Learn all about Cantonese Names

We’ll be honest with you—one of the questions we get asked the most on CantoneseClass101 is on — yes, you guessed it — names. The most frequently asked questions include:

• “How do you write an English name in Cantonese?”
• “Is it possible to make a nickname up and ask native Cantonese speakers to use it?”
• “Are there any Cantonese names that sound like English names?”

For those who want to have their name in Cantonese, we have made it simple for you to write your name today. Yes, today! This post is your one-stop guide regarding Cantonese names!
 

1. How to Write Your Name in Cantonese
2. How to Make Up Your Cantonese Nickname
   • Cantonese First Names
     • Female Names
     • Male Names
   • Cantonese Last Names
3. Related Lessons

Or, you can take out the sound of Chinese characters and make your Cantonese name that sounds similar to your English name.

For example, if your name is “Daniel,” you can break it down into three syllable. Da, Ni, El. Then, find a Cantonese character that sounds similar to each syllabe. 丹 (daan1,) 尼 (nei4,) and 爾 (ji5.) Lastly, place them together as in 丹尼爾 (daan1 nei4 yi5) for “Daniel.”

Here are some English names in Chinese characters.

• Noah (諾亞 nok6 aa3)
• Jacob (雅各 nga5 gok3)
• Michael (米高 mai5 gou1)
• Daniel (丹尼爾 daan1 nei4 ji5)
• Jennifer (珍妮花 zan1 nei4 faa1)
• George (佐治 zo2 zi6)
• Thomas (湯瑪斯 tong1 maa5 si1)
• Kimberly (金佰利 gam1 baak3 lei6)

If you cannot find your name on this list or want to make your name in Cantonese characters by yourself, here’s our audio series for you. Check out Cantonese Pronunciation Series and learn the basic Chinese characters and their pronunciation. This will help you learn basic Chinese characters and start writing your name in Cantonese by yourself!