名 meaning and stroke order
Name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners)
How to write 名, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 名
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- name
- noun (part of speech)
- place (e.g. among winners)
- famous
- classifier for people
How 名 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A name called out 口 to hail someone at night 夕.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 名
名 is made of 夕 (xī, evening) on top of 口 (kǒu, mouth). At night you cannot see people, so you call out their name with your mouth.
名 rarely stands alone for "name" in speech; people say 名字 (míngzi) instead. It also appears in words about fame and ranking, and as a polite classifier for people. Example: 我叫什么名字？你叫什么名字？ is common, and 他是一名老师。(Tā shì yì míng lǎoshī.) He is a teacher.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 名 with 各 (gè, each), which has 夂 on top instead of 夕. Also note that in 名字 (míngzi) the 字 is usually read in the neutral tone.
Common words with 名
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 名字 | míngzi | name (of a person or thing) | HSK 1 |
| 有名 | yǒumíng | famous; well-known | HSK 1 |
| 名单 | míngdān | list of names | HSK 2 |
| 姓名 | xìngmíng | surname and given name; full name | HSK 2 |
| 名称 | míngchēng | name (of a thing); name (of an organization) | HSK 2 |
| 报名 | bàomíng | to sign up; to enter one's name | HSK 2 |
| 排名 | páimíng | to rank (1st, 2nd etc); ranking | HSK 3 |
| 著名 | zhùmíng | famous; noted | HSK 4 |
| 名人 | míngrén | personage; celebrity | HSK 4 |
| 名片 | míngpiàn | (business) card | HSK 4 |
| 点名 | diǎnmíng | roll call; to mention sb by name | HSK 4 |
| 名牌儿 | míngpáir | erhua form of 名牌[ming2 pai2] | HSK 4 |
| 签名 | qiānmíng | to sign (one's name with a pen etc); to autograph | HSK 5 |
| 出名 | chūmíng | well-known for sth; to become well known | HSK 6 |
名 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 名
Learning 名 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 名
How many strokes are in 名?
名 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 名 mean?
名 (míng) means name; noun (part of speech); place (e.g. among winners). A common word with it is 名字 (míngzi), meaning "name (of a person or thing)".
How do you pronounce 名?
名 is pronounced míng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 名?
The radical of 名 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 名 under this radical.
Is 名 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 名 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 名 and 个 as classifiers for people?
个 (gè) is the everyday, neutral choice. 名 (míng) sounds more formal and is used in writing, news, or with roles and jobs, as in 三名学生 (sān míng xuésheng), three students.
How is 名 used to say a ranking or place?
Put 第 before a number and 名 after it: 第一名 (dì yī míng) means first place. You can also use 排名 (páimíng) for a ranking, as in 排名第二 (páimíng dì èr), ranked second.