Self-introduction is a crucial aspect of communication, especially when you are meeting someone new. If you are traveling to Taiwan or if you want to make Taiwanese friends, it is essential to know how to introduce yourself in Chinese. In this article, we will cover basic self-introduction phrases, both in a informal and formal context.
A summary of the vocabulary (with both Bopomofo and Pinyin) is available at the end of the article.
Basic self-introduction in Chinese
The Chinese language is often regarded as a particularly straightforward language, and this attribute is also reflected in how people tend to introduce themselves.
Greetings : How to say “Hello” in Chinese
Of course, whenever you meet someone, whether that be for the first time or the hundredth time, you’ll need to say hi!
你好 (ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ)
It is by far the most basic and common what to say hello in Chinese. 你 means “you”, while 好 means “good”, the expressions therefore literally translates to “you good”.
您好 (ㄋㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄠˇ)
您好 is simply the formal version of 你好. 您 is the honorific from for “you” and is used when talking to someone older or with a higher social status than you.
嗨 (ㄏㄞ)
嗨 is simply the phonetic transcription of “hi”. It is the most common way of saying hello among young people in Taiwan. It is very informal, so shouldn’t be used in a formal context.
大家好 (ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄠˇ)
When greeting a group of people, regardless of your relationship with them, use the Chinese phrase 大家好, which is a polite way of saying “hello everyone” and literally translates to “everyone good.”
喂 (ㄨㄟˋ)
In phone conversations, use 喂 to answer or greet the other person with “hello.” But be aware that in other situations, 喂 can be considered impolite or rude as it is primarily used to get someone’s attention.
| Chinese | Bopomofo | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ | Hello |
| 您好 | ㄋㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄠˇ | Hello (formal) |
| 嗨 | ㄏㄞ | Hi |
| 大家好 | ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄠˇ | Hello everyone |
| 喂 | ㄨㄟˋ | Hello (on the phone) |
Introduce your name : “My name is …” in Chinese
Introducing your name is the second step of any conversation, following the initial greeting, and is an important aspect of establishing a connection with the person you are speaking to.
我叫… (ㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ …)
我叫 simply means “I’m called”. All you have to do is to finish the sentence with your name.
我叫 Max。
ㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ Max。
My name is Max.
我的名字是… (ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ ㄕˋ …)
This sentence can be translated as “My name is …”. 名字 means “name”. 是 is often referred as the verb “to be”, however it only works to connect two nouns and cannot be used to connect a noun with an adjective. 的 is the possessive marker.
我的名字是杰安。
ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄢ 。
My name is Jieh-an.
我是… (ㄨㄛˇ ㄕˋ …)
You can use “我是” to introduce yourself in Chinese, followed by your name. It’s similar to saying “I am…” in English. While it may be less common, this method is still acceptable and easier to learn.
我是 Henry。
ㄨㄛˇ ㄕˋ Henry。
I’m Henry.
我姓… (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ …)
我姓 means “I’m surnamed”. In Taiwan, people typically use a person’s family name or job title to address someone they are not close with or who is hierarchically higher. When making a reservation in a restaurant, you are also likely to be asked your family name.
我姓林。
ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧㄣˊ 。
My surname is Lin.
| Chinese | Bopomofo | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我叫… | ㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ … | I’m called … |
| 我的名字是… | ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ ㄕˋ … | My name is … |
| 我是… | ㄨㄛˇ ㄕˋ … | I am …. |
| 我姓… | ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ … | My surname is … |
How to say “Nice to meet you” in Chinese
After greetings and exchanging names, it’s common to say “nice to meet you” in Chinese.
很高興認識你 (ㄏㄣˇ ㄍㄠ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄖㄣˋ ㄕˊ ㄋㄧˇ)
The most universal way to express pleasure is by saying 很高興認識你, which translates to “very glad to know you”. You can replace the 你, with 您 or 大家 depending to who you are addressing yourself to. You can respond with 我也是 (ㄨㄛˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄕˋ) to indicate that you’re glad to meet him/her/them too.
請(您)多多指教 (ㄑㄧㄥˇ ( ㄋㄧㄣˊ ) ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄓˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ)
請(您)多多關照 (ㄑㄧㄥˇ ( ㄋㄧㄣˊ ) ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄓㄠˋ)
In professional settings with Taiwanese colleagues or contacts, you can promote modesty by using 請多多指教 – Literally “Please guide me often” or 請多多關照- Literally “Please look after me often” after introducing yourself. Those humble phrases can help establish a connection, even if it’s not customary in your own culture.
| Chinese | Bopomofo | English |
|---|---|---|
| 很高興認識你 | ㄏㄣˇ ㄍㄠ ㄒㄧㄥ ㄖㄣˋ ㄕˊ ㄋㄧˇ | Nice to meet you (very glad to know you) |
| 請(您)多多指教 | ㄑㄧㄥˇ ( ㄋㄧㄣˊ ) ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄓˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ | Nice to meet you (please guide me) |
| 請(您)多多關照 | ㄑㄧㄥˇ ( ㄋㄧㄣˊ ) ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄓㄠˋ | Nice to meet you (please look after me) |
You now have all the information you need for a quick self-introduction in Taiwan. Of course, you can include additional details like hobbies, nationality, or profession, but we will cover those in separate articles.
Self-introduction in Chinese : Summary of the vocabulary
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 自我介紹 | ㄗˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄕㄠˋ | zì wǒ jiè shào | Self-introduction |
| 你好 | ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ | nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 你 | ㄋㄧˇ | nǐ | You |
| 好 | ㄏㄠˇ | hǎo | Good |
| 您好 | ㄋㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄠˇ | nín hǎo | Hello (formal) |
| 您 | ㄋㄧㄣˊ | nín | You (formal) |
| 嗨 | ㄏㄞ | hāi | Hi |
| 大家好 | ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄠˇ | dà jiā hǎo | Hello everyone |
| 大家 | ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄚ | dà jiā | Everyone |
| 喂 | ㄨㄟˋ | wèi | Hello (on the phone) |
| 我 | ㄨㄛˇ | wǒ | I; me |
| 叫 | ㄐㄧㄠˋ | jiào | to be called |
| 名字 | ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗˋ | míng zì | Name |
| 是 | ㄕˋ | shì | To be |
| 姓 | ㄒㄧㄥˋ | xìng | Surname |
| 很 | ㄏㄣˇ | hěn | Very |
| 高興 | ㄍㄠ ㄒㄧㄥ | gāo xīng | Happy; glad |
| 認識 | ㄖㄣˋ ㄕˊ | rèn shí | Know; recognize |
| 也 | ㄧㄝˇ | yě | Also; too; as well |
| 請 | ㄑㄧㄥˇ | qǐng | Please; request; ask |
| 多多 | ㄉㄨㄛ ㄉㄨㄛ | duō duō | As much as possible |
| 指教 | ㄓˇ ㄐㄧㄠˋ | zhǐ jiào | Give advice; train; instruct |
| 關照 | ㄍㄨㄢ ㄓㄠˋ | guān zhào | Look after; take care of |
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