Jonathan in Chinese
How to write Jonathan in Chinese, how to say it, and real Chinese names picked for it.
Jonathan, written by sound
乔纳森
Qiáonàsēn
- 乔qiáo
- 纳nà
- 森sēn
This is how Jonathan 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 for Jonathan
None of these sounds quite like Jonathan, 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
嘉森Jiāsēn
a fine forest
jiā
fine, praiseworthy
sēn
forest
Classic name
文森Wénsēn
cultured, deep as a forest
wén
culture, writing
sēn
forest
Poetic name
南山Nánshān
the southern mountain
nán
south
shān
mountain
Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.
Get your own Chinese name
Jonathan, 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, 嘉森 becomes a full name such as 林嘉森 (Lín Jiāsēn).
About the name Jonathan
In the US, Jonathan was the 19th most popular boys’ name of the 2000s. In 2025 it is number 89. In England and Wales it was number 39 in 1996 and is number 296 in 2025.
Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).