21 Chinese Greetings to Sound like a Native Speaker.
2. Introduce Your Name – “My name is …” in Chinese
While you might not want to further your conversations with street vendors or restaurant waiters, meeting a local in a cafe or a fellow guest in your hotel is a great place to make a Chinese friend.
“What’s your name?” is the first question you can expect to hear when meeting someone for the first time. There are several ways to ask it in Chinese.
The most common question you’ll get is 你叫什么？(Nǐ jiào shénme). This translates to “You are called what?” and is considered rather informal.
A slightly more formal version of this question is 你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi) – “You are called what name?”. Alternatively, they’ll ask 你的名字叫什么？(Nǐ de míngzi jiào shénme) – “Your name is called what?”.
If you hear any of these questions, it means the person wants to know your name – 名字 (míngzi), although you can’t really be sure if the person wants to know your full name or just your first name.
我叫… (Wǒ jiào …)
The typical way to answer “What’s your name” in Chinese is to begin your sentence with 我叫… (Wǒ jiào …) – “I am called…” and then say your name. It’s fine to answer with either your full name or your first name.
In return, it’s always polite to ask for the other person’s name. You could repeat the question or simply ask 你呢？(nǐ ne) – “and you?” for informal situations or 您呢？(nín ne) – “and you?” for formal situations after you’ve introduced your name. This is a quick way to return the question that you’ve just been asked. (Read more about “bounce-back questions”)
我的名字叫… (Wǒ de míngzi jiào …)
Once you’re feeling confident, you may expand the sentence a bit. To do so, simply replace the 我 (wǒ) – “I” in 我叫… (Wǒ jiào …) with the phrase 我的名字 (wǒ de míngzi) – “my name”. This adds a formal element to your name introduction.
And again, you have the option to include your full name or just your first name in the answer, depending on the formality of the meeting.
我是… (Wǒ shì …)
You could also say 我是 (Wǒ shì) and then state your name in response to “What’s your name?” in Chinese. 是 (shì) is the verb “to be”, so it’s like saying “I am…” in English. Although this method may be a slightly less common way of introducing yourself in Chinese, it’s still perfectly acceptable and is easier to learn.
我的名字是… (Wǒ de míngzi shì …)
The last method may be the most straightforward way of introducing your name for those who speak English as a first language: You can say 我的名字是… (Wǒ de míngzi shì …) followed by your name. This is the exact equivalent to the English “My name is…”.
When answering “What’s your name?” or when you’re the one initiating the conversation, you can introduce yourself in Chinese by using any of the four expressions above. And whichever expression you use, don’t be afraid to sound silly. You’ll be understood by following our directions, and in nearly any Chinese-speaking area even the feeblest attempts to speak Chinese will be appreciated!
Your Name in Chinese
Most Chinese people will have a hard time pronouncing a foreign name. If you haven’t picked a Chinese name yet, follow our guide to give yourself a Chinese-sounding name, or you can transliterate your name into Chinese to help them pronounce and remember your name better. For instance, instead of introducing yourself as “Elijah”, you could ask them to call you 伊利亚 (Yī lì yà). Read our full guide to learn how to say your name in Chinese.
我姓… (Wǒ xìng …)
Now, here’s an interesting fact:
Chinese people generally don’t refer to each other by their first name unless they’re close. To address those who they don’t know well or in a hierarchically higher position, the person’s family name or job title is often used. For instance,
- 李先生 (Lǐ xiānsheng) – Mr Li
- 张经理 (Zhāng jīnglǐ) – Manager Zhang
- 王老师 (Wáng lǎoshī) – Teacher Wang
Admittedly, you’ll be less likely to get asked about your family name being a foreigner, if it does come up, however, someone may ask 您贵姓？(Nín guì xìng) – “(What’s) your noble family name?”, or in informal contexts: 你姓什么？(Nǐ xìng shénme) – “You’re surnamed what?”. This means the speaker wants to learn your last name – 姓 (xìng), specifically.
To respond to these questions, begin your answer with 我姓… (Wǒ xìng …) – “My surname is…” (literally, “I am surnamed”), then state your last name.
3. Express Pleasure to Meet Them – “Nice to meet you” in Chinese
Once you’ve exchanged your names info and shaken hands, it’s a good idea to follow it up with “nice to meet you”. The most universal way to express pleasure upon meeting someone in Chinese is to say 很高兴认识你 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ).
In this expression, 很 (hěn) means “very”, 高兴 (gāoxìng) means “glad”, and 认识 (rènshi) means “to know or to be acquainted with someone”. So the sentence translates to “Very glad (to) know you” or something similar to “Very glad (to) make your acquaintance”.
Watch out for the pronoun use here. To say “nice to meet you” to a senior person or someone important, switch to the honorific pronoun 您 (nín) and say 很高兴认识您 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín). And when you’re addressing a group of people – 很高兴认识大家 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi dàjiā).
If someone says “glad to meet you” ahead of you, you can simply respond 我也是 (wǒ yě shì) – “I am (glad) too” (literally, “I also am”) to indicate that you’re pleased to meet them too.
Of course, there are a handful of ways to end an introduction politely in Chinese, which I will teach you in a later section. But for most situations, you can just stick to 很高兴认识你/您/大家 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ/nín/dàjiā).
Chinese Self-introductions in a Nutshell
- The most common and simple way to introduce yourself in Chinese is to say “我叫 (Wǒ jiào)” followed by your name.
- Alternatives include “我的名字叫 (Wǒ de míngzi jiào)”, “我是 (Wǒ shì)” or “我的名字是 (Wǒ de míngzi shì)” followed by your name.
- “你好 (Nǐ hǎo)” can be used for either “hi” or “hello.” When respect is called for, use “您好 (Nín hǎo)”. When introducing yourself to a group of people, greet them with 大家好 (Dàjiā hǎo).
- Conclude your self-introduction in Chinese with “很高兴认识你/您/大家 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ/nín/dàjiā)”.
Basic Chinese Introduction Examples
- 你好, 我叫威廉, 很高兴认识你。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Wēi lián, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
Hi, my name is William. Nice to meet you. - 您好, 我的名字叫爱丽丝, 很高兴认识您。
Nín hǎo, wǒ de míngzi jiào Ài lì sī, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín.
Hello, my name is Alice. Nice to meet you (honorific). - 大家好, 我是詹姆斯·布雷迪, 很高兴认识大家。
Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Zhān mǔ sī · Bù léi dí , hěn gāoxìng rènshi dàjiā.
Hello everybody, I am James Brady. Nice to meet you all.
