*** Welcome to piglix ***

Cai (surname)

Cai
SurnameCai.svg
Romanization Mandarin: Cai (Pinyin), Tsai (Wade-Giles)
Choi, Choy or Tsoi in Hong Kong and Malaysia
Chua (Hokkien, Teochew), Chai (Hakka)
Cantonese: Choi
Taishanese: Toy, Toi
Indonesia: Tjoa
Chua Philippines
Pronunciation Cai/Tsai: /ˈtsaɪ/
Chua: (locally /ˈtʃuwa/)
in other Anglophone countries outside the Philippines: /ˈtʃwa/
Cai
Chinese name
Chinese 蔡
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet Thái or Sái
Korean name
Hangul 채
Japanese name
Hiragana さい

Cài (Chinese: ) is a Chinese surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. It is regionally more common in China's Fujian Province and in areas settled by ethnic Chinese from that province than in China as a whole. The surname is the 34th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan, where it is usually romanized as Tsai based on Wade-Giles romanization of Standard Mandarin and the 8th most common in Singapore, where it is usually romanized as Chua, which is based on Hokkien pronunciation. It is also a common Cantonese name in Hong Kong where it is romanized as Choy, Choi or Tsoi. In Macao and Malaysia, it is spelled as Choi, in Malaysia and the Philippines as Chua, in Thailand as Chuo (ฉั่ว). Moreover, it is also romanized in Cambodia as either Chhay, Chhuor or Chhor among Chinese Cambodians.

The Cais are said to be the descendants of the 5th son of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Du. Ji Du was awarded the title of marquis (hóu) of the State of Cai (centered on what is now Shangcai, Zhumadian, Henan, China), and he was known as Cai Shu Du ("Uncle Du of Cai"). Together with Guan Shu and Huo Shu, they were known as the Three Guards. When King Wu died, his son King Cheng was too young and his uncle, the Duke of Zhou, became regent. Seeing that the power of the Duke of Zhou was increasing, the Three Guards got jealous and rebelled against Zhou together with Wu Geng. The Duke of Zhou suppressed the rebellion, and Cai Shu was exiled. King Cheng reestablished Cai Shu’s son Wu or Hu as the new Duke of Cai. Some 600 years later in the Warring States period, the State of Chu conquered Cai in 447 BC and was itself conquered by the Qin state which, in turn, formed the Qin Empire, China's first empire. With the spread of family names to all social classes in the new empire, many people of the former state of Cai began to bear it as a surname.


...
Wikipedia

...