Name translation
Charles in Chinese
Charles is written 查尔斯 in Chinese, pronounced Chá ěr sī. This is the standard phonetic transliteration used in Chinese media, as in 查尔斯·达尔文 (Charles Darwin). The characters were chosen for their sound, not for the Germanic meaning "free man".
查尔斯
Chá ěr sī
Recorded in CC-CEDICT
Chá is second tone (rising), ěr is third tone (dipping, then rising), and sī is first tone (high and level). A rough English approximation is "chah air suh", with a rising first syllable and a low, dipping middle one.
Sources: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How this translation works
查尔斯 is a phonetic transliteration: 查, 尔 and 斯 were selected for their sounds, chá, ěr and sī, not for their meanings. Read literally, 查 means "to check" or "to investigate" and is also a surname, 尔 is a literary word for "you", and 斯 is a literary demonstrative — none of this describes Charles, which comes from a Germanic word for "free man".
Chinese media uses 查尔斯 for the full name: Prince Charles is 查尔斯王子 and Charles Darwin is 查尔斯·达尔文. CC-CEDICT records 查尔斯 as a dictionary entry, which is why this site treats it as the local dictionary answer rather than an AI guess.
The nickname has its own written form. Charlie is 查理, as in 查理·卓别林 (Charlie Chaplin), and Chuck is 查克; neither is a clipped 查尔斯, so the full transliteration stays intact when someone uses the short name.
Related names
Charles is related to Charlie and Chuck. Charlie is normally 查理 (Chá lǐ) and Chuck is 查克 (Chá kè). They are transliterations of the short forms rather than abbreviations of 查尔斯, so they cannot be swapped for the full name — Charlie Chaplin is 查理·卓别林, not 查尔斯·卓别林.
When to use this form
查尔斯 translates the name of a real person called Charles — in Chinese news, subtitles or introductions. If instead you want a new Chinese name chosen for its meaning, use the Chinese name generator.
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Charles in Chinese: FAQ
How do you write Charles in Chinese?
Charles is written 查尔斯 in Chinese, pronounced Chá ěr sī. It is the standard phonetic transliteration recorded in CC-CEDICT and used across Chinese media.
Why is Charlie Chaplin 查理·卓别林 rather than 查尔斯?
Because he was known as Charlie, and Charlie has its own transliteration, 查理. The full name Charles is 查尔斯, but Chinese follows the form the person actually used, so the nickname is not expanded.
Is Chuck written the same way as Charles?
No. Chuck is 查克 (Chá kè), with a different second character and sound. Only the full name Charles is written 查尔斯.
How do you pronounce 查尔斯?
Chá ěr sī — second tone, third tone, then first tone, roughly "chah air suh". The first syllable rises, the middle dips and rises, and the last stays level. Use the hear-it button on this page to listen.