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How to Write Your Name in Chinese Characters | Mandarin Transcription Explained

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Source: Radical Mandarin
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  • description: Since Mandarin has no alphabet, foreign names cannot be written by simply swapping letters. This video explains how transcription into Chinese actually works. It covers why some names stay as they are while others are changed completely, what happens when certain sounds do not exist in Chinese, and how official transcription tables handle these gaps. It also touches on exceptions, regional variations, and why some people choose different characters to create positive meanings. This also touches on phono-semantic matching — a concept from linguistics where characters are chosen to reflect both sound and meaning, not just one or the other. If you are interested in how names adapt across languages and what your own name could look like in Mandarin, this guide will give you a clear understanding of the entire process. Feel free to share your Chinese name in the comments! 😁 Referenced Video by K Klein: Chinese Doesn't Have Many Syllables (And Why That's Interesting) https://youtu.be/BMI6Mbx8lbw Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: Why is it not trivial? 4:38 Using the Transcription Table 10:21 Exceptions to the Rule 12:51 Customizing the Transcribed Name Main sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_into_Chinese_characters https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/Category:%E5%A4%96%E8%AA%9E%E8%AD%AF%E9%9F%B3%E8%A1%A8 https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202506/24/content_30081696.html https://dictionary.writtenchinese.com/ Names of the World's Peoples (世界人名翻译大辞典), published by the Xinhua News Agency, October 1993, ISBN 7500102216/Z21 Images used (unaltered): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taylor_Swift_2_-_2019_by_Glenn_Francis_(cropped).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_sticks_his_tongue.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard#/media/File:Edward_Teach_Commonly_Call'd_Black_Beard_(bw)_(cropped).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valentine%27s_Day_Pastry_(6875126659).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Classic_Italian_Tiramisu-3_(29989504485).jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_into_Chinese_characters#/media/File:Names_of_the_World's_Peoples.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie#/media/File:Marie_Curie_c._1920s.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales_of_Miletus#/media/File:Illustrerad_Verldshistoria_band_I_Ill_107.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DTM_Mercedes_w204_Schneider_amk.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SHENZHEN_IKEA_(77).jpg #LearnChinese #Mandarin #LanguageLearning
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  • title: How to Write Your Name in Chinese Characters | Mandarin Transcription Explained
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