‘汉族’ (Hàn zú) refers to the Han ethnic group, the largest ethnic group in China, comprising over 90% of the country’s population. The character ‘汉’ (Hàn) originally denotes the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), a foundational era in Chinese history and culture; ‘族’ (zú) means ‘ethnic group’ or ‘clan’. Together, ‘汉族’ signifies the cultural and historical lineage tracing back to that dynasty — including shared language (Mandarin and its dialects), writing system, customs, and traditions.

This term is used officially and academically to distinguish the Han majority from China’s 55 officially recognized minority ethnic groups (e.g., Tibetan, Uyghur, Zhuang). It appears in census data, identity documents, sociological research, and everyday discussion of cultural heritage — but never as a self-reference in casual speech (people usually say ‘我’ or ‘我们’ rather than ‘我们汉族’ unless contrasting with other groups).