Name translation
Sandra in Chinese
Sandra is written 桑德拉 in Chinese, pronounced Sāng dé lā. This is the standard phonetic transliteration recorded in CC-CEDICT, as in 桑德拉·布洛克 (Sandra Bullock). The characters carry the sound, not the Greek meaning "defender of men".
桑德拉
Sāng dé lā
Recorded in CC-CEDICT
Sāng is first tone (high and level), dé is second tone (rising) and lā is first tone. A rough English approximation is "sahng duh lah", with the middle syllable rising between two level syllables.
Sources: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How this translation works
桑德拉 is a phonetic transliteration: 桑, 德 and 拉 were chosen for their sounds, sāng, dé and lā, not their meanings. Read literally they suggest a mulberry tree, "virtue" and "to pull", none of which describes Sandra, which is a short form of Alexandra and carries the Greek sense "defender of men".
CC-CEDICT records 桑德拉 as the dictionary entry, and it is the form used for real people in Chinese media, such as 桑德拉·布洛克 (Sandra Bullock). The three syllables also keep the stress pattern of the English name reasonably well.
Because Sandra is itself a shortening of Alexandra, the fuller name has a separate transliteration of its own, and the two should not be swapped in a person's Chinese name. The form here covers Sandra only.
Related names
Sandra is related to Sandy. Sandy is the usual nickname and is written 桑迪 (Sāng dí). It has its own transliteration and is not interchangeable with the full form 桑德拉.
When to use this form
桑德拉 translates the name of a real person called Sandra — 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.
Sandra in Chinese: FAQ
How do you write Sandra in Chinese?
Sandra is written 桑德拉 in Chinese, pronounced Sāng dé lā. It is the phonetic form recorded in CC-CEDICT and used in Chinese media for people such as 桑德拉·布洛克 (Sandra Bullock).
Why is Sandra written 桑德拉 if it comes from Alexandra?
Sandra is a short form of Alexandra, but Chinese transliterates the name as it is spoken. 桑德拉 follows the sounds of Sandra rather than the longer Greek name, so it is not a shortened version of Alexandra's own transliteration.
What does 桑德拉 mean?
Nothing literally — it is phonetic. 桑, 德 and 拉 were selected for their sounds. Sandra comes from Alexandra, with the Greek sense "defender of men", but that meaning is not carried by the Chinese characters.
How do you pronounce 桑德拉?
Sāng dé lā — level first tone, rising second tone, then level first tone, roughly "sahng duh lah". The middle syllable rises between two flat ones. Use the hear-it button on this page to listen.