Name translation
James in Chinese
James is written 詹姆斯 in Chinese, pronounced Zhān mǔ sī. This is the standard phonetic transliteration used in Chinese media, as in 詹姆斯·邦德 (James Bond). The characters were chosen for their sound, not for the Hebrew meaning of James.
詹姆斯
Zhān mǔ sī
Recorded in CC-CEDICT
Zhān is first tone (high and level), mǔ is third tone (dipping, then rising), and sī is first tone (high and level). A rough English approximation is "jahn moo suh", with the middle syllable lower than the other two.
Sources: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How this translation works
詹姆斯 is a phonetic transliteration: 詹, 姆 and 斯 were selected for their sounds, zhān, mǔ and sī, not for their meanings. Read literally, 詹 is a surname and an old verb for "to reach", 姆 points to a nurse or a woman, and 斯 is a literary demonstrative — none of this describes James, which comes from the Hebrew Ya'aqob, usually explained as "supplanter" or "one who follows".
Chinese media uses 詹姆斯 consistently for the full name, including when the English name order is reversed: James Bond appears as 詹姆斯·邦德, while LeBron James becomes 勒布朗·詹姆斯, with 詹姆斯 in the surname position. CC-CEDICT records 詹姆斯 as a dictionary entry, which is why this site treats it as the local dictionary answer rather than an AI guess.
Short forms follow the name a person actually uses. Jim is normally 吉姆 and Jimmy is 吉米; both are transliterations of the short form, not abbreviations of 詹姆斯, so you cannot trim 詹姆斯 down to produce them.
Related names
James is related to Jim and Jimmy. Jim is transliterated 吉姆 (Jí mǔ) and Jimmy is 吉米 (Jí mǐ). Each short form has its own characters and sound, so neither is interchangeable with the full name 詹姆斯.
When to use this form
詹姆斯 translates the name of a real person called James — in Chinese news, subtitles or introductions. If instead you want a new Chinese name chosen for its meaning, use the Chinese name generator.
Translate another name on the homepage translator, or create a new personal Chinese name.
James in Chinese: FAQ
How do you write James in Chinese?
James is written 詹姆斯 in Chinese, pronounced Zhān mǔ sī. It is the standard phonetic transliteration recorded in CC-CEDICT and used across Chinese media.
Why is James Bond 詹姆斯·邦德?
Because Chinese keeps the English name order for foreign names and transliterates each part: James becomes 詹姆斯 and Bond becomes 邦德. LeBron James works the other way round, appearing as 勒布朗·詹姆斯 with 詹姆斯 in the surname slot.
Is Jim written the same way as James?
No. Jim has its own transliteration, 吉姆 (Jí mǔ), and Jimmy is 吉米 (Jí mǐ). Chinese does not shorten 詹姆斯 the way English shortens James to Jim.
How do you pronounce 詹姆斯?
Zhān mǔ sī — first tone, third tone, then first tone, roughly "jahn moo suh". The middle syllable dips and rises while the outer two stay level. Use the hear-it button on this page to listen.