名字

Chinese

	personal name	courtesy name
trad. (名字)	名	字
simp. ^#(名字)	名	字
alternative forms	名子

Etymology

Combination of 名 (míng, “given name”) and 字 (zì, “courtesy name, given to an individual at adulthood”). Originally two different types of names in ancient China, in modern Chinese the two characters form a single word.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): míngzi, míngzì

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ˙ㄗ, ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): минзы (minzɨ, I-II)
Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ zi⁶
Gan (Wiktionary): 'miang⁴ ci⁵
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): miàng-sṳ
Northern Min (KCR): miâng-cī
Eastern Min (BUC): miàng-cê
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): miâ-lī / miâ-jī

(Teochew, Peng'im): mian⁵ ri⁷
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶min-zy₆ / ²min-zy₆

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland, variant in Taiwan)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: míngzi
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ˙ㄗ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: míngzi̊h
  - Wade–Giles: ming²-tzŭ⁵
  - Yale: míng-dz
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ming.tzy
  - Palladius: минцзы (minczy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ d͡z̥z̩³/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    名字
    明子
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan, variant in Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: míngzì
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: míngzìh
  - Wade–Giles: ming²-tzŭ⁴
  - Yale: míng-dz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingtzyh
  - Palladius: минцзы (minczy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: минзы (minzɨ, I-II)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ²⁴ t͡sz̩⁵¹/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: ming⁴ zi⁶
  - Yale: mìhng jih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ dzi⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ ji⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ t͡siː²²/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    名字
    明治
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: 'miang⁴ ci⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˈmiaŋ³⁵ t͡sʰz̩¹¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: miàng-sṳ
  - Hakka Romanization System: miang^ˇ sii
  - Hagfa Pinyim: miang² si⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /mi̯aŋ¹¹ sɨ⁵⁵/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: miâng-cī
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miaŋ³³ t͡si⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: miàng-cê
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miaŋ⁵³⁻²¹ ^(t͡s-)ʒɛi²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: miâ-lī
  - Tâi-lô: miâ-lī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: miali
  - IPA (Xiamen): /miã²⁴⁻²² li²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /miã²⁴⁻¹¹ li³³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /miã²⁴⁻²² li⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: miâ-jī
  - Tâi-lô: miâ-jī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: miaji
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /miã²³⁻³³ zi³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /miã¹³⁻²² d͡zi²²/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: mian⁵ ri⁷
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: miâⁿ jī
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mĩã⁵⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zi¹¹/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶min-zy₆
  - MiniDict: min^去 zy^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³min-zr₃
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /min²² zz̩⁴⁴/
- (Northern: Jiaxing)
  - Wugniu: ²min-zy₆
  - MiniDict: min^平 zy^去
  - Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /min¹³ zz̩³¹/

Noun

名字

name
起名字 ― qǐ míngzi ― to come up with a name
full name (of a person)
你叫什麼名字？／你叫什么名字？ ― Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? ― What's your name?
given name
他姓陳，名字叫華清。 [MSC, trad.]
他姓陈，名字叫华清。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā xìng chén, míngzi jiào huá qīng. [Pinyin]
His last name is Chen, and his given name is Huaqing.

我忘記怎麼拼寫你的名字來著。 [MSC, trad.]
我忘记怎么拼写你的名字来着。 [MSC, simp.]
Wǒ wàngjì zěnme pīnxiě nǐ de míngzì láizhe. [Pinyin]
I've forgotten how to spell your name.

Synonyms

(name):

edit

叫法 (jiàofǎ)
名 (míng)
名兒／名儿 (míngr)
名目 (míngmù)
名稱／名称 (míngchēng)
名色 (míngsè) (literary)
名號／名号 (mínghào) (literary)
命名 (mìngmíng)
稱呼／称呼 (chēnghū)
稱號／称号 (chēnghào) (usually a complementary one)
稱謂／称谓 (chēngwèi)
題目／题目 (tímù) (archaic)

(full name): (literary or Min Nan, Hakka) 名姓 (míngxìng), 全名 (quánmíng), 姓名 (xìngmíng)
(given name): 名 (míng)

Descendants

Wutunhua: minze

Japanese

Kanji in this term
名	字
みょう Grade: 1	じ Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
苗字

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) みょーじ [myóꜜòjì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [mʲo̞ːʑi]

Noun

名(みょう)字(じ) • (myōji) ^{←みやうじ (myauzi)^?}

surname, family name

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Korean

Hanja in this term
名	字

Noun

名字 • (myeongja) (hangeul 명자)

hanja form^? of 명자 (“the characters of one's name, fame”)

Okinawan

Etymology

Kanji in this term
名	字
のー Grade: 1	じ Grade: 1
on'yomi

Kanji in this term
名	字
みょー Grade: 1	じ Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
苗字

Cognate to Japanese 名字 (みょうじ).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mjoːd͡ʑi/, /noːd͡ʑi/

Noun

名(みょー)字(じ) or 名(のー)字(じ) (myōji or nōji)

surname, family name, last name

References

“みょーじ【名字・苗字】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
“のーじ【名字・苗字】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
“ミョージ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).
“ノージ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-2] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-3] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]