Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient

Cai state 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 ...

. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (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, where it is usually romanized as "Chua", which is based on its Teochew and Hokkien pronunciation. Koreans use Chinese-derived family names and in Korean, Cai is 채 in Hangul, "

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, It is also a common name in Hong Kong where it is romanized as "Choy", "Choi" or "Tsoi". In Macau, it is spelled as "Choi". In Malaysia, 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. 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 (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, Henan,

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, they were known as the Three Guards. When King Wu died, his son King Cheng was too young and his uncle, the Duke of Zhou, became regent. Seeing that the power of the Duke of Zhou was increasing, the Three Guards got jealous and rebelled against Zhou together with Wu Geng. 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

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 which, in turn, formed the Qin Empire, China's first empire. With the spread of family names to all social classes 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 (AD 618–907), the Cai clan migrated to Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Another later migration occurred when Ming dynasty 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 Taiwan 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) 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 characters. In Mandarin Chinese, the surname is transliterated as Cài in pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin, 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 ( Hong Kong and Macau), it is Coi3 in Jyutping and Choi in Yale. (This should not be confused with the predominantly Korean family name Choi which has a different character ��. In Hakka it is Tshai in Pha̍k-fa-sṳ. (In Tongyong pinyin, it is Cai in Siyen Hakka and Ca̱i in Hoiliuk Hakka.) In Fuzhou dialect, 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 Korean, Cai is 채 in Hangul,

in Revised Romanization, and Ch'ae in McCune-Reischauer. Vietnamese also use Chinese-derived family names. In Vietnamese, the name is Thái. The Chinese name 蔡 is usually transliterated via Sino-Vietnamese as Thái but sometimes as Sái. Japanese 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 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, Tsai (or occasionally Tsay or Chai for Mandarin) or Tsoa in the Taiwan, and Choi or Choy in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, the most common forms are Chua or Chuah for Teochew and Hokkien speakers, Chai for Hakka speakers, Choi or Tsoi for Cantonese speakers, and Toy or Toi for Taishanese speakers. In Indonesia, 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, 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 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), 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 pinyin romanization, pronunciation and spelling and most retain their changed names as the post-1965 generations have been culturally Indonesianized.

Notable people

* Cai Cheng, a Chinese politician * Cai Chusheng, an early Chinese film director * Cai E, 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 200px, Cai Gongshi (before 1921) Cai Gongshi (; May 1, 1881 - May 3, 1928) was a Chinese nationalist politician and diplomat. Born in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, Cai studied economics and politics at Imperial University in Tokyo, Japan, earning a master's ...

, 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 Cai Pei (; Hepburn: Sai Bai; 1884–1960) was a diplomat and politician in the pre-World War II Republic of China. He held a number of important posts during the collaborationist Reorganized National Government of China, and successively held t ...

, 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, 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, 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 Cai Xiang () (1012–1067) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, structural engineer, and poet.Ci hai bian ji wei yuan hui (辞海编辑委员会）. Ci hai （辞海）. Shanghai: Shanghai ci shu chu ban she （上海辞书出版社）, 197 ...

, 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 Cai Xukun (born August 2, 1998), better known by the Mononymous person, mononym Kun (stylized as KUN), is a Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and rapper. He debuted as a member of SWIN and its sub-unit SWIN-S on October 18, 2016, after participa ...

, a Chinese actor, singer and song composer, former leader and center of Chinese boy group

Nine Percent Nine Percent (Chinese: 百分九少年; commonly stylized as NINE PERCENT) was a nine-member Chinese boy group formed by the survival show ''Idol Producer'' by iQIYI on April 6, 2018. The group was scheduled to promote for 18 months since format ...

Cai Xuzhe Cai Xuzhe (; born May 1976) is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program. Biography Cai was born in Shenzhou, Hengshui, Hebei province in 1976. He served as a fighter pilo ...

, 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 Cai Yun (born 19 January 1980) is a former professional badminton player representing China. He is the 2012 London Olympic gold medallist and a four-time World Champion in men's doubles. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles player ...

, 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 Chae Jegong (12 May 1720 – 22 February 1799) was a noted scholar, writer, politician of the Joseon period of Korea. He passed the regional civil examination (향시) at the age of 15, and held high government offices throughout his life, the Y ...

, a Joseon dynasty scholar, writer, politician * Chae Myung-shin, a South Korean army officer *

Chae Su-chan Suchan Chae, a former member of the National Assembly of Korea, is a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He also serves as the chairman of the board of the Han River Society. Academic and political career While ...

, 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 Choi Chi-sum (; born April 14, 1960) is an outspoken far right Evangelicalism, evangelical in Hong Kong. Choi was baptized in 1978 and graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University in 1982. Choi is the General Secretary of the Christian Conservativ ...

, 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 Sandra Choi is a British businesswoman and fashion designer. She is the creative director of J. Choo Limited. She is the niece of Jimmy Choo's wife, Rebecca. Background Choi was born on the Isle of Wight and educated in Hong Kong before returning ...

, an English creative director and designer for shoemaker Jimmy Choo Ltd *

Richard Tsoi Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong (; born 11 September 1967) is a Hong Kong politician and the former vice-chairman of the Democratic Party (Hong Kong), Democratic Party. He ran for many Legislative Council and District Council elections and was elected ...

, a Hong Kong activist and polictican *

Vin Choi Vin Choi Kay-Chun (born 23 May 1984) is a Hong Kong actor under TVB. Biography After graduating from high school in 2001, Vin entered a contest hosted by TVB Weekly and won first place. He enrolled in the 18th TVB artists training course in 2002 ...

, a Hong Kong actor *

Choi York Yee Choi York Yee (, born 11 May 1953From a Chinese book 香港代表隊龍虎榜, published in the 1970s.) is a retired Hong Kong football player and is now a sports commentator in Hong Kong. He played as a defender in South China for 8 years. He ...

, a Hong Kong footballer and sports commentator *

Anna Choy Anna Choy (born 11 October 1978 in Hong Kong)"Anna Choy"
''IMDB.COM'', Retrieved 6 August 2009 is an Austr ...

, an Australian actress, TV presenter, and Australia Day Ambassador *

Elizabeth Choy Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi ( née Yong; 29 November 1910 – 14 September 2006) was a Singaporean educator and councillor who is regarded as a war heroine in Singapore. Along with her husband, Choy Khun Heng, she supplied medicine, money and mess ...

, a North Borneo-born Singaporean World War II heroine * Choy So-yuk, a Hong Kong politician *

Choy Weng Yang Choy Weng Yang () is a Singaporean artist, curator and arts writer and a proponent of the art fraternity in post-independent Singapore. His literary contributions on post-modern arts in Singapore, had helped shaped the contemporary art scene in S ...

, a Singaporean artist * Alfrancis Chua, a Filipino basketball coach * Amy Chua, an American academic and author of Filipino Chinese descent *

Brent Chua Brent Chua (born May 21, 1985) is a Chinese Filipino model and fashion photographer. The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' has referred to him as an Asian male supermodel. He is the youngest among 5 brothers. Modelling career After walking the runwa ...

, a Filipino model *

Dexmon Chua Dexmon Chua Yizhi (; – 28 December 2013) was a material analyst and 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 wife and thus ...

, 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 Chine ...

, a Singaporean artist *

Chua En Lai Chua En Lai (born 25 November 1979) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and host, best known for his work on the Mediacorp Channel 5 sitcom '' The Noose''. He left Mediacorp due to his contract expiry. Early life Chua was born in Singapore and ...

(born 1979), a Singaporean actor *

Glen Chua Glen Boon Sun Chua (born July 9, 1987 in Lundu, Malaysia) is a Canadian film director, actor, and writer, best known for his independent films. Biography Early life Chua was born in Lundu, a little Malaysian village near the coast. He is t ...

, a Canadian film director, actor, and writer * Joi Chua (Joi Tsai), a Singaporean singer *

Jonathan Chua Jonathan Chua (born 12 February 1990), better known as Jon Chua JX, is a Singapore-based actor and singer. He is one of the members of Singaporean band The Sam Willows and the co-founder and creative director of Zendyll Records, and managing dire ...

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

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, a Singaporean-born Hong Kong columnist and movie producer *

Chua Leong Aik 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 accomplice * Chua, Leon O., an American professor and inventor of Chua's circuit *

Simon Chua Ling Fung Chua Ling Fung Simon is a bodybuilder from Singapore who started off as an instructor in a gymnasium before taking up the sport full-time. In 1991, he came in third in his first participation in a national event at the under-21 National Ch ...

, a bodybuilder from Singapore * Death of Mark Chua, a Filipino murder victim * Paige Chua (born 1981), a Singaporean model and actress *

Paul Chua Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, a Singaporean bodybuilder *

Chua Phung Kim Chua Phung Kim (; 29 April 1939 – 4 August 1990) was a Singaporean weightlifter. He was a gold medalist in weightlifting in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Weightlifting career Chua first took to the sport in 1960 after b ...

, 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, Singaporean kidnapper *

Chua Sock Koong Chua Sock Koong is the former Group CEO of Singtel, a position she has held from April 2007 to December 2020. Professional career Appointed Group Chief Executive Officer in April 2007, Chua directed Singtel’s global strategy and oversees its c ...

, a Singaporean telecom executive * Chua Soi Lek, a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician, former Member of Parliament for Labis *

Chua Soon Bui Datuk Chua Soon Bui (; born 1 February 1955) was the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Tawau constituency in Sabah from 2008 to 2013. She sat in Parliament as a member of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), which commenced the 2008� ...

, a Malaysian politician * Tanya Chua, a Singaporean singer * Chua Tee Yong, a Malaysian politician, former Member of Parliament for Labis *

Chua Tian Chang Chua Tian Chang, better known as Tian Chua (; born 21 December 1963), is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who served as Special Advisor to the Minister of Works (Malaysia), Minister of Works from March 2019 to February 2020 and Dewan R ...

, 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 Chuah Guat Eng (; born 1 December 1943), is a Malaysian Peranakan Chinese writer. She was Malaysia's first English-language woman novelist. Chuah was born in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, and received her early education at the Methodist Girls' Sch ...

, 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 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 * 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 Lieutenant General Thái Quang Hoàng (c.1920 – February 22, 1993) was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He was born in Vinh. He served as the commander of III Corps, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capit ...

, a lieutenant general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam * Thái Thanh, 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, a Vietnamese-Australian actor * Tjoa Ing Hwie or Tjoa Jien Hwie, the birth name of

Surya Wonowidjojo Surya Wonowidjojo (15 August 1923 – 28 August 1985) was an Indonesian businessman and cigarette maker. Wonowidjojo, sometimes spelt Wonowidjoyo, was a Chinese Indonesian ( Hokchia totok) born Tjoa Ing Hwie or Tjoa Jien Hwie (;Leo Suryadinata. ...

, 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, 199 ...

* Alex Tsai, 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 partne ...

, a Taiwanese badminton player *

Tsai Chih-chieh Tsai Chih-chieh () is a Taiwanese football player. He currently serves in Taiwanese military service and plays for the Taiwan National Sports Training Center football team. He played for the Chinese Taipei national futsal team at the 2004 FI ...

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

Tsai Chih Chung Tsai Chih Chung (; born 1948) is a famous cartoonist born in Huatan, Changhua County, Taiwan. He is best known for his graphical works on Chinese philosophy and history, most notably the philosophers Laozi, Liezi, and Zhuangzi, which he made ac ...

, a Taiwanese cartoonist * Tsai Chin, a Taiwanese popular music singer * Tsai, Emilio Estevez, a Canadian soccer player *

Tsai Horng Chung Tsai Horng Chung (also, Chai Chung Ying; 蔡洪鐘) (1915–2003), was a Chinese-Sarawakan painter. Tsai studied at the Shanghai Art Academy in the early 1940s, together with other artists who were to gain considerable fame such as Chen Shi Fatt ...

, a Chinese-Sarawakan painter *

Tsai Hsien-tang 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 * Tsai Hui-kai, a Taiwanese footballer (soccer player) * Tsai Ing-wen, president and former vice premier of Taiwan *

Tsai Ying-wen Tsai Ying-wen (; 4 June 1952 – 10 October 2019) was a Taiwanese political scientist and translator. He was a research fellow at Academia Sinica, with his main research focus on the history of Western political thought. His book, ''From Monar ...

, a Taiwanese Political scientist *

Jeanne Tsai Jeanne Tsai is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and director of the Culture and Emotion Lab. Her research focuses on cultural influences on basic psychological and social processes related to emotion. She was born to Taiwa ...

, 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 Tsai Mi-ching () is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese politician. He is currently the Deputy Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology (Taiwan), Science and Technology since 20 May 2016. Now is the temple host of the Motor Temple in National C ...

, 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 Tsai Sen-tien (; born 28 October 1948) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese politician who was the Vice Minister of Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan), Health and Welfare from June 2016 until August 2017. Early life Tsai did his bachelor's deg ...

, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China (2016–2017) *

Tsai Shengbai Tsai Shengbai (); also known as: Tsai Hsiung (), (27 September 1894 – 15 April 1977) was a pioneering Chinese industrialist. During 1915 to 1919, Tsai Shengbai studied at Lehigh University. In the initial phase of Chinese industrial expansion ...

, 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 Tsai Chen-chou (; 13 September 1946 – 14 May 1987) was a Taiwanese politician and businessman. He was the second son of and a member of the Tsai family of Miaoli. The family was known outside of politics for its wealth. His brothers included ...

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 Tsai Hong-tu (; born 1 August 1952) is a Taiwanese businessman and banker. He is a son of Tsai Wan-lin, the former richest person of Taiwan who died in 2004. Business career Tsai Hong-tu is the chairman of the board of Cathay Financial Holdings ...

and

T. Y. Tsai Tseng-yu Tsai () is a Taiwanese billionaire. Early life Tsai is a son of Tsai Wan-lin, and brother to Tsai Hong-tu and Tsai Cheng-da. Education Tsai has a bachelor's degree from Tokao University. Tsai has an MBA from National Taiwan Universi ...

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, 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