1 · Politeness and social language
Polite address: nín and titles
forms of address
Nín is the polite “you”, and people are addressed by family name plus title, in that order.
您 is the polite form of 你. It is used for people older than you, for teachers, for customers and for strangers in a service situation; 你 is for friends, family, classmates and children. Nothing else in the sentence changes — 您好, 您请坐 — so choosing the pronoun is the whole of the grammar.
People are addressed by their family name followed by a title: 王老师 (Teacher Wang), 李先生 (Mr Li), 张女士 (Ms Zhang), 刘医生 (Dr Liu), 陈经理 (Manager Chen). The family name always comes first, in titles as in full names: 王明 is Ming of the Wang family.
A job can serve as a title by itself: 老师 to a teacher, 医生 to a doctor, 师傅 to a driver or a skilled worker. Family words are used for people who are not relatives: a child calls a woman of its parents' age 阿姨 and a man 叔叔. Among colleagues, 老 before a family name is friendly for someone older (老李) and 小 for someone younger (小王).
English speakers carry over two habits that do not fit. Calling a teacher, a doctor or a boss by their given name — normal in many English-speaking workplaces — sounds over-familiar in Chinese. And English puts the title first (“Teacher Wang”), so learners say 老师王; in Chinese the name comes first.
The form
| polite you | 您好！ |
| family name + teacher | 王老师好！ |
| Mr, Ms | 李先生，张女士 |
| asking a surname politely | 您贵姓？ |
| older and younger colleagues | 老李，小王 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Use 您 for older people, teachers and customers; the verb does not change.
您要喝点儿什么？What would you like to drink?
The family name comes first and the title after it.
这位是陈经理。This is Manager Chen.
To ask a stranger's name politely, ask for the family name only.
请问，您贵姓？Excuse me, may I ask your surname?
For a group, say 大家 or 各位 rather than a plural of 您.
大家好，我是新来的老师。Hello, everyone. I am the new teacher.
A closer look
Names in Chinese order
A Chinese full name puts the family name first: in 李小红 the family is 李. Most family names have one character, and given names have one or two. Classmates and friends of the same age often use the full name, which is neutral among them; from a parent or a teacher the full name can sound stern, as an English full name does.
Many Chinese speakers who work with foreigners also use an English given name and may write their name in the English order on a business card. When in doubt, ask: 我怎么称呼您？, “how should I address you?” — a question that is itself polite.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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you are speaking to a group
say 你们, 大家 or, more formally, 各位.
各位老师，大家好！Hello, teachers — hello, everyone!
A plural of 您 is seen in writing but sounds unnatural in speech; a polite word for “everyone” does the job instead.
How to spot it
- 您
- 老师
- 先生
- 女士
- 贵姓
- 师傅
Example sentences
张老师，您早！Good morning, Teacher Zhang!
李先生，请坐。Please take a seat, Mr Li.
请问，您是刘医生吗？Excuse me, are you Dr Liu?
师傅，去火车站。To the railway station, please. (to a taxi driver)
阿姨，这个多少钱？Excuse me, how much is this? (to a woman of your parents' age)
王经理，您的电话。Manager Wang, there is a phone call for you.
8 more example sentences
您身体好吗？Are you keeping well?
我姓王，您叫我小王就行。My surname is Wang — just call me Xiao Wang.
老李，今天一起吃午饭吧。Lao Li, let's have lunch together today.
叔叔好！Hello! (a child greeting a man of its parents' age)
周女士，请这边走。This way, please, Ms Zhou.
谢谢您，您辛苦了。Thank you — you have gone to a lot of trouble.
赵校长，这是我们的计划。Head Teacher Zhao, this is our plan.
您几位？How many are you? (a waiter to guests)
Worth knowing (1)
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Nín guìxìng?
The polite way to ask a name asks only for the family name: 您贵姓, literally “your honourable surname?”. The answer drops the polite word, because nobody honours their own name: 我姓李, never 我贵姓李.
您贵姓？——我姓李，木子李。May I ask your surname? — Li, the Li written with mù and zǐ.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts the title before the name — “Teacher Wang”, “Doctor Liu” — and learners copy the order. Chinese always puts the family name first and the title after it, just as it puts the family name before the given name.
Family name first, title second — and nín for anyone you would not call by a first name.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.