Lily in Chinese
How to write Lily in Chinese, how to say it, and real Chinese names that sound like it.
Lily, written by sound
莉莉
Lìlì
- 莉lì“jasmine”
- 莉lì“jasmine”
This is how Lily 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 Lily
Each one echoes the sound of Lily and means something good on its own. Tap the buttons to hear a character, watch it written, or write it yourself.
Minimal name
Lín
fine jade
Cute name
妮妮Nīnī
little girl
nī
girl
nī
girl
More Chinese names for Lily
Not as close to Lily in sound, but each one is a real name with a meaning of its own.
Classic name
依琳Yīlín
gentle, like fine jade
yī
gentle; to rely on
亻personmeaning衣yīsound
衣 is said yī too.
lín
fine jade
Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.
Get your own Chinese name
Lily, 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, 琳 becomes a full name such as 林琳 (Lín Lín).
About the name Lily
In the US, Lily was the 22nd most popular girls’ name of the 2010s. In 2025 it is number 18. In England and Wales it was number 85 in 1996 and is number 2 in 2025.
Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).