苗族
Miáozú
In Chinese, Hmong is 苗族 (Miáozú).
苗族 is used to refer to the Hmong people as an ethnic group.
Meaning: people (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 苗族 is composed of 苗 (Miao) and 族, which means ethnic group or tribe.
Which one should you use?
While 苗族 refers to the Hmong ethnic group as a whole, 苗语 refers specifically to the Hmong language.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Yunnan province, the term 白苗 is used as a regional variation to refer to the White Hmong subgroup. In Guizhou province, 青苗 is the regional variation used for the Green Hmong subgroup.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to an individual member of the group or the people in a more general sense, you can add 人 (person) to the end of the word to form 苗族人.
How do you pronounce it?
Miáozú
Did you know?
- The character 苗 in 苗族 originally depicted a sprouting plant, which reflects a deep linguistic connection to agriculture and growth in many Chinese ethnic classifications.
- The distinction between 白苗 (White Hmong) and 青苗 (Green Hmong) often refers to the traditional colors of their embroidered clothing rather than physical characteristics.
- The term 苗族 is part of the 'Minzu' classification system, a specific method used by the Chinese state to categorize hundreds of different ethnic identities.
Examples in context
- When I visited Yunnan, I encountered the friendly "白苗" (báimiáo) people and was amazed by their rich cultural heritage.When I visited Yunnan, I encountered the friendly "White Hmong" people and was amazed by their rich cultural heritage.
- 他是一名苗族人。Tā shì yī míng Miáozú rén.He is a member of the Hmong people.
- 苗族有很多独特的传统。Miáozú yǒu hěnduō dútè de chuántǒng.The Hmong people have many unique traditions.
- 我想了解更多关于苗族的故事。Wǒ xiǎng liǎojiě gèng duō guānyú Miáozú de gùshì.I want to learn more stories about the Hmong people.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a cultural festival.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你知道苗族人也会过这个节吗？Nǐ zhīdào Miáozú rén yě huì guò zhège jié ma?Do you know if the Hmong people also celebrate this festival?
- 志强 Zhiqiang是的，苗族有很多有趣的节日。Shì de, Miáozú yǒu hěnduō yǒuqù de jiérì.Yes, the Hmong people have many interesting festivals.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你能带我去参加吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ néng dài wǒ qù cānjiā ma?Zhiqiang, can you take me to participate?
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，我很乐意陪你去。Méi wèntí, wǒ hěn lèyì péi nǐ qù.No problem, I would be happy to go with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hmong” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
