名字 míng zi
“name (of a person or thing)”
nounHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1Measure word 个
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
名字 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 128: 名字 míngzi — Level 1; official annotation 1 (名). PDF page 83
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 名字
名字 means "name" — what a person, pet or thing is called. It is a noun, so it usually follows 的 (我的名字) or a measure word like 个, and it commonly appears in questions with 什么.
例句Example sentences
- 你叫什么名字？nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?What is your name?
- 我的名字是李明。wǒ de míng zi shì lǐ míng.My name is Li Ming.
- 这个名字很好听。zhè ge míng zi hěn hǎo tīng.This name sounds very nice.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗你叫名字什么？
✓你叫什么名字？
Here 什么 modifies the noun 名字 ('what name'), so it must come before it, not after.
-
✗我的名字李明。
✓我的名字是李明。
With 名字, the name itself is introduced by 是; bare noun predicates exist in Chinese (今天星期一), but not in this pattern.
易混词Easily confused
名字vs姓
姓 is a surname/family name and is also a verb (我姓王); 名字 is the name a person is called by (often the full name) or the name of a thing, so 我的名字 is not the same as 我姓.