‘藏族’ (Zàngzú) is a compound noun meaning ‘Tibetan ethnic group’, referring to one of China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities. The first character 藏 (Zàng) denotes Tibet—both the geographic region and its cultural-linguistic sphere—while 族 (zú) means ‘ethnic group’ or ‘people’. Together, they specifically identify the indigenous people of the Tibetan Plateau who share distinct language (Tibetan), religion (Tibetan Buddhism), customs, dress, and oral traditions.

This term is used formally and respectfully in official, academic, media, and everyday contexts when discussing ethnicity, culture, demographics, or regional identity. It is not interchangeable with ‘Tibetan’ as an adjective for language or geography alone (e.g., ‘Tibetan language’ is 藏语, not 藏族语); nor does it refer to residents of Tibet regardless of ethnicity—Han Chinese living in Tibet are not 藏族. The term emphasizes shared ancestry, cultural continuity, and official ethnic classification.