Chinese name questions, answered plainly.
Short, direct answers about Chinese names, what our reports cost, what we check and what we do not. If your question is not here, write to hello@chineseidentity.com.
How much does a Chinese name report cost?
A free name check costs nothing. Essential is US$9.99 (HK$78) and gives you three name options, each explained. Signature is US$24.99 (HK$196) for one fully personalised name, checked by hand. Premium is US$34.99 (HK$274). Group, school and corporate workshops start from US$499. All prices are one-time and in US dollars.
Is the free check reviewed by a person?
No. The free check is generated automatically and is not reviewed by anyone. Every paid report is checked by hand by a Cantonese and Mandarin speaker. Every delivery states its review level — AI-drafted, human-checked, or human-checked with a cultural note — so you always know which one you are getting.
Do you check Cantonese as well as Mandarin?
Yes, both. We read a name in Mandarin (all four tones) and, where relevant, in Cantonese (all six). We also flag sound-alikes that only appear in English. This matters because the most expensive naming mistakes are the ones that are fine in one language and unfortunate in another.
Can a Chinese name be embarrassing without me knowing?
Yes — it is one of the most common problems we find. A name can be dated, read as the wrong gender, sound like an ordinary word, or collide with something unfortunate in one language while being perfectly fine in another. Native speakers hear it instantly; a foreign learner usually cannot, because the problem is in the sound, not the characters.
Should I use Simplified or Traditional characters?
Simplified for mainland China and Singapore. Traditional for Hong Kong, Taiwan and most overseas communities. The same name is often written both ways. We ask which you need rather than guessing, because the wrong script makes a correct name look wrong on paper.
Is a free Chinese name generator any good?
Not on its own. We tested one: across 20 runs of a free generator, 14 returned a surname with no given name at all. A generator produces options, not a verdict — a list of names tells you nothing about whether a name sounds like a real person, whether it is dated, or whether the characters say what you think they say. That judgement is the thing we sell, and it is done by a person. See the full test →
How long does it take?
The free check appears on the page in about 15 seconds. Paid reports are delivered as a PDF report, and every paid tier is reviewed by hand before it is sent.
Can you check a name I already have?
Yes. That is the free check. Send the characters if you have them, or the pinyin, or simply how it sounds, and we tell you how it is heard, what it says character by character, and whether it fits the person using it.
What do you not check?
We do not do legal name changes or give advice on them; we do not run trademark or company-name clearance searches; we do not offer feng shui, numerology or fortune readings, and we will not pretend a name guarantees anything; and we do not cover dialects beyond Mandarin and Cantonese. If a name is going on a passport, a register or your skin, have it independently verified before you commit.
Who checks my name?
One person, working under the pen name 圆意: a lecturer at a Hong Kong university, born in mainland China and raised in Hong Kong, working in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. The studio is deliberately small — a name that matters to you should not be a volume business.
Do you publish my name or my details?
No. We use what you send to produce your report, and we do not publish client names without asking first.