Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

(as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on Wade-Giles romanization of

Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standar ...

), "Tsay", or "Chai" and the 8th most common in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, where it is usually romanized as "Chua", which is based on its Teochew and

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

pronunciation. Koreans use Chinese-derived family names and in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, Cai is 채 in

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

, "

Chae Chae, also spelled Chai, is a Korean family name and an element in some Korean given names. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. Family name Overview The 2000 South Korean Census found 119,251 people with the family name Chae ...

" in

Revised Romanization Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...

, It is also a common name in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

where it is romanized as "Choy", "Choi" or "Tsoi". In

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, it is spelled as "Choi". In

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, it is romanized as "Choi" from the Cantonese pronunciation, and "Chua" or "Chuah" from the Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation. It is romanized in the Philippines as "Chua" or "Chuah", and in Thailand as "Chuo" (ฉั่ว). Moreover, it is also romanized in Cambodia as either "Chhay" or "Chhor" among people of full Chinese descent living in Cambodia and as "Tjoa" or "Chua" in Indonesia.

History

The Chois are said to be the descendants of the 5th son of

King Wen of Zhou King Wen of Zhou (; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was Count of state of Zhou, Zhou during the late Shang dynasty in ancient China. Although frequently confused with his fourth son Duke of Zhou, also known as "Lord Zhou", they are different hi ...

Ji Du Cai Shu Du or Shu Du of Cai (Chinese: , given name Du (), was the first ruler of the State of Cai. Du was the fifth son of King Wen of Zhou and his wife Taisi (). He had ten brothers and eight half-brothers. His elder brothers were Kao (Boyi Kao ...

. Ji Du was awarded the title of

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

('' hóu'') of the

State of Cai Cài (; Old Chinese: *s.r̥ˤat-s) was an ancient Chinese state established at the beginning of the Zhou dynasty, rising to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period, and destroyed early in the Warring States period. History Following his ...

(centered on what is now

Shangcai Shangcai County () is a county in the south of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhumadian Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It border ...

Zhumadian Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of An ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

), and he was known as Cai Shu Du ("Uncle Du of Cai"). Together with

Guan Shu Guan Shu Xian () was the first and only ruler of the Chinese state of Guan and a younger of brother of King Wu of Zhou. He was the third son of King Wen of Zhou, and one of the Three Guards responsible for overseeing the eastern lands of the newly ...

and

Huo Shu Huo () is a Chinese surname. It is pronounced as Fok in Cantonese. During the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu awarded land to his brother Shuchu (叔處) in "Huo" (modern Huozhou, Shanxi), and Shuchu's descendants adopted "Huo" as their family name. No ...

, they were known as the

Three Guards The Rebellion of the Three Guards (), or less commonly the Wu Geng Rebellion (), was a civil war, instigated by an alliance of discontent Zhou princes, Shang loyalists, vassal states and other non-Zhou peoples against the Western Zhou government ...

. When King Wu died, his son King Cheng was too young and his uncle, the

Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou (), commonly known as the Duke of Zhou (), was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu. He was renowned for acting ...

, became

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. Seeing that the power of the Duke of Zhou was increasing, the Three Guards got jealous and rebelled against Zhou together with

Wu Geng Wu Geng or Wugeng (Chinese: ''Wǔgēng''), a.k.a. ''Lùfù'', was an ancient Chinese noble who was the son of Zhou, the last king of the Shang. After his father executed Bigan by cutting out his heart, Wugeng fled to Feng, the capital of the Zhou ...

. The Duke of Zhou suppressed the rebellion, and Cai Shu was exiled. King Cheng reestablished Cai Shu's son Wu or Hu as the new Duke of Cai. Some 600 years later in the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou hea ...

conquered Cai in 447 BC and was itself conquered by the

Qin state Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

which, in turn, formed the

Qin Empire The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

, China's first empire. With the spread of family names to all

social classes A social class is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle and lower classes. Membership in a social class can for example be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, inco ...

in the new empire, many people of the former state of Cai began to bear it as a surname. The Cai descendants have undertaken the following two major migrations. During the

Huang Chao Rebellion Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty. Huang was a salt smuggler before joining Wang Xianzhi's ...

( AD 875) at the end of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(AD 618–907), the Cai clan migrated to

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

and

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

provinces. Another later migration occurred when

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

loyalist

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

moved military officials surnamed Cai and their families to

in the 17th century. As a result, the surname is far more common in these areas and in areas settled by their descendants (e.g.,

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

) than in other parts of China.

Transliteration and romanization

Chinese

Cai is written the same (蔡) in both simplified and

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

s. In

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

, the surname is

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

as Cài in

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

and

Tongyong Pinyin Tongyong Pinyin () was the official romanization of Mandarin in Taiwan between 2002 and 2008. The system was unofficially used between 2000 and 2002, when a new romanization system for Taiwan was being evaluated for adoption. Taiwan's Ministry of ...

, Ts'ai in Wade-Giles, and Tsay in

Gwoyeu Romatzyh Gwoyeu Romatzyh (), abbreviated GR, is a system for writing Mandarin Chinese in the Latin alphabet. The system was conceived by Yuen Ren Chao and developed by a group of linguists including Chao and Lin Yutang from 1925 to 1926. Chao himself lat ...

. In

Southern Min Southern Min (), Minnan (Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ( ...

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

, it is Chhoà in Pe̍h-oē-jī. In

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

(

and

), it is Coi3 in

Jyutping Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates for ...

and Choi in

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. (This should not be confused with the predominantly

family name Choi which has a different character ��. In

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

it is Tshai in

Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Pha̍k-fa-sṳ is an orthography similar to Pe̍h-ōe-jī and used to write Hakka, a variety of Chinese. Hakka is a whole branch of Chinese, and Hakka dialects are not necessarily mutually intelligible with each other, considering the large geogr ...

. (In

Tongyong pinyin Tongyong Pinyin () was the official romanization of Mandarin in Taiwan between 2002 and 2008. The system was unofficially used between 2000 and 2002, when a new romanization system for Taiwan was being evaluated for adoption. Taiwan's Ministry of ...

, it is Cai in Siyen Hakka and Ca̱i in Hoiliuk Hakka.) In

Fuzhou dialect Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

, it is Chái (in

Bàng-uâ-cê Foochow Romanized, also known as Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC for short; ) or Hók-ciŭ-uâ Lò̤-mā-cê (), is a Latin script, Latin alphabet for the Fuzhou dialect of Eastern Min adopted in the middle of the 19th century by Western missionaries. It had ...

Other languages

Koreans use Chinese-derived family names and in

, Cai is 채 in

, and Ch'ae in McCune-Reischauer.

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

also use Chinese-derived family names. In

, the name is Thái. The Chinese name 蔡 is usually transliterated via Sino-Vietnamese as Thái but sometimes as Sái.

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

do not use Chinese family names but for Chinese in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

who carry the name, it is さい in

Hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...

and Sai in the major romanization systems.

Romanization

Cai is

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as Cai in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Tsai (or occasionally Tsay or Chai for Mandarin) or Tsoa in the

, and Choi or Choy in

and

. In

, and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

, the most common forms are Chua or Chuah for Teochew and

speakers, Chai for

speakers, Choi or Tsoi for

speakers, and Toy or Toi for

Taishanese Taishanese (), alternatively romanized in Cantonese as Toishanese or Toisanese, in local dialect as Hoisanese or Hoisan-wa, is a dialect of Yue Chinese native to Taishan, Guangdong. Although it is related to Cantonese, Taishanese has little ...

speakers. In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, it is usually romanized as Tjoa/Tjhoa/Tjoea/Tjhoea (Hokkien & Teochew), Tjhoi (Cantonese) or Tjhai (Hakka) with Dutch spelling, or Tjua/Tjhua (Hokkien & Teochew) with old Indonesian spelling, or Chua (Hokkien & Teochew), Choy/Choi (Cantonese) or Chai (Hakka) with current Indonesian spelling. In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, it is Chua or Cua ( or ). Chua is pronounced in other Anglophone countries outside the Philippines. Other variations include Chye and Coi.

Derivative names

In addition, some of the Chuas (Cais) who resided in the Philippines adopted Spanish names to avoid persecution by the Spanish rulers during the Philippines' Spanish colonial rule from the early 16th to late 19th century.

Hispanicized Hispanicization ( es, hispanización) refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic. Hispanicization is il ...

forms of the name include Chuachiaco, Chuakay, Chuapoco, Chuaquico, Chuacuco, Tuazon, Chuateco, and Chuatoco.Hector Santos
Katálogo ng mga Apelyidong Pilipino (Catalog of Filipino Names).
These names were formed from the surname, one character of the given name, and the suffix "-co", a Minnan honorific ''ko'' (哥), literally meaning "older brother". In Thailand, most Thais of Chinese descendance use Thai surnames. Legislation by Siamese

King Rama VI Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his effort ...

(r. 1910–1925) required the adoption of Thai surnames which was largely directed at easing tensions with Chinese community by encouraging assimilation. Thai law did not (and does not) allow identical surnames to those already in existence, so ethnic Chinese formerly surnamed Chua incorporating words that sound like "Chua" and have good meaning (such as ''Chai'', meaning "victory") into much longer surnames. After

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

came to power, his regime created many anti-Chinese legislations in Indonesia. One of them was

127/U/Kep/12/1966 Indonesian law affecting Chinese-Indonesians were conducted through a series of laws, directives, or constitutions enacted by the Government of Indonesia that affected the lives of Chinese Indonesians or Chinese nationals living in Indonesia ...

which strongly encouraged ethnic Chinese living in Indonesia to adopt Indonesian-sounding names instead of the standard three-word or two-word Chinese names. Many Indonesianized names are Chinese surname syllables with western or Indonesian prefix or suffix – resulting in many exotic-sounding names. Although two Chinese individuals shared the same Chinese surname, they may employ different strategies for the Indonesian-sounding names. For example, Indonesianized forms of Cai include Tjuatja, Cuaca, Tjuandi, Cuandi, Tjahjana, Tjahja, etc. Despite the Indonesianization, the Chinese surnames are still used today by the Chinese-Indonesian diaspora overseas (mostly in the Netherlands, Germany, and USA); by those Chinese-Indonesians courageous enough during Suharto's regime to keep their Chinese names (e.g.,

Kwik Kian Gie Kwik Kian Gie (; born 11 January 1935) is an Indonesian economist and politician who served as the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs from 1999 to 2000, the Minister of National Development Planning from 2001 to 2004, as well as briefl ...

), or by those who couldn't afford to process the name change through Indonesia's civil bureaucracy. After Suharto resigned from the presidency, subsequent governments revoked the ban on the ethnic Chinese from speaking and learning Chinese in public. Using the original Chinese surnames is no longer a taboo but only a small minority have decided to re-adopt the original Chinese surnames of their grandparents or to use the Mandarin Chinese

romanization, pronunciation and spelling and most retain their changed names as the post-1965 generations have been culturally Indonesianized.

Notable people

Cai Cheng Cai Cheng ( (November 1927 – September 2, 2009), was a politician of the People's Republic of China, born in Puning, Jieyang, Guangdong. Biography He was the Minister of Justice from 1988 to 1993. Cai Cheng was the 13th CPC Central Comm ...

, a Chinese politician *

Cai Chusheng Cai Chusheng (January 12, 1906 – July 15, 1968) was a Chinese film director of the pre-Communist era, and was the first Chinese director to win an international film award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Best known for his progres ...

, an early Chinese film director *

Cai E Cai E (; 18 December 1882 – 8 November 1916) was a Chinese revolutionary leader and general. He was born Cai Genyin () in Shaoyang, Hunan, and his courtesy name was Songpo (). Cai eventually became an influential warlord in Yunnan (Yunnan ...

, a Chinese revolutionary and warlord in early 20th century *

Cai Feihu Cai Feihu (; born 1964 in Zhejiang, China) is a Chinese professor, engineer and businessman. He is an adjunct professor of Wuhan University of Technology. Also, vice secretary general of Foshan Ceramics Society, director of the Chinese Ceramic ...

, Chinese professor, engineer and businessman * Cai Gongshi, a Chinese emissary killed by Japanese soldiers during the Jinan Incident *

Cai Guo-Qiang Cai Guo-Qiang (; born 8 December 1957) is a Chinese artist who currently lives and works in New York City and New Jersey. Biography Cai Guo-Qiang was born in 1957 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. His father, Cai Ruiqin, was a calligrapher ...

, a Chinese contemporary artist and curator. *

Cai Hesen Cai Hesen (March 30, 1895 – August 4, 1931) was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and a friend and comrade of Mao Zedong. Cai was born in Shanghai but grew up in Shuangfeng County in Hunan Province of China. He helped ...

, an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party and a friend and comrade of Mao Zedong *

Cai Jing Cai Jing (1047–1126), courtesy name Yuanchang (), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the Northern Song dynasty of China. He is also fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four G ...

, a Song dynasty official and a character in the Chinese literature classic the ''Water Margin'' * Lady Cai, the wife of Han dynasty provincial governor Liu Biao *

Cai Lun Cai Lun (; courtesy name: Jingzhong (); – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the modern papermaking process ...

, the inventor of paper in the Han dynasty *

Cai Mao Cai Mao () ( third century), courtesy name Degui, was a military officer serving under the warlords Liu Biao and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Cai Mao came from the elite Cai family in Xiangyang, Nan Commandery () ...

, a man of the gentry who served under Han dynasty provincial governor Liu Biao, cousin of Cai He and Cai Zhong * Cai Pei, a diplomat and politician in the Republic of China *

Cai Qi Cai Qi (; born December 5, 1955) is a Chinese politician, the current First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party and the fifth-ranking member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Cai began his career in Fujian province ...

, a Chinese politician *

Cai Qian Cai Qian (; pinyin: Cài Qiān; 1761–1809) was a Chinese people, Chinese sea merchant, considered by some a pirate during the Qing dynasty era. Biography Cai Qian was born in Tong'an District, which is a county in the prefecture of Quanzhou ...

, a Chinese pirate in the Qing dynasty *

Cai Shangjun Cai Shangjun () is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. Cai graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1992. Since then, his major work has been that of a professional screenwriter. Cai was part of the team, along with Zhang Yang, D ...

, a Chinese film director and screenwriter * Cai Shu (athlete), Cai Shu, a Chinese high jumper * Cai Tingkai, a Chinese general during the Republican era * Cai Wenji, a Han dynasty poet and composer also known as Cai Yan, daughter of scholar Cai Yong * Cai Xiang, a calligrapher, scholar, official and poet during the Song dynasty also known as Cai Zhonghui * Cai Xitao, a Chinese botanist * Cai Xukun, a Chinese actor, singer and song composer, former leader and center of Chinese boy group Nine Percent * Cai Xuzhe, a Chinese astronaut * Cai Yong, a Han dynasty scholar and father of Cai Wenji * Cai Yuanpei, a chancellor of Peking University and first president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (''Academic Sinica'') * Cai Yun, a Chinese badminton player * Cai Zhuohua, a Chinese Christian preacher * Chae Je-gong, a Joseon dynasty scholar, writer, politician * Chae Myung-shin, a South Korean army officer * Chae Su-chan, a South Korean politician and scholar * Chai Trong-rong or Trong Chai, a Taiwanese politician * Ada Choi, a Hong Kong actress * Charlene Choi, a Hong Kong singer, member of the Twins duo * Choi Chi-sum, a Hong Kong evangelist * Fátima Choi, a Macanese government minister * Sandra Choi, an English creative director and designer for shoemaker Jimmy Choo Ltd * Richard Tsoi, a Hong Kong activist and polictican * Vin Choi, a Hong Kong actor * Choi York Yee, a Hong Kong footballer and sports commentator * Anna Choy, an Australian actress, TV presenter, and Australia Day Ambassador * Elizabeth Choy, a North Borneo-born Singaporean World War II heroine * Choy So-yuk, a Hong Kong politician * Choy Weng Yang, a Singaporean artist * Alfrancis Chua, a Filipino basketball coach * Amy Chua, an American academic and author of Filipino Chinese descent * Brent Chua, a Filipino model * Murder of Dexmon Chua, Dexmon Chua, Singaporean murder victim * Chua Ek Kay, a Singaporean artist * Chua En Lai (born 1979), a Singaporean actor * Glen Chua, a Canadian film director, actor, and writer * Joi Chua (Joi Tsai), a Singaporean singer * Jonathan Chua (Jon Chua JX / Jonny X), a Singaporean musician & entrepreneur * Dino Carlo Chua, Chua, Carlo Dino, a Filipino former vice mayor of Cavite * Chua Jui Meng (born 1943), a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician * Chua Lam, a Singaporean-born Hong Kong columnist and movie producer * Chua Leong Aik, Singaporean murder accomplice * Leon O. Chua, Chua, Leon O., an American professor and inventor of Chua's circuit * Simon Chua Ling Fung, a bodybuilder from Singapore * Death of Mark Chua, a Filipino murder victim * Paige Chua (born 1981), a Singaporean model and actress * Paul Chua, a Singaporean bodybuilder * Chua Phung Kim, a Singaporean weightlifter * Robert Chua, a Singapore-born Asian television executive *Chua Ser Lien, Singaporean kidnapper * Chua Sock Koong, a Singaporean telecom executive * Chua Soi Lek, a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician, former Member of Parliament for Labis (federal constituency), Labis * Chua Soon Bui, a Malaysian politician * Tanya Chua, a Singaporean singer * Chua Tee Yong, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Parliament for Labis * Chua Tian Chang, or Tian Chua, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Parliament for Batu (Kuala Lumpur federal constituency), Batu *Chua Yee Ling, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Perak State Assembly for Kuala Sepetang (state constituency), Kuala Sapetang *Chua Wei Kiat, a Malaysian politician, Member of Selangor State Assembly for Rawang (state constituency), Rawang and State Chairman for AMK's Selangor Chief * Tricia Chuah, Chuah, Tricia, a Malaysian squash player * Chuah Guat Eng, a Malaysian novelist * Hirokazu Nakaima, Nakaima, Hirkazu, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture; Nakaima is descended from a Chinese family with the surname of Cai, one of the 36 Han Chinese Kumemura families who moved to Okinawa in 1392.仲井真弘多後援會
* Sai On, a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom * Sai Taku, a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom * David Thai, Thai, David, a Vietnamese-American gangster * Minh Thai, Thai, Minh, a Vietnamese-American speedcuber * Thái Phiên, a Vietnamese scholar and revolutionary * Thái Quang Hoàng, a lieutenant general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam * Thái Thanh, a Vietnamese-American singer * Thái Văn Dung, a Vietnamese Catholic activist * Vico Thai, a Vietnamese-Australian actor * Tjoa Ing Hwie or Tjoa Jien Hwie, the birth name of Surya Wonowidjojo, founder of Gudang Garam * Tjoa, Marga, the real name of Indonesian writer Marga T * Tjoa To Hing, the birth name of Indonesian businessman Rachman Halim * Alex Tsai, a Taiwanese politician * Tsai Chia-Hsin, a Taiwanese badminton player * Tsai Chih-chieh, a Taiwanese footballer (soccer player) * Chih-Ling Tsai, Tsai Chih-Ling, American business professor and author * Tsai Chih Chung, a Taiwanese cartoonist * Tsai Chin (singer), Tsai Chin, a Taiwanese popular music singer * Emilio Estevez Tsai, Tsai, Emilio Estevez, a Canadian soccer player * Tsai Horng Chung, a Chinese-Sarawakan painter * Tsai Hsien-tang, a Taiwanese footballer * Tsai Hui-kai, a Taiwanese footballer (soccer player) * Tsai Ing-wen, president and former vice premier of Taiwan * Tsai Ying-wen (political scientist), Tsai Ying-wen, a Taiwanese Political scientist * Jeanne Tsai, an American academic * Jolin Tsai, a Taiwanese pop singer * Joseph Tsai, a Canadian businessman, lawyer and philanthropist * Kevin Tsai, a Taiwanese writer and television host * Lauren Tsai, an American illustrator, model, and actress * Tsai Min-you, the real name of a Taiwanese singer Evan Yo * Ming Tsai, an American chef and host of television cooking shows * Tsai Mi-ching, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of the Republic of China * Tsai Ming-Hung, a Taiwanese baseball player * Tsai Ming-liang, a Taiwanese movie director * Tsai Ping-kun, Deputy Mayor of Taipei * Tsai Sen-tien, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Tsai Shengbai, a Chinese industrialist * , an American engineer * , a Taiwanese politician and founder of Cathay Life Insurance Company; brother of Tsai Wan-lin and Tsai Wan-tsai ''(qq.v.)'' and father of Tsai Chen-chou and Tsai Chen-nan (businessman) * Tsai Wan-lin, a Taiwanese billionaire and founder of Cathay Life Insurance Company; brother of Tsai Wan-chin and Tsai Wan-tsai ''(qq.v.)'' and father of Tsai Hong-tu and T. Y. Tsai * Tsai Wan-tsai, a Taiwanese billionaire, member of the Legislative Yuan and founder of Fubon Group; brother of Tsai Wan-chin and Tsai Wan-lin ''(qq.v.)'' and father of Daniel Tsai and Richard Tsai * Will Tsai, a Canadian magician * Tsai Yi-chen, a Taiwanese actress * Yu Tsai, an American photographer

References

External links

Chua Clan Chiyang Association, Muar, Johor, Malaysia
(馬來西亞柔佛麻坡蔡氏濟陽公所) website {{surname, Cai Cai (state) Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames