Phonetic transliteration:
麦 ('wheat') for 'Max',
克 for the '-ck-' bridge,
丝 ('silk') as a feminine suffix marker. The masculine 'Max' is usually rendered
麦克斯 or
马克斯; the substitution of
丝 (a stereotypically feminine character also seen in
爱丽丝 'Alice',
露丝 'Ruth') signals that the bearer is female.
