Name translation
Patricia in Chinese
Patricia is written 帕特里夏 in Chinese, pronounced Pà tè lǐ xià. This is the standard phonetic transliteration recorded in CC-CEDICT, as in 帕特里夏·海史密斯 (Patricia Highsmith). The characters represent the sound of the English name, not the Latin patricius, usually explained as "noble".
帕特里夏
Pà tè lǐ xià
Recorded in CC-CEDICT
Also written: 帕特丽夏
Pà is fourth tone (sharp and falling), tè is fourth tone, lǐ is third tone (dipping, then rising) and xià is fourth tone. A rough English approximation is "pah tuh lee shyah", with each syllable clearly separated.
Sources: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How this translation works
帕特里夏 is a phonetic transliteration: 帕, 特, 里 and 夏 were chosen for their sounds, pà, tè, lǐ and xià, not for their meanings. Read literally they suggest a scarf, "special", "inside" and "summer", none of which describes Patricia, which comes from the Latin patricius, usually explained as "noble".
This is the form CC-CEDICT records as the dictionary entry, and it matches how Chinese sources write the novelist Patricia Highsmith, 帕特里夏·海史密斯. That consistency is why this site treats 帕特里夏 as the default answer rather than a sound-alike guess.
A second spelling, 帕特丽夏, appears in some reference works, with 丽 ("beautiful") where 里 otherwise stands. The sound is identical; the difference is only which character the source chose, so neither form should be read as carrying extra meaning.
帕特丽夏 Pà tè lì xià
Another written form found in some reference works. It uses 丽 ("beautiful") in place of 里 and carries exactly the same pronunciation.
Related names
Patricia is related to Pat and Patty and Trish. Pat is usually written 帕特 (Pà tè), Patty as 帕蒂 (Pà dì) and Trish as 特里什 (Tè lǐ shí). These are separate transliterations for the nicknames and are not interchangeable with the full form 帕特里夏.
When to use this form
帕特里夏 translates the name of a real person called Patricia — 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.
Patricia in Chinese: FAQ
How do you write Patricia in Chinese?
Patricia is written 帕特里夏 in Chinese, pronounced Pà tè lǐ xià. It is the phonetic form recorded in CC-CEDICT and used for real people in Chinese media.
Is it 帕特里夏 or 帕特丽夏?
Both spellings represent the same sound and the same English name. 帕特里夏 is the dictionary form used here; 帕特丽夏 appears in some references with 丽 in place of 里. Neither is more correct in meaning.
What does 帕特里夏 mean?
Nothing literally — it is phonetic. The characters were selected for their sounds. Patricia comes from the Latin patricius, usually explained as "noble", but that meaning is not carried by the Chinese characters.
How do you pronounce 帕特里夏?
Pà tè lǐ xià — fourth tone, fourth tone, third tone, then fourth tone, roughly "pah tuh lee shyah". The third syllable dips before the final fall. Use the hear-it button on this page to listen.