Name translation
Joseph in Chinese
Joseph is written 约瑟夫 in Chinese, pronounced Yuē sè fū. This is the standard phonetic transliteration used in Chinese media, as in 约瑟夫·斯大林 (Joseph Stalin). The three characters were chosen for sound, not for the Hebrew meaning "he will add".
约瑟夫
Yuē sè fū
Recorded in CC-CEDICT
Yuē is first tone (high and level), sè is fourth tone (sharp and falling), and fū is first tone (high and level). A rough English approximation is "yweh suh foo", with the middle syllable falling quickly.
Sources: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How this translation works
约瑟夫 is a phonetic transliteration: 约, 瑟 and 夫 were selected for their sounds, yuē, sè and fū, not for their meanings. Read literally, 约 means "to arrange" or "to promise", 瑟 is a kind of zither, and 夫 means "man" or "husband" — together they say nothing about Joseph, which comes from the Hebrew Yosef, usually explained as "he will add".
Chinese media uses 约瑟夫 for modern public figures, for example Joseph Stalin appears as 约瑟夫·斯大林. CC-CEDICT records 约瑟夫 as a dictionary entry, which is why this site treats it as the local dictionary answer rather than an AI guess.
A shorter form, 约瑟 (Yuēsè), is standard for the biblical Joseph and is a different written name, not a casual shortening of 约瑟夫. Short forms in English follow the same logic: Joe is 乔 and Joey is 乔伊, both transliterated on their own.
Related names
Joseph is related to Joe and Joey. Joe is written 乔 (Qiáo) and Joey is 乔伊 (Qiáo yī). These are transliterations of the short forms, not clipped versions of 约瑟夫, so they are not interchangeable with the full name.
When to use this form
约瑟夫 translates the name of a real person called Joseph — 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.
Joseph in Chinese: FAQ
How do you write Joseph in Chinese?
Joseph is written 约瑟夫 in Chinese, pronounced Yuē sè fū. It is the standard phonetic transliteration recorded in CC-CEDICT and used across Chinese media.
Is Joseph 约瑟夫 or 约瑟?
Both exist, but they are different forms. 约瑟夫 is the full transliteration used for modern people such as Joseph Stalin. 约瑟 (Yuēsè) is the usual biblical form and should not be treated as an abbreviation of 约瑟夫.
How is Joe written in Chinese?
Joe is 乔 (Qiáo) and Joey is 乔伊 (Qiáo yī). Neither is a shortened 约瑟夫; Chinese transliterates the name the person actually uses.
How do you pronounce 约瑟夫?
Yuē sè fū — first tone, fourth tone, then first tone, roughly "yweh suh foo". The middle syllable falls sharply while the outer two stay level. Use the hear-it button on this page to listen.