The Han Chinese (Teochew) of Malaysia

The Han Chinese (Teochew) of Malaysia, numbering approximately 645,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic subgroup of Han Chinese originating in the Chaoshan region of south China. They mostly adhere to Chinese Folk Religion and Min Nan Chinese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Han Chinese, Teochew

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Chinese
Primary Language(s): Min Nan Chinese (nan)
Primary Religion(s): Chinese Folk Religion
Population: 645,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046593
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Pray for the Han Chinese (Teochew) of Malaysia

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Chinese Folk Religion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

80%
%
Chinese Folk Religion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Min Nan Chinese
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Chinese, Min Nan Speakers

Media Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Films:
Title Link
JESUS View Film
JESUS View Film
Magdalena View Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
Wycliffe Malaysia ✓ ✓
Today's Taiwanese Version ✓ ✓ ✓

2 entries

Or check out the Min Nan Chinese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Han Chinese (Teochew) are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Han Chinese (Teochew):
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Han Chinese (Teochew) of Malaysia

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
readEphesians 6:12

Pray for those ensnared by the darkness of this world, that they will recognize the spiritual forces at work and turn to the light of Christ.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
readJohn 6:35

Pray that the lost will come to Jesus and believe in Him, never to hunger or thirst again.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
readColossians 2:6-7

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be rooted and built up in Him, abounding in thanksgiving for the grace and mercy He has shown them.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
readJohn 7:38

Ask God to raise up believers and sustain them as they cross cultures to share hope with those who need it. Pray that many might come to know Christ and that streams of living water will flow from their hearts so they will never thirst again.

Han Chinese, Teochew Across Countries (ROP3 - 103699) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

3 people groups

Photo People Group ID Name Country Population ▼ Strategic Progress Index Language Religion
Han Chinese (Teochew) Han Chinese (Teochew) Malaysia 645,000 Engaged yet Unreached Min Nan Chinese Chinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Teochew) Han Chinese (Teochew) Singapore 581,000 Engaged yet Unreached Min Nan Chinese Chinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Teochew) Han Chinese (Teochew) United States 35,500 Engaged yet Unreached Min Nan Chinese Chinese Folk Religion

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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