Anna in Chinese

Anna, written by sound

This is how Anna is written by sound: in the news, on maps and in translated books. Each character is there for its sound, so their meanings don't add up to anything.

But it isn't a Chinese name. Chinese parents choose a name for what it means, like the ones below.

Real Chinese names that sound like Anna

Each one echoes the sound of Anna and means something good on its own. Tap the buttons to hear a character, watch it written, or write it yourself.

Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.

How Chinese names work

The family name comes first, and it is almost always one character: 王 Wáng, 李 Lǐ, 林 Lín. A few have two, like 欧阳 Ōuyáng.

The given name follows: one or two characters, chosen for what they mean. A virtue, a flower, a wish from the parents.

So with a family name in front, 安然 becomes a full name such as 林安然 (Lín Ānrán).

About the name Anna

In the US, Anna was the 24th most popular girls’ name of the 2000s. In England and Wales it was number 47 in 1996 and is number 142 in 2025.

Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).