name
Common
Ng
uhng
Ng (name) means a Chinese surname, a romanization of a character meaning "yellow" or, in Cantonese, "fish," depending on the character used. Example: “Mr. Ng opened a restaurant in the city center.”
name
1
A Chinese surname, a romanization of a character meaning "yellow" or, in Cantonese, "fish," depending on the character used.
"Mr. Ng opened a restaurant in the city center."
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like Ng.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- Ngs
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Mr. _____ opened a restaurant in the city center.
Etymology
Comes from various Chinese surnames, including Hokkien 黃/黄 (N̂g) and Cantonese 吳/吴 (ng⁴) and 伍 (ng⁵). The Philippine pronunciation is influenced by Tagalog ng.
Synonyms
View more →
nanogram
Frequently asked questions
What does “Ng” mean?
The word “Ng” means a Chinese surname, a romanization of a character meaning "yellow" or, in Cantonese, "fish," depending on the character used.
How do you pronounce “Ng”?
“Ng” is pronounced uhng (/əŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “Ng” in a sentence?
Here is “Ng” used in a sentence: “Mr. Ng opened a restaurant in the city center.”
What part of speech is “Ng”?
“Ng” is a name.
Is “Ng” a common word?
“Ng” is a fairly common word in modern English.
Is Ng a first name or a surname?
Ng is a surname, a family name of Chinese origin. It is one of the romanized spellings used when certain Chinese characters are written in the Latin alphabet.
Why does the surname Ng appear to have no vowel?
Ng is a direct romanization of a Cantonese sound that does not include a vowel in the way English usually expects. The spelling preserves the consonant sound of the original language rather than reshaping it into a typical English syllable.
Is the same Chinese family name always spelled Ng?
No. Ng is only one romanization, and the spelling depends on the character and the dialect used. The same underlying family name can be written differently in other systems, even though it points to the same Chinese character.
Which regions use the surname Ng?
Ng is most associated with Cantonese-speaking communities, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, and the wider Chinese diaspora in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Canada. Because it is a romanization, the same family name may be spelled differently elsewhere.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include Ng:
