A new species of the genus Sillago, Chinese sillago, Sillago sinica sp. nov., was described using morphological methods and phylogenetic analysis of DNA barcoding of 53 specimens collected from the East China Sea (Wenzhou), Yellow Sea (Qingdao), and Bohai Sea (Dongying, China). Results of the morphological analysis (such as vertebrate counts, otoliths, etc.) showed that significant differentiation existed between S. sinica sp. nov. and 5 other Sillago spp. The mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was used as a DNA barcode to clarify the systematics of the genus Sillago. Results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that S. sinica sp. nov. formed a monophyletic group as a distinct phylogenetic species. It was also suggested that the COI gene is an effective molecular marker for identifying Sillago species.