Michelle in Chinese
How to write Michelle in Chinese, how to say it, and real Chinese names that sound like it.
Michelle, written by sound
米歇尔
Mǐxiē'ěr
- 米mǐ“rice”
- 歇xiē
- 尔ěr“you (old)”
This is how Michelle 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 Michelle
Each one echoes the sound of Michelle and means something good on its own. Tap the buttons to hear a character, watch it written, or write it yourself.
Classic name
美琪Měiqí
beautiful jade
měi
beautiful
羊sheep大big
Commonly explained as a big sheep, once the finest thing you could have: good, and so beautiful.
qí
fine jade
Classic name
明澈Míngchè
bright and clear
míng
bright, clear
日sun月moon
Commonly explained as the sun 日 and the moon 月 side by side: bright.
chè
clear (water)
Cute name
米米Mǐmǐ
little rice grain
mǐ
rice
A picture
Drawn as grains of rice around a stalk.
mǐ
rice
A picture
Drawn as grains of rice around a stalk.
Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.
Get your own Chinese name
Michelle, 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, 美琪 becomes a full name such as 林美琪 (Lín Měiqí).
About the name Michelle
In the US, Michelle was the 32nd most popular girls’ name of the 1990s. In England and Wales it was number 153 in 1996 and is number 346 in 2025.
Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).