Meaning of 华人
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ethnic Chinese person or people
How to use 华人
华人 refers to ethnic Chinese people, often those living outside China or holding another citizenship. It is common in news and everyday talk about overseas communities. Example: 这个城市有很多华人。(Zhège chéngshì yǒu hěn duō huárén.) There are many ethnic Chinese people in this city.
华 (huá) is the 华 in 中华 (Zhōnghuá), an old name for China, and 人 (rén) means person. Put them together and you get a person of Chinese heritage.
Common mistake: Learners often use 华人 and 中国人 (Zhōngguó rén) as if they were the same. 中国人 usually means a citizen of China, while 华人 can describe a Chinese American or Chinese Malaysian whose passport is not Chinese. Also keep 华 (huá) in the second tone, not the fourth.
华人 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
华 huá · flowery · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
人 rén · person · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 华人.
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 客人 | kèrén | visitor; guest; customer |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
Questions about 华人
What does 华人 mean?
华人 (huárén) means "ethnic Chinese person or people" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 华人?
华人 is made of 2 characters: 华 (6 strokes), 人 (2 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 华人 an HSK word?
Yes. 华人 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 华人 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 华人 is written 華人.
What is the difference between 华人 and 华侨?
华侨 (huáqiáo) usually means Chinese citizens living abroad. 华人 is broader and includes people of Chinese descent who hold foreign citizenship.
How do you say Chinese American or overseas Chinese using 华人?
Add a place or a word in front: 美国华人 (Měiguó huárén) means Chinese Americans, and 海外华人 (hǎiwài huárén) means overseas Chinese.