<ul>
<li><p>If your parents are Chinese, you are a 华裔 (Chinese descendant)</p>
</li>
<li><p>Chinese citizens living in another country are 华侨. If you obtain citizenship in another country, you are a 华裔 citizen of that country, e.g. 华裔美国人(Chinese American) same as 美籍华人 (Chinese American)</p>
</li>
<li><p>Chinese citizens who study or work in a foreign country and come back to China are 海归 = 海外归来者 (Returnees from overseas)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If you gave up your Canadian citizenship and obtained Chinese citizenship, you became a 中国人 (Chinese), initially, you may call yourself 外国回归的中国人(Chinese returning from abroad), but after a while, you would be seen as a common Chinese.</p>
<p>If you move back to China without giving up your Canadian citizenship, you are legally a Canadian, a Chinese Canadian (华裔加人)</p>
<p>You can describe yourself as 外国长大的中国人(Chinese who grew up abroad) or 加拿大长大的中国人(Chinese who grew up in Canada) if people ask for the details of your background, but normally, saying you are 中国人 is good enough if you have obtained Chinese citizenship</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-16T07:53:05.193Z
2023-12-16T20:39:31.743Z
2023-12-16T20:39:31.743Z
Tang Ho
<p>华裔: 华侨<strong>在侨居国所生</strong>并取得侨居国国籍的子女。</p>
<p>华侨: <strong>旅居</strong>国外的中国人。</p>
<p>海归: 指在海外留学或工作后归国的人员。</p>
<p>You are clearly not 华裔 or 华侨. Since you probably have finished high school and college in Canada, I think you can be called 海归.</p>
<p>Note: <a href="https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=83688&amp;word=%E8%8F%AF%E8%A3%94" rel="nofollow noreferrer">国语辞典</a> adopts a slightly more general definition of 华裔: 旅居海外的華人後代. You satisfy the 華人後代 part but as soon as you return to China, you no longer 旅居海外, hence still not 华裔.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-16T05:41:00.853Z
2023-12-16T05:48:04.287Z
2023-12-16T05:48:04.287Z
user2249675
<p>华裔, 华侨, or 海归?</p>
<p>It doesn't matter at all. You are yourself anyway. Those words are not legal terms, therefore they have no definitions. It is purely a personal decision that which cultural identity or social group one belongs to.</p>
<p>In Chinese, the word 裔 (子裔) means a son or a son from a son, which goes on and on. Girls? Chinese culture does not care at all. (Sadly)</p>
<p>侨 (侨居) means that your long-term (if not permanent) residency is in another country but not in your parent's hometown or in the place where you grew up. In your case, you can call yourself a 华侨 or a 加侨 (If a Canadian living in China).</p>
<p>海归 (海外归来) is a new concept in the recent years. It has a political background linked to &quot;The Project of Thousand Talented Personals&quot; (千人计划).</p>
<p>“Good luck with your future endeavors”.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-16T22:49:30.517Z
2023-12-16T22:49:30.517Z
PdotWang
<p>I was born in China and had Chinese citizenship. My parents took me to Canada when I was 9 years old. I grew up in Canada and obtained Canadian citizenship (and thus, gave up my Chinese citizenship).</p>
<p>I decided to return permanently to China earlier this year. I'm in my mid-20's.</p>
<p>What's the most accurate term to describe me? 华裔, 华侨, or 海归?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-16T09:05:27.203Z
I guess we should be ready for 10 different answers based on 10 different perspectives on ethnicity, nationality, and personal identity.  (Also, welcome back to China!)
Becky 李蓓
<word-choice>
Am I a 华裔, 华侨, or 海归?
# Am I a 华裔, 华侨, or 海归?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-12-16)

I was born in China and had Chinese citizenship. My parents took me to Canada when I was 9 years old. I grew up in Canada and obtained Canadian citizenship (and thus, gave up my Chinese citizenship).

I decided to return permanently to China earlier this year. I'm in my mid-20's.

What's the most accurate term to describe me? 华裔, 华侨, or 海归?

**Tags:** word-choice

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I guess we should be ready for 10 different answers based on 10 different perspectives on ethnicity, nationality, and personal identity.  (Also, welcome back to China!)  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-12-16. Score: 3

* If your parents are Chinese, you are a 华裔 (Chinese descendant)
* Chinese citizens living in another country are 华侨. If you obtain citizenship in another country, you are a 华裔 citizen of that country, e.g. 华裔美国人(Chinese American) same as 美籍华人 (Chinese American)
* Chinese citizens who study or work in a foreign country and come back to China are 海归 = 海外归来者 (Returnees from overseas)

If you gave up your Canadian citizenship and obtained Chinese citizenship, you became a 中国人 (Chinese), initially, you may call yourself 外国回归的中国人(Chinese returning from abroad), but after a while, you would be seen as a common Chinese.

If you move back to China without giving up your Canadian citizenship, you are legally a Canadian, a Chinese Canadian (华裔加人)

You can describe yourself as 外国长大的中国人(Chinese who grew up abroad) or 加拿大长大的中国人(Chinese who grew up in Canada) if people ask for the details of your background, but normally, saying you are 中国人 is good enough if you have obtained Chinese citizenship


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-12-16. Score: 2

华裔: 华侨**在侨居国所生**并取得侨居国国籍的子女。

华侨: **旅居**国外的中国人。

海归: 指在海外留学或工作后归国的人员。

You are clearly not 华裔 or 华侨. Since you probably have finished high school and college in Canada, I think you can be called 海归.

Note: [国语辞典](https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=83688&word=%E8%8F%AF%E8%A3%94) adopts a slightly more general definition of 华裔: 旅居海外的華人後代. You satisfy the 華人後代 part but as soon as you return to China, you no longer 旅居海外, hence still not 华裔.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2023-12-16. Score: 1

华裔, 华侨, or 海归?

It doesn't matter at all. You are yourself anyway. Those words are not legal terms, therefore they have no definitions. It is purely a personal decision that which cultural identity or social group one belongs to.

In Chinese, the word 裔 (子裔) means a son or a son from a son, which goes on and on. Girls? Chinese culture does not care at all. (Sadly)

侨 (侨居) means that your long-term (if not permanent) residency is in another country but not in your parent's hometown or in the place where you grew up. In your case, you can call yourself a 华侨 or a 加侨 (If a Canadian living in China).

海归 (海外归来) is a new concept in the recent years. It has a political background linked to "The Project of Thousand Talented Personals" (千人计划).

“Good luck with your future endeavors”.


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