How to pronounce ming zi (名字) in Chinese
Hear 名字 (míng zi) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
名字
míng zi
Characters & meanings
name; famous
letter; symbol
Common mistake
Rising + neutral (2-0): rise fully on míng, then let zi drop out short — saying a full zì makes it sound like 名字 spelled out character by character.
Tone change in this word
字 is neutral in 名字, though it is full zì on its own (汉字 hànzì).
Example sentence
你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What is your name?
Try it yourself
Record yourself saying 名字 and get instant AI feedback.
</>Embed this on your site
Free for teachers and blogs — paste this code into your page:
Keep exploring
Train, don't just read
Practice your pronunciation in the app
A guide can explain the tones, but you can't fix your pronunciation by reading. The TonePerfect app lets you actually say the words and scores every syllable — initial, final, and tone — in real time, so you hear your mistakes and correct them on the spot.
- Instant AI feedback on every syllable
- Practice any word, sentence, or HSK list
- Hands-on tone training you can't get from reading
Free to start · 4.6★ · 20,000+ learners