Zhang, Chang | |
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Zhang surname in regular script
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Romanization |
Chang, Zhang (Mandarin) Cheung (Hong Kong) Cheong (Macao, Malaysia) Tsan, Tsaon (Shanghai) Teo, Teoh (Hokkien, Teochew) Chong (Hakka) Thong, Cheong (Gan) Trương, Trang (Vietnamese) Jang, Chang () (Korean) |
Pronunciation |
IPA: /tʂɑŋ˥/ (Mandarin IPA) Zhāng (Pinyin) Tiuⁿ (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) |
Language(s) | Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Old Chinese |
Derivation | State of Zhang |
Meaning | drawing a bow, archer, bowyer |
Zhang ([ʈʂáŋ]) is the pinyin romanization of the very common Chinese surname written in simplified characters and traditionally. It is spoken in the first tone: Zhāng. It is a surname that exists in many languages and cultures, corresponding to the surname 'Archer' in English for example. Chang is the Wade-Giles romanization.
It is also the pinyin romanization of the less-common surname (also Zhāng).
張 was listed 24th in the famous Song-era Hundred Family Surnames. Today, it is one of the most common surnames in the world and 张 was listed by the People's Republic of China's National Citizen ID Information System as the third-most-common surname in mainland China in April 2007, with 87.50 million bearers. A commonly cited but erroneous factoid in the 1990 Guinness Book of Records listed it as the world's most common surname, but no comprehensive information from China was available at the time and more recent editions have not repeated the claim.
張 (张) and 章 are also commonly romanized as Chang on Taiwan and among the Chinese diaspora using the older Wade-Giles system. Both are also romanized as Cheung in Hong Kong; Cheong in Macao and Malaysia; Teo and Teoh in Teochew; Chong in Hakka; Tsan and Tsaon among Wu Chinese varieties like Shanghainese;Thong, Cheong in Gan; and Tiong in East Malaysia and the Philippines; and Tjong, Sutiono or Thiono in Indonesia.