Introduce oneself using simple sentences

Self-Introduction in Chinese

In this lesson, you will learn how to introduce yourself in Chinese using simple sentences. You will learn to say your name, age, and that you are a student.

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Key Phrases for Introducing Yourself

Here are the most important words and phrases you need to know:

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
你好	Nǐ hǎo	Hello
我叫	Wǒ jiào	My name is
什么	shénme	What
名字	míngzi	Name
我	wǒ	I / me
你	nǐ	You
学生	xuéshēng	Student
岁	suì	years old
很高兴认识你	Wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ	Nice to meet you

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Numbers 1–10

When you introduce yourself, you may need to say how old you are. Here are the numbers:

Number	Chinese	Pinyin
1	一	yī
2	二	èr
3	三	sān
4	四	sì
5	五	wǔ
6	六	liù
7	七	qī
8	八	bā
9	九	jiǔ
10	十	shí

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Simple Sentences for Self-Introduction

Follow these steps to introduce yourself:

1. Greet the person — Say "Nǐ hǎo!" (Hello!)
2. Say your name — Say "Wǒ jiào [your name]." (My name is...)
3. Say your age — Say "Wǒ [number] suì." (I am... years old.)
4. Say you are a student — Say "Wǒ shì xuéshēng." (I am a student.)
5. End politely — Say "Wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ." (Nice to meet you.)

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Worked Example

Here is a dialogue between two students introducing themselves:

Anna: Nǐ hǎo! (Hello!)

Samu: Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? (Hello! What is your name?)

Anna: Wǒ jiào Ānnà. Nǐ ne? (My name is Anna. And you?)

Samu: Wǒ jiào Shānmǔ. (My name is Samu.)

Anna: Wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. (Nice to meet you.)

Samu: Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. (Nice to meet you too.)

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Practice Tip

To practice, you can play a game with your classmates:

• The teacher beats a drum (or claps).
• Students pass a flower around the circle.
• When the drumming stops, the student holding the flower stands up and says:
  • "Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào [name]. Wǒ shì xuéshēng. Wǒ [number] suì."

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Real-life application

In Tanzania, knowing how to introduce yourself in Chinese can be useful when meeting Chinese tourists visiting places like Zanzibar, Arusha, or Dar es Salaam. For example, if a Chinese visitor asks you "Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?" (What is your name?) at a market in Dar es Salaam, you can confidently reply "Wǒ jiào [your name]" and make a new friend or help them with their shopping.