Chinese Singaporean

Chinese Singaporean

Chinese Singaporeans or Singaporean Chinese (Chinese: 新加坡华人, 新加坡華人, Xīnjiāpō Huárén) are people of full or partial Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2011, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population – approximately three out of four Singaporeans – making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore. Outside Greater China, Singapore is the only country in the world where ethnic Chinese constitute a majority of the population and they are well represented in all levels of Singaporean society, politically and economically. It is the home of the fifth largest community of Overseas Chinese, behind the Chinese communities in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States.

Ethnic Chinese in Singapore tend to identify themselves primarily as Singaporeans ( 新加坡人, 新加坡人, Xīnjiāpōrén) and only secondarily as Chinese; however, the Chinese language tends to view ethnic Chinese status as primary. Thus, the English terms "Chinese Singaporean" and "Singaporean Chinese" are used interchangeably. In the Chinese language, though, Chinese Singaporeans clearly distinguish themselves as full Chinese ( 华人, 華人, Huárén) rather than overseas Chinese ( 华裔, 華裔, Huáyì; 华侨, 華僑, Huáqiáo). A separate group is the Peranakan Chinese, who are the offspring of ethnic Chinese who had married indigenous peoples and have developed a unique culture distinct from the Chinese majority.