What is the difference between how names are written in the US and Asia?

In America, the individual’s name comes first. In Asia, the family’s name comes first. (To grasp the full significance, see this volume’s article on Confucian family values, and the Asian American Family.) This is true of informal spoken, as well as formal written language.

What is naming convention in Chinese?

Chinese naming conventions arrange names as follows: [FAMILY NAME] [given name]. For example, ZHANG Chen (male) and WANG Xiu (female). The family name (or ‘surname’) is inherited from one’s parents and shared with other members of the individual’s immediate family .

How do Chinese write their names?

Unlike English names, Chinese people write their family name (normally a single letter) first and then their given name (one or two letters). My name is Ma Nan, Ma is my surname and Nan is my given name. Ma is ranked as the 14th most common surname in Mainland China; ‘ma’ literally means ‘horse’.

Why do Chinese have different names?

Because the small number of Chinese surnames leads to confusion in social environments, and because some Chinese parents have a desire to give individuality, some Chinese have received unusual given names. As of April 2009, about 60 million Chinese people have unusual characters in their names.

Why do Chinese use Western names?

The use of Western names thus serves as a buffer, to avoid being too formal and too intimate, and to avoid the embarrassing situation of addressing someone mistakenly as in downward communication.

Why do Chinese have Western names?

How do you use Chinese names?

The Chinese will state their last name first, followed by the given name (may be one or two syllables). For example, Liu Jianguo, in Chinese would be Mr. Jianguo Liu using the Western style. Never call someone by only his or her last name.