Chinese given-name characters
How are common Chinese given-name characters read in Japanese?
The same character can sound very different in Mandarin and Japanese. This chart compares Japanese glyphs, Japanese on-readings and Mandarin-based Katakana references.
Check a full nameCheck the glyph before the reading
Simplified 伟, 华 and 杰 map to the common Japanese forms 偉, 華 and 傑. Characters such as 明, 洋, 美 and 宇 generally keep the same shape. Identical shapes do not imply identical sounds.
For 明, a Japanese on-reading candidate is メイ, while the Mandarin Míng can be approximated as ミン in Katakana. The two columns answer different questions.
Common given-name character reading chart
The Japanese column lists useful on-reading candidates; a full name may require a different candidate.
| Chinese character | Japanese form | Japanese on-reading | Mandarin Katakana |
|---|---|---|---|
| 伟 | 偉 | イ | ウェイ |
| 明 | 明 | メイ | ミン |
| 华 | 華 | カ | フア |
| 静 | 静 | セイ | ジン |
| 洋 | 洋 | ヨウ | ヤン |
| 美 | 美 | ビ／ミ | メイ |
| 杰 | 傑 | ケツ | ジエ |
| 宇 | 宇 | ウ | ユー |
Why one character cannot settle the full name
A character can have several on-readings
美, for example, can be read ビ or ミ in different combinations.
The character form may change
Search the Japanese forms 偉, 華 and 傑 as well as the Simplified originals.
Mandarin is not Japanese on-reading
ウェイ versus イ and ミン versus メイ come from different sound systems.
Name boundaries affect grouping
The converter identifies family and given names before combining character readings.
A full-name search gives more context
Enter the complete Chinese name
A full name helps the converter identify the family-name boundary.
Review character candidates
Compare the source character, Japanese form and available on-readings.
Compare complete outputs
Then review Katakana, Hiragana, Romaji and Mandarin-based Katakana.
A character chart is a lookup aid, not a unique name reading
Japanese kanji can have multiple on-readings, native readings and name-specific readings. This page focuses on on-reading references used by the Chinese-to-Japanese converter.
Contact us if there is a character or name reading you would like NameFerry to add.
Continue exploring Chinese name readings
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Hear Japanese on-readings and Mandarin-based Katakana references for Chinese names.
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Match family and given names with common Japanese and English field labels.
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Check the character inside a full name
Enter a name to review character-level candidates and the complete Kana result.