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), "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, bor ...

, 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 ...

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 le ...

, "

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 Delta i ...

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 p ...

, 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,

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 Ka ...

. Ji Du was awarded the title of marquis ('' 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 hi ...

(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), 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 governmen ...

. 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 ...

. 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 ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

, the State of Chu 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 dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), the ...

, 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 imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

(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 cap ...

provinces. Another later migration occurred when

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

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 south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

) 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 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 known as ''kanj ...

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 ...

, 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 L ...

as Cài in

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

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 ...

, Ts'ai in Wade-Giles, and Tsay in Gwoyeu Romatzyh. In Southern Min or Taiwanese, 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 ar ...

(

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 fo ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

, 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 alphabet for the Fuzhou dialect of Eastern Min adopted in the middle of the 19th century by Western missionaries. It had varied at dif ...

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 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 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: , ), 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 surrounded by t ...

, 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 littl ...

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 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 ( Yu ...

, 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, 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 hel ...

, 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, 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, a Chinese politician *

Cai Qian Cai Qian (; pinyin: Cài Qiān; 1761–1809) was a 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 in Fujian, Chin ...

, a Chinese pirate in the Qing dynasty * Cai Shangjun, a Chinese film director and screenwriter * Cai Shu, a Chinese high jumper *

Cai Tingkai Cai Tingkai (; 1892–1968) was a Chinese general. Cai was in overall command of the 19th Route Army of the Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and other Chinese forces responsible for holding off the Imperial Japanese Army during th ...

, a Chinese general during the Republican era *

Cai Wenji Cai Yan ( 178 – post 206; or 170–215; or died 249), courtesy name Wenji, was a Chinese composer, poet, and writer who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. She was the daughter of Cai Yong. Her courtesy name was original ...

, 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 Cai Xitao or Tsai Hse-Tao (; 10 April 1911 – 9 March 1981) was a Chinese botanist from a village near Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China. In 1928, after studying at various institutions in Hangzhou and Shanghai, though without attaining any f ...

, 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 Cai Yong (Chinese: ; 132–192), courtesy name Bojie, was Chinese astronomer, calligrapher, historian, mathematician, musician, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was well-versed in calligraphy, music, mathematics and astrono ...

, a Han dynasty scholar and father of

Cai Yuanpei Cai Yuanpei (; 1868–1940) was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with his own education ideology. He was the president of Pek ...

, a chancellor of Peking University and first president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (''Academic Sinica'') * Cai Yun, a Chinese badminton player *

Cai Zhuohua Cai Zhuohua () is a Beijing minister active in the Chinese house church movement. He was arrested on 11 September 2004 for printing bibles The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that ...

, a Chinese Christian preacher * Chae Je-gong, a Joseon dynasty scholar, writer, politician *

Chae Myung-shin Chae Myung-shin (; November 27, 1926 – November 25, 2013) was a South Korean army officer who commanded South Korean military forces in the Vietnam War. He was also the co-founder of the Korean Taekwondo Association. Early life Chae Myung-s ...

, a South Korean army officer * Chae Su-chan, a South Korean politician and scholar *

Chai Trong-rong Chai Trong-rong (; June 13, 1935 – January 11, 2014), sometimes known in English as Trong Chai, was a Taiwanese politician. Born in Japanese-era Taiwan, Chai earned his master's and doctorate degrees in the United States. He was a pro-democ ...

or Trong Chai, a Taiwanese politician *

Ada Choi Ada Choi Siu-fan (; born 17 September 1973) is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, as an evil empress in the Chinese television series '' Empresses in the Palace'' (甄嬛傳), and to a lesser extent, for her film work. ...

, a Hong Kong actress *

Charlene Choi Charlene Choi Tsoek-jin ( zh, t=蔡卓妍; born 22 November 1982) is a Hong Kong Canadian actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung. Early life Choi was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada ...

, a Hong Kong singer, member of the Twins duo * Choi Chi-sum, a Hong Kong evangelist *

Fátima Choi Fátima Choi Mei Lei (born 1958) MSc, BSc was a Commissioner of Audit in Macau. Born in Macau, Choi obtained a Master of Science degree in statistics and Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Essex. She was an assist ...

, 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 Choy So-yuk, BBS, JP (, born 10 October 1950) is a Hong Kong politician. She was an elected member of Eastern District Council and a Hong Kong Deputy of the National People’s Congress. From 1997 to 2008 she was a member of the Legislative ...

, a Hong Kong politician * Choy Weng Yang, a Singaporean artist *

Alfrancis Chua Alfrancis P. Chua (born January 17, 1966) is a Filipino sports executive and former basketball player and coach. He is currently the team manager of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the sports director of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), overseeing ...

, a Filipino basketball coach *

Amy Chua Amy Lynn Chua (born October 26, 1962), also known as "the Tiger Mom", is an American lawyer, legal scholar, and writer. She is the John M. Duff Jr. Professor of Law at Yale Law School with an expertise in international business transactions, law ...

, an American academic and author of Filipino Chinese descent * Brent Chua, a Filipino model *

Dexmon Chua Dexmon Chua Yizhi (; – 28 December 2013) was a material analyst and Singaporeans, Singaporean who was brutally murdered in Singapore by his former girlfriend's husband Chia Kee Chen (), who craved revenge on Chua for having an affair with his ...

, Singaporean murder victim *

Chua Ek Kay Chua Ek Kay () (21 November, 1947 – 8 February 2008) was a Singaporean artist hailed as the "bridge between Asian and Western art" with a unique painting style using Chinese ink on paper that demonstrated an ingenious blend of traditional Chin ...

, a Singaporean artist * Chua En Lai (born 1979), a Singaporean actor * Glen Chua, a Canadian film director, actor, and writer *

Joi Chua Joi Chua (, born 3 August 1978) is a Singaporean female pop singer. Her most famous songs are "Waiting for a Sunny Day" (《等一个晴天》), "Watching the Sunrise With Me" (《陪我看日出》), the Chinese version of "Nada Soso" and "Win ...

(Joi Tsai), a Singaporean singer * Jonathan Chua (Jon Chua JX / Jonny X), a Singaporean musician & entrepreneur * Chua, Carlo Dino, a Filipino former vice mayor of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

Chua Jui Meng Dato' Chua Jui Meng (; born 22 October 1943) is a Malaysian politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) of Dewan Rakyat for the Bakri constituency in the State of Johor for five terms from 1986 to 2008. He was the country's longest serv ...

(born 1943), a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician *

Chua Lam Chua Lam (also known as Mandarin: Tsai Lan, Cantonese: Choi Lan, Teochew: Chùa Lāng) (simplified Chinese: , traditional Chinese: , born 1941 in Singapore) is a Singaporean columnist, food critic, and occasional television host based in Hong ...

, a Singaporean-born Hong Kong columnist and movie producer * Chua Leong Aik, Singaporean murder accomplice * Chua, Leon O., an American professor and inventor of Chua's circuit * Simon Chua Ling Fung, a bodybuilder from Singapore *

Death of Mark Chua Mark Welson Chua (November 30, 1981 - March 18, 2001) was a Filipino student of the University of Santo Tomas whose death is widely believed to be linked to his exposé of alleged irregularities in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit of the ...

, a Filipino murder victim *

Paige Chua Paige Chua Qi Hui (; born 25 June 1981) is a Singaporean actress. Early life Chua was born in Singapore on 25 June 1981. She attended Mayflower Secondary School and Serangoon Junior College before graduating from the National University of S ...

(born 1981), a Singaporean model and actress * Paul Chua, a Singaporean bodybuilder * Chua Phung Kim, a Singaporean weightlifter *

Robert Chua Robert Chua Wah-Peng (born 20 May 1946) is an Asian broadcaster. Background Born in 1946 in Colony of Singapore, on 20 May 1946, he has worked internationally in Australia, Hong Kong and China as well. Among other activities in his career, he was ...

, a Singapore-born Asian television executive *

Chua Ser Lien Chua Ser Lien (蔡思连 Caì Sīlián; – 8 July 2020) was a Singaporean who, together with his accomplice Tan Ping Koon, kidnapped a seven-year-old girl duirng Christmas Day of 2003. The abduction was brief and witnessed by several people, on ...

, Singaporean kidnapper * Chua Sock Koong, a Singaporean telecom executive *

Chua Soi Lek Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek (); born 2 January 1947, also known as Chua Kin Seng, is a Chinese Malaysian politician from the state of Johor. He is the 9th President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a major component party ...

, a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician, former Member of Parliament for

Labis Labis is town and a mukim (township) in Segamat District in northern Johor, Malaysia. A main trunk road that runs north-south Peninsular Malaysia passes through it, as well as the KTM railway line that connects it with the state's capital in th ...

* Chua Soon Bui, a Malaysian politician *

Tanya Chua Tanya Chua (; born 28 January 1975) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She launched her singing career by releasing her debut studio album ''Bored'' in 1997. Her albums, ''Amphibian'' (2005), '' Goodbye & Hello'' (2007), ''Sing It Out of Love'' (2 ...

, a Singaporean singer *

Chua Tee Yong Datuk Chua Tee Yong (; born 19 October 1977) is a Malaysian politician and was the Member of parliament of Malaysia for the Labis constituency in the State of Johor for two terms (2008-2018). He was one of the four Vice-Presidents of the Mala ...

, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Parliament for Labis * Chua Tian Chang, or Tian Chua, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Parliament for Batu *Chua Yee Ling, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Perak State Assembly for Kuala Sapetang *Chua Wei Kiat, a Malaysian politician, Member of Selangor State Assembly for Rawang and State Chairman for AMK's Selangor Chief * Chuah, Tricia, a Malaysian squash player * Chuah Guat Eng, a Malaysian novelist * 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 was an Okinawan community of scholars, bureaucrats, and diplomats in the port city of Naha near the royal capital of Shuri, which was a center of culture and learning during the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The people of Kumemura, traditionally ...

families who moved to Okinawa in 1392.仲井真弘多後援會
*

Sai On (1682–1762), or Cai Wen in Chinese, also known as , was a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, serving as regent, instructor, and advisor to King Shō Kei. He is renowned for the many reforms he initiated and oversaw, and is amon ...

, a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom *

Sai Taku , also known by his Japanese-style name , was a Ryukyuan aristocrat and bureaucrat in the royal government of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Sai Taku was born in Kumemura on January 4, 1645. He descended from Cai Xiang. He took part in the compilation of ...

, a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom * Thai, David, a Vietnamese-American gangster * Thai, Minh, a Vietnamese-American speedcuber *

Thái Phiên Thái Phiên (1882–1916), was a Vietnamese scholar and revolutionary from Quảng Nam Province, also known by the alias Nam Xương. He was an associate of Phan Bội Châu, and was involved in both the Vietnam Restoration League ( vi, Việt Na ...

, a Vietnamese scholar and revolutionary * Thái Quang Hoàng, a lieutenant general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam *

Thái Thanh Thái Thanh (born Phạm Thị Băng Thanh; August 5, 1934 – March 17, 2020) was a Vietnamese-American singer. She was one of the most iconic singers of the Western-influenced popular music in Vietnam, known as ' New music of Vietnam' (). ...

, a Vietnamese-American singer *

Thái Văn Dung :''In this Vietnamese name, the family name is Thái. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name Dung.'' Thái Văn Dung is a Vietnamese member of the Catholic Church. He was arrested in Vietnam ...

, a Vietnamese Catholic activist *

Vico Thai Vico Thai is an Australian actor, He is known for his role as Justin Yang on ABC TV’s award winning drama series Total Control and as Riz in Foxtel's Dangerous TV series. His other notable roles include starring as Chau in the international ...

, 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 Marga Tjoa (born 27 January 1943) is an Indonesian popular romance and children's literature writer better known by the pen name Marga T. One of Indonesia's most prolific writers, she first became well known in 1971 for her serial ''Karmila'' tha ...

* Tjoa To Hing, the birth name of Indonesian businessman

Rachman Halim Rachman Halim (30 July 1947 – 27 July 2008) was a Chinese Indonesian businessman. Early life Halim was born Tjoa Too Hing (;Leo Suryadinata. ''Prominent Indonesian Chinese: Biographical Sketches''. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 19 ...

Alex Tsai Alex Tsai (; born 25 December 1953) is a Taiwanese politician and a member of the Kuomintang. He served as a legislator from 2008 to 2016. Tsai graduated from the Taipei Municipal High School of Agriculture and Industry and the John F. Kennedy ...

, a Taiwanese politician *

Tsai Chia-Hsin Tsai Chia-hsin (; born 25 July 1982) is a Taiwanese former badminton player. He competed at the 2006 and 2014 Asian Games. Tsai also competed (for the Republic of China as Chinese Taipei) in the 2004 Summer Olympics in mixed doubles with pa ...

, a Taiwanese badminton player * Tsai Chih-chieh, a Taiwanese footballer (soccer player) * Tsai Chih-Ling, American business professor and author * Tsai Chih Chung, a Taiwanese cartoonist *

Tsai Chin Tsai Chin may refer to: * Tsai Chin (actress) (born 1933), actress from Shanghai, also known as Irene Chow * Tsai Chin (singer) (born 1957), Taiwanese singer {{Hndis ...

, a Taiwanese popular music singer * Tsai, Emilio Estevez, a Canadian soccer player * Tsai Horng Chung, a Chinese-Sarawakan painter * Tsai Hsien-tang, a Taiwanese footballer *

Tsai Hui-kai Tsai Hsien-tang (; born 29 April 1977), formerly known as Tsai Hui-kai (), is a Taiwanese football (soccer) player. He played as a defender and a defensive midfielder. Career During his participation in Tatung F.C., he was voted the best def ...

, a Taiwanese footballer (soccer player) *

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...

, president and former vice premier of Taiwan * Tsai Ying-wen, a Taiwanese Political scientist * Jeanne Tsai, an American academic *

Jolin Tsai Jolin Tsai (; ; born September 15, 1980) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of C-Pop", she is considered one of the most influential figures in Chinese popular culture. She is known for her continual rein ...

, a Taiwanese pop singer *

Joseph Tsai Joseph Tsai (; born January 1964) is a Hong Kong-Canadian billionaire businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba Group and owns the Brooklyn Net ...

, a Canadian businessman, lawyer and philanthropist *

Kevin Tsai Kevin Tsai (; born 1 March 1962) is a Taiwanese television host and writer. He co-hosts Chung T'ien Television's ''Kangsi Coming'' with hostess Dee Hsu. Early life Tsai was born to a wealthy family. His father was a well known lawyer and his f ...

, a Taiwanese writer and television host *

Lauren Tsai Lauren Tsai (born February 11, 1998), is an American visual artist, model, and actress. She is best known to audiences for her appearance in the Fuji TV and Netflix series '' Terrace House: Aloha State''. She made her acting debut in the third an ...

, an American illustrator, model, and actress * Tsai Min-you, the real name of a Taiwanese singer

Evan Yo Tsai Min-you (born 12 November 1986), better known as Evan Yo, is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter. He was signed by his management company at 14 and has been signed by Sony Music Taiwan since 2006. He has released four albums and was nomin ...

Ming Tsai Ming Hao Tsai (; born March 29, 1964) is an American restaurateur, television personality, and celebrity chef. Tsai's restaurants have focused on east–west fusion cuisine, and have included major stakes in Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachuse ...

, 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 Tsai Ming-liang (; born 27 October 1957) is a Malaysian-Taiwanese filmmaker. Tsai has written and directed 11 feature films, many short films, and television films. He is one of the most celebrated "Second New Wave" film directors of Taiwanese ...

, a Taiwanese movie director *

Tsai Ping-kun Tsai Ping-kun (; born 1959) is a Taiwanese politician. Early life and education Tsai was born in Caotun, Nantou County, in 1959. He obtained his bachelor's degree from National Dong Hwa University, and master's and doctoral degree in education ...

, Deputy Mayor of

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

* 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 Tsai Wan-lin (; 10 November 1924 – 27 September 2004) was a Taiwanese businessman who, at the peak of his wealth in 1996, was considered to be the fifth richest person in the world, with a family net worth of US$12.2 billion. At the time of ...

, 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 Tsai Wan-tsai (; 5 August 1929 – 5 October 2014) was a Taiwanese banker. Born in modern-day Miaoli, his birth name was 蔡萬財. He is one of the brothers of Tsai Wan-lin, and an uncle of Tsai Hong-tu. Tsai Wan-tsai was a member of the Legi ...

, 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 Daniel Tsai (; born 1956 or 1957) is a Taiwanese billionaire businessman. He and his brother Richard Tsai run Fubon Financial Holding Co., founded by their father Tsai Wan-tsai. As of April 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$4.9 billion. ...

and

Richard Tsai Richard Tsai (; born 1957 or 1958) is a Taiwanese billionaire businessman. He and his brother Daniel Tsai run Fubon Financial Holding Co., founded by their father Tsai Wan-tsai. On the ''Forbes'' 2016 list of the world's billionaires, Richard Ts ...

Will Tsai Will Tsai is a Taiwanese-Canadian visualist magician. He is a former contestant on America's Got Talent Season 12. Background Tsai was born in Taiwan, and immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 15. His parents fell on difficult tim ...

, a Canadian magician *

Tsai Yi-chen Tsai Yi-chen (), born 23 August 1987, stage named Wu Xiong (五熊). She is a Taiwanese actress who is best known for her minor performance in Taiwanese series, KO One, as Tsai Wu Xiong, and for her lead performance in ''Summer x Summer'' as ...

, a Taiwanese actress *

Yu Tsai Yu Tsai ( Chinese: 蔡宇; pinyin: ''Cài Yǔ'') is an American photographer based in Los Angeles and New York. He also works in television, appearing as a creative consultant and judge in ''America's Next Top Model'', ''Germany's Next Top Model'' ...

, 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