Your name, written in Chinese.

Q: Who checks the name?

Candidates are proposed by a language model and filtered by rules a Chinese parent would use: common characters, no awkward homophones, nothing that reads as a word. Every candidate is then scored by a second, independent model calibrated on names labelled by native speakers, and anything below the bar is never shown.

Q: How is the calligraphy made?

An image model paints the characters of your reviewed name on paper; we lift the ink off the paper, trace it into vectors and typeset the poster. Seals are set in a genuine seal-script typeface.

A real Chinese name, every character explained, then written by brush, cut as a seal or drawn as a tattoo stencil. Three names are free.

Already have a Chinese name? Write it straight away.

One name, twenty ways

A handscroll of everything we wrote for one name, 诸葛亮. It unrolls on its own; drag it, or use the arrows.

Twenty pieces, one name: 诸葛亮, the strategist of the Three Kingdoms, written in every hand we offer.

诸葛亮 in running script — Running script 行书

Flowing signature — Signature, flowing 飘逸

A horse in ink wash — Year of the Horse 马

Looping signature — Signature, looping 回环

Zhuge Liang in script hand — Pinyin, script 花体

Now your name. Three real Chinese names, every character explained, then written like these. The first piece is free. Find my name

A real name, not your name in Chinese sounds

The difference a Chinese friend hears in the first second.

How a newspaper writes Emily Watson 艾米丽·沃森

艾ài米mǐ丽lì·沃wò森sēn

Six characters chosen only for sound. It reads as "foreigner", and nobody has ever been called it.

A name she could be called 王婉清

王Wáng, a family name; echoes Watson婉wǎn, gentle, graceful清qīng, clear, pure

Surname first, then a given name of two characters with meaning. The shape every Chinese name has.

How a name is made

Tell us your name
Your first and last name, and if you like, what you would want the name to mean. Thirty seconds.
Choose from three
Each candidate is a name a Chinese person would hear as real: a family name from the Hundred Surnames, then a given name with every character explained.
See it in ink
Pick a collection and the name is written for you in minutes. Download transparent PNGs, vector SVGs, a poster, practice sheets.

Before it goes on skin

What stands behind a tattoo design from us.

A sample certificate of meaning: the name 诸葛亮 in running script, each character explained, with the date and order reference

Checked twice. Every candidate is scored by a second, independent model calibrated on names labelled by native speakers, and the free name checker will read any name back to you. One free revision if a character should change.
A stencil at real size. The PDF prints at the exact width you choose, with a centimetre ruler on the page, so your artist transfers it without guessing.
Files that go to work. Transparent PNG and true vector SVG: sharp at any size, ready for a laser engraver, a cutting machine or a print shop.
A real name, not a transliteration. A surname from the Hundred Surnames and a given name with meaning: the shape every Chinese name has, so it reads as a name and not as a foreigner's label.

Free tools, and the guides behind them

Everything on the left is free and needs no account. The guides explain the rules the tools follow.

Tools

Chinese name generatorThree real names for your name, every character explained.
My name in ChineseThe transliteration newspapers use, and the name you could actually be called.
Chinese name checkerPaste any characters and read them back the way a Chinese reader would.
Calligraphy generatorYour name in running, cursive, clerical and seal script; the first piece free.
Seal generatorYour name cut as a red seal in genuine seal script.
Chinese name tattooA real name, a real-size stencil and a certificate of meaning for your artist.
Zodiac calculatorYour animal and element from the exact date, counted from Chinese New Year.
Lunar birthday calculatorYour birthday in the Chinese calendar, and the festival it falls on.
Spring Festival coupletsTwo lines written for your door for Chinese New Year 2027, with your name woven in.

Guides

How Chinese names workSurname first, one or two characters after; why 王婉清 is a name and 艾玛·沃森 is not.
A Chinese name vs a transliterationThe two answers to "what is my name in Chinese", and which one to use where.
The most common Chinese surnamesThe hundred family names, with the English sounds each one matches.
Chinese girl names with meaningsCharacters that read as a woman's name, and the ones to avoid.
Chinese boy names with meaningsCharacters that read as a man's name, and the clichés.
The Chinese calligraphy scriptsOne name written in seal, clerical, running and cursive script, side by side.
Chinese tattoo mistakesHow tattoos go wrong, and the six checks to make before the needle.
Spring Festival couplets explainedWhat the two lines and the banner mean, and how to hang them.

Cathay Ink is made in Hangzhou by Jessica, one person, with no team and no ads. If a name or a piece of artwork is wrong, write and it is fixed. About the site →

Pricing

Free while we launch

Finding your name is always free. During launch the artwork is free too: four pieces per collection, full resolution, no watermark. We ask only that you tell someone.

Find my name

Three Chinese names, meanings explainedFree
Certificate of meaning + phone wallpaper$4.90
Calligraphy pack: four pieces, PNG, SVG, poster, practice sheets, plus four name seals$12.90
Seal pack: four seals, PNG and vector$7.90
Tattoo pack: everything above plus real-size stencil, mockups, certificate of meaning$24.90
Zodiac poster with your name seal$7.90
Spring Festival couplet: print files, 福, wallpaper, hanging guide$6.90

Questions

Is the name really Chinese, or just my name in Chinese sounds?

Really Chinese. A transliteration like 艾米丽·沃森 is how newspapers write foreign names; nobody is called that. We give you a family name from the Hundred Surnames and a given name of one or two characters, the shape every Chinese name has. You can ask for a sound-first version if you prefer.

Who checks it?

The candidates are proposed by a language model and filtered by rules a Chinese parent would use: common characters, no awkward homophones, nothing that reads as a word. Every candidate is then scored by a second, independent model calibrated on names labelled by native speakers; anything below the bar is never shown. No person reviews individual orders, so for a tattoo, show the certificate to a Chinese friend too.

How is the calligraphy made?

By an image model that paints the characters of your reviewed name on paper; we lift the ink off the paper, trace it into vectors and typeset the poster. Seals are set in a genuine seal-script typeface, so every character is a correct historical form.

What do I get, and can I print it?

Transparent PNG at full resolution, SVG vector that stays sharp at any size, a 9:16 poster, and for calligraphy a set of A4 practice sheets. Print, frame, embroider, engrave: the files are yours for personal use.

Can I use it for a tattoo?

Yes. The tattoo pack adds a stencil PDF at the exact size you want on skin, placement mockups and a certificate of meaning you can show your artist. The design is yours; placement and technique are the artist's call.