Learn Chinese: Self-Introduction & Meeting New Friends

Li Ming, I'm so happy today!

I made a new friend!

Oh? Really? You sound very happy. Where did you meet them?

In the park.

I went to the park to read this afternoon,

and a very cute girl came over and asked if she could sit next to me.

And then what?

Then we started chatting! Her name is Xiaoyue, she's a college student,

and like me, she likes reading and listening to music.

We chatted for a long time, and it felt like we'd known each other for years.

That's great. You always make new friends so easily.

Yeah, because making new friends is such a fun thing to do!

But seriously, Li Ming, I've noticed that a lot of people,

especially foreign friends who are learning Chinese,

feel that introducing themselves and making new friends are the hardest

and most nerve-wracking parts of learning Chinese.

I completely understand.

Even though I'm Chinese, sometimes in an environment full of strangers,

making me introduce myself makes me a bit nervous too.

I don't know what to say or how to say it.

Exactly! That's the feeling.

So I was thinking, why don't we talk about this topic today?

How to naturally introduce yourself in Chinese and start a new friendship.

That's a great idea. For beginners, this is probably what they need and want

to know how to do the most.

We can share some of our own experiences and methods.

Great! Let's start from the very beginning. When meeting a stranger, what do you think the first sentence

should be?

Hmm... I think the simplest and safest one is just 'Hello'.

Exactly! A smile plus a 'Hello' is the universal signal for 'I want to get to know you'.

Yes. Sometimes, we overthink things.

We always wonder, what advanced words should I use?

Is my pronunciation standard? What will they think of me?

Actually, the other person might be thinking the exact same thing.

Precisely! I remember when I was in college, on my first day in the classroom, I didn't know a single classmate.

I sat in my seat feeling very nervous.

Then the girl next to me smiled and said, 'Hi, I'm Wang Yu.'

Wait, her name was Wang Yu? The same name as yours?

Haha, no, I was the one who spoke to her first! I plucked up the courage, smiled at her, and said, 'Hi,

I'm Wang Yu.'

Ah, so you took the initiative. That sounds just like you.

Yes. Then she immediately smiled back and said, 'Hi! I'm Chen Xue. Nice to meet you.'

See, it's that simple! Starting with a 'Hello', we later became best friends.

So, the key is the first step. Say 'Hello', then say your name. For example, 'Hello, I'm Li Ming'.

Right. Or you can be a bit more polite: 'Hello, my name is Wang Yu. Nice to meet you.'

'Nice to meet you' is a very useful phrase.

Yes, it expresses a friendly attitude. When people hear it, they are usually very

happy and will say, 'Nice to meet you too.'

Here is a common problem I've noticed. Many friends learning Chinese

are really afraid of mispronouncing their own Chinese names.

For example, a friend named Michael, whose Chinese name is 'Make'.

He always worries his pronunciation isn't standard and others won't understand him.

Yes, that's a very real concern.

I think for beginners, saying their own name can be nerve-wracking

because it's the most important piece of information about 'me'.

If the other person doesn't catch it, it can be a bit upsetting and awkward.

Exactly! That's the feeling. Do you have any advice?

My advice is, don't worry.

First, speak slowly and clearly.

Second, if they didn't hear you clearly, you can repeat it.

If that still doesn't work, you can write your name on your phone or a piece of paper to show them.

That's totally fine. What matters is your willingness to communicate.

That's a great method! Write it down. Everyone has a phone nowadays, so it's very convenient.

And when you type out your name on your phone, it actually creates

a little opportunity for interaction.

Exactly. So, to summarize the first part: a smile, a 'Hello', then tell them your name,

and finally add 'Nice to meet you'. That is a perfect

opening.

Alright, now we've met and know each other's names.

What do we talk about next?

Next, we usually exchange some basic information.

For example, what nationality are you? What do you do?

Right. For instance, I would say, 'Hi, I'm Wang Yu. I'm Chinese. I'm a Chinese teacher.'

That's a very clear introduction. It includes name, nationality, and profession.

For me, I might say, 'Hi, I'm Li Ming. I'm from Beijing. I work at a

company.'

Yeah, 'I'm from Beijing' and 'I'm a Beijinger' mean pretty much the same thing.

For friends learning Chinese, they can say, 'I'm American/British/Vietnamese...'

or 'I'm from the US/UK/Vietnam...'.

Yes. Next is profession. You can say 'I'm a student', or 'I'm a doctor', 'I'm an

engineer'.

If your job is a bit complex and hard to explain, you can make it simpler,

like 'I work at a bank', or as I just said, 'I work at a company'

Yes, simplicity is key. I've found that most of the time, we're not taking an exam, we're just making friends.

You don't need to be so precise. For example, I have a friend whose job is a 'UX de-'

signer'.