Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing the proper noun 'Tom' with 汤姆 (Tāngmǔ)

    Topic & Focus

    Explanation

    汤姆 (Tāngmǔ) is the standard Chinese transliteration of the English name "Tom." Foreign names are typically rendered in Chinese characters that approximate their pronunciation. This is a common example of phonetic borrowing in Chinese.

    Examples

    • 汤姆是我在大学认识的美国朋友。

      tāngmǔ shì wǒ zài dàxué rènshi de měiguó péngyǒu.

      Tom is an American friend I met in college.

    • 汤姆的中文说得越来越好了。

      tāngmǔ de zhōngwén shuō de yuèláiyuè hǎo le.

      Tom's Chinese is getting better and better.

    • 你跟汤姆说一声，让他明天早点来。

      nǐ gēn tāngmǔ shuō yī shēng, ràng tā míngtiān zǎodiǎn lái.

      Tell Tom to come a bit earlier tomorrow.

    Expressing the proper noun 'Tom' with 汤姆 (Tāngmǔ) | Chinese Grammar