您好
Hello!
One Step Further
姓 takes a SURNAME, 叫 takes a given name (or full name): 我姓王 (I am surnamed Wang) · 我叫明文 (I am called Mingwen). Gloria combines them: 我姓Lee，叫Gloria.
是 is “to be”, linking a person to a name or nationality: S + 是 + …: 我是臺灣人 (I am Taiwanese) · Gloria Lee 是美國人 (Gloria Lee is American).
Question pronouns keep the word order of a normal sentence — 什麼 just sits where the answer would: 他叫什麼名字？ (What is his name?) → 他叫明文。
您 is the respectful “you”; 請問 opens a polite question (“may I ask…”); 貴姓 politely asks a surname: 請問您貴姓？ — answer simply 我姓…, never 我貴姓.
Every syllable carries a tone, marked over the final: bā (flat high) · bá (rising) · bǎ (dip) · bà (falling). Same letters, different words — that is why every word in this app shows tone-marked pinyin.
生詞 · Words in this unit
Tap a word to study it — or ✍️ Practice all to write them from memory.
- 您you (polite and respectful to elders)
- 好good, fine
- 我I, me
- 姓to be surnamed
- 王an example of a surname (Wang)
- 叫to be called
- 名字name
- 是to be (am, is, are)
- 人people, person
- 美國America
- 臺灣Taiwan
- 美國人American
- 臺灣人Taiwanese
- 哪國人which country's person (nationality)
- 什麼what
- 請問may I ask you…, excuse me…
- 貴姓polite way to ask someone's surname
- 您呢how about you? and you?
- 他he, him
- 張an example of a surname (Zhang)
- 王明文Wang Mingwen (an example of a name)