Chinese Singaporean

From SgWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Chinese Singaporeans or Singaporean Chinese, are Singaporeans of full or partial Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry. Through a century or more of cultural divergence and as part of the diaspora, Singaporean Chinese differentiate themselves vastly from Mainland Chinese. While ethnically similar to the Mainland Chinese, Chinese Singaporeans are typically westernised and many speak English as their first language.

As of 2015, Chinese Singaporeans constituted 76.2% of the country's citizens making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore. Outside Greater China (China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong), Singapore is the only country in the world where ethnic Chinese constitute a majority of the population and 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.

In the Chinese language, Singaporean Chinese clearly distinguish themselves as ethnic Chinese or people of Chinese descent rather than overseas Chinese.