Chinese names: order, honorifics and how to address someone
Chinese given names are usually one or two syllables and carry a meaning chosen character by character, which makes gender far less predictable from spelling alone than in most European languages. The family name always comes first. This guide covers the name order, the honorifics used in written Chinese business correspondence, how often names are shared between men and women, and a safe neutral salutation for when you are not sure.
Name order and structure
A Chinese full name is family name then given name, with no comma: Wang Wei is Mr. Wang, given name Wei, not "Wei Wang" reversed. The family name is almost always one syllable (Wang, Li, Zhang, Chen are the four most common), the given name one or two syllables. On English-language documents and passports the order is sometimes flipped to given-family to match Western form, so check which name appears first consistently across an email signature, not just once.
Married women in mainland China keep their own family name; there is no equivalent of a changed surname to signal marital status.
Honorifics and titles in business email
In Chinese-language email, the honorific attaches to the family name: Wang Xiansheng (Mr. Wang) or Wang Nvshi (Ms. Wang). In English-language email to a Chinese contact, "Dear Mr. Wang" or "Dear Ms. Wang" is standard once you know the gender; "Dear Wang Wei" (full name, no title) is a safe fallback that reads as neutral and professional rather than cold.
Job titles are commonly used as address terms in China itself (Wang Jingli, "Manager Wang"), but this is less common in English correspondence aimed at a Chinese reader; a plain title plus family name is the safer default.
Gender and names
Many given-name characters lean strongly male or female by convention (characters meaning strength, brightness or the outdoors read as male; characters meaning flower, beauty or grace read as female), but the same syllable can be written with different characters for either gender, and romanised Latin spelling loses that distinction entirely. "Wei", "Jing" and "Ming" are common for both men and women; "Mei" and "Hua" lean female without being exclusive. Treat a single Chinese given name as a genuine coin-flip unless you can see the original characters or other context.
What to write when unsure
When the gender is genuinely unclear, address the full name without a title: "Dear Wei Wang," reads as correct and neutral in English business mail. Avoid guessing "Mr." or "Ms." from a romanised given name alone. If you correspond regularly, mirroring how the person signs their own emails is the most reliable signal of all.
Examples
Formal letter, gender known (male)
Dear Mr. Wang,
Formal letter, gender known (female)
Dear Ms. Chen,
Formal letter, gender unclear
Dear Wei Wang,
Everyday email, first contact
Hello Wei,
Names to try
Frequently asked questions
Is the first part of a Chinese name the given name or the family name?
The family name comes first. In "Wang Wei", Wang is the family name and Wei is the given name, the opposite of Western order.
Can I tell a person's gender from a romanised Chinese given name?
Not reliably. Romanisation strips out the character that usually signals gender, so names like Wei, Jing and Ming are common for both men and women.
What honorific should I use for a Chinese contact?
In Chinese, the honorific follows the family name: Xiansheng for Mr., Nvshi for Ms. In English, "Dear Mr./Ms. [family name]" once gender is known, or the full name with no title if unsure.
Do Chinese women change their name when they marry?
No. Family names in mainland China stay the same after marriage, so a name gives no signal about marital status.