Xu (surname)

Xu (surname)

Xu can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:

1. Chinese: 徐; pinyin: Xú; Wade–Giles: hsü2, also spelled Hsu (Wade-Giles Hsü) or Chui or Tsui or Tu or Eu
2. simplified Chinese: 许; traditional Chinese: 許; pinyin: Xǔ; Wade–Giles: hsü3, also spelled Hui or Hii

They are both pronounced somewhat like shoo, with the oo pronounced as in the French u or German ü, a sound with no exact equivalent in most dialects of English. In Chinese, the pronunciations of the two names differ in tone: Xú and Xǔ.

In Jyutping, 許/许 is written as Heoi2, in Pe̍h-ōe-jī as Khó·, in Gan Hi/Hé, in Min Nan (spoken in Singapore and Malaysia), the name is written as Koh/Kho/Khoo/Khoh/Khor/Khaw. Mandarin is written as Xu and Hsu. In Cantonese, it is written as Hui/Hoi/Hooi/Hua. Other written froms are: Hoi4/Co/Hii.

The surname has been adopted in Korea. It is name is pronounced Seo and Heo (also romanized So and Suh). In Japan and the Philippines the name is written as Kyo and Co/Ko.

Chinese immigrants of this last name Xǔ simplified Chinese: 许; traditional Chinese: 許 who emigrated to Vietnam translated the name to Từ. Vietnamese of Chinese heritage with the last name Từ are not related to those with the last name Hua in Mandarin.