Han Chinese subgroups

300px|thumb|Distribution of Sinitic languages

The Han Chinese people can be defined into subgroups based on linguistic, cultural, ethnic, genetic, and regional features. The groups are termed minxi (, <small>pronounced</small> ) in mainland China and zuqun (, <small>pronounced</small> ) in Taiwan. While the Chinese government recognizes 56 official ethnic groups, it does not recognize Han subgroups. Taiwan recognizes three subgroups: the Hakka, Hoklo, and Waishengren.

Han subgroups

thumb|right|The eight main dialect areas of Mandarin in Mainland China

thumb|right|200px|The main [[varieties of Chinese in Mainland China and Taiwan]]

Mandarin-speaking groups

Native speakers: 885,000,000

Mandarin, previously called Northern Chinese, is the largest Chinese language branch. Even in regions where non-Mandarin speakers historically dominated, Standard Mandarin is being brought in as a lingua franca. The Mandarin-speaking groups are the largest group in mainland China, but in the diaspora the Min, Hakka and Cantonese dialects are more numerous. The Dungan people of Central Asia are native Central Plains Mandarin-speaking Hui peoples. Other notable Mandarin-speaking peoples include the Sichuanese people and Jianghuai people.

Jianghuai people

The Jianghuai people distribute in the Jianghuai region between the Yangtze river (Jiang, 江) and the Huai river (淮) in central Anhui and central Jiangsu. The Lower Yangtze Mandarin or the Jianghuai Mandarin is distinctive from other Mandarin dialects. The main dialects of the language is the Nanjing dialect.

Shandong people

Shandong people are subgroup of Han Chinese mainly from Shandong province, and they mainly speak three dialects, Jilu, Zhongyuan, and Jiaoliao. Solely the Shandong Province makes up 7% population of mainland China. Due to its location, Shandongese have been prominent in national migration movements, especially the Chuang Guandong migration into Manchuria, and many also became part of overseas Chinese communities. They made up 10% of Mainlanders in Taiwan, 90% of Chinese people in South Korea, and there is also a small Shandong community in Singapore and Malaysia.

Jiaoliao people

alt=Jiaoliao Mandarin with its variants mapped|thumb|200px|Jiaoliao Mandarin with its variants mapped

The Jiao-Liao people is a branch of Shandong people, who are distributed on both Jiaodong Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula. Since pre-historical periods, the two peninsulas have been closely related culturally, economically and demographically. Their strong relationship is partly attributed to Miaodao Archipalegos

Min speakers are scattered throughout southern China but mostly concentrated on provinces of Fujian and Hainan, with some parts in Guangdong (especially in Chaoshan), the tip of southern Zhejiang and Taiwan.

There are several main dialects in Min Chinese. The Fuzhou dialect of Min Dong, is spoken by the Fuzhou people who are native to the city of Fuzhou. The dialect of Puxian Min is represented by the Putian people (also known as Xinghua or Henghua), the Puxian-speaking people are native to Puxian.

The Hokkien dialects of Min Nan spoken in Southern Fujian and Taiwan is the largest Min division and spoken by larger Hoklo population compared to other Min dialects. Furthermore, Hokkien is further extended into other unique Min Nan groups who speaks variants of the Min Nan dialect. The Teochew people who are native to eastern Guangdong and Hainanese people who are native of Hainan island are all Min Nan dialect groups. The dialect of Cangnan, which is Zhenan Min, is spoken in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Outside of mainland China and Taiwan, Min Nan also make up the biggest Chinese dialect group among the overseas Chinese populations in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines.

Xiang-speaking groups

Native speakers: 36,015,000
Dongbei culture (東北/东北)

South

Hubei culture (楚)
Lingnan culture (粵/粤)
Hakka culture (客)
Teochew culture (潮)
Hokkien culture (閩南/闽南)
Xinghua culture (興化)
Fuzhou Culture (闽都/闽东)
Jiangxi culture (贛)
Huizhou culture (徽)
Hunanese culture (湘)
Sichuanese culture (蜀)
Wuyue culture (吳/吴)
Wenzhou culture (瓯)
Haipai culture (海)
Hong Kong culture (港)
Macanese culture (澳)

Han subgroups by region of China

Mainland China

The Han people originated in mainland China. Each Han subgroup is generally associated with a particular region in China; the Cantonese originated in Liangguang, the Putian in Puxian, the Foochow in Fuzhou, the Hoklo in Southern Fujian, the Chaoshan/Teochew in eastern Guangdong, the Hakka in eastern/central Guangdong and western Fujian, and the Shanghainese in Shanghai.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, most of the populace are Cantonese. According to the CIA World Factbook, 89% of Hong Kongers speak the Cantonese language. Other Han Chinese peoples present in Hong Kong include the Hakka, Teochew, Hoklo and Shanghainese besides ethnic minorities like the Tankas.

Macau

As per the 2021 census of Macau, 89.4% of Macau's population declared themselves to be of Chinese ethnicity. Most speak Cantonese as their "usual language" (81%). In English, the term Macanese people tends to refer to people of mixed Cantonese and Portuguese descent. Macau people is used to describe anyone who originates from or lives in Macau.