Emma in Chinese
How to write Emma in Chinese, how to say it, and real Chinese names picked for it.
Emma, written by sound
埃玛
Āimǎ
- 埃āi“dust”
- 玛mǎ
This is how Emma 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.
You'll also see 艾玛, the everyday spelling.
But it isn't a Chinese name. Chinese parents choose a name for what it means, like the ones below.
Real Chinese names for Emma
None of these sounds quite like Emma, but each one is a real name Chinese parents give, with a meaning of its own. Tap the buttons to hear a character, watch it written, or write it yourself.
Classic name
艾琳Àilín
youthful, like fine jade
ài
youthful beauty
lín
fine jade
Classic name
艾薇Àiwēi
a young rose fern
ài
youthful beauty
wēi
rose; wild fern
艹plantmeaning微wēisound
微 is said wēi too.
Classic name
静雯Jìngwén
quiet, with patterned clouds
jìng
quiet, serene
wén
colorful clouds
Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.
Get your own Chinese name
Emma, get eight real names in the style you like (classic, poetic, wuxia…) and pick the one that feels like you. It takes a minute.
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, 艾琳 becomes a full name such as 林艾琳 (Lín Àilín).
About the name Emma
In the US, Emma was the most popular girls’ name of the 2010s. In 2025 it is number 3. In England and Wales it was number 14 in 1996 and is number 85 in 2025.
Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).