The Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia

The Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia, numbering approximately 2,415,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Han Chinese ethnolinguistic group of southern Fujian who speak Southern Min languages and share a maritime cultural heritage shaped by trade, migration, and longstanding ties to Taiwan and Southeast Asia. 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, Min Nan

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: 2,415,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG046598
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Pray for the Han Chinese (Min Nan) 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: Southern Daly

100%
%
Chinese, Min Nan Speakers

Media Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Wycliffe Malaysia✓✓
Today's Taiwanese Version✓✓✓

2 entries

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

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Han Chinese (Min Nan) are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Han Chinese (Min Nan):
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
readJohn 3:18

Pray for those who are living under the burden of their sin to believe in Jesus, the only Son of God, and receive freedom.

And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
readLuke 7:50

Pray for the good news of Jesus Christ to reach many so that they can place their faith in Him and have lasting hope.

The LORD bless you and keep you.
readNumbers 6:24

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be blessed with God's grace, trusting that He will never abandon them.

"For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
readActs 17:23

Pray that believers God sends to cross cultures will be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the people they serve, and will proclaim the truth of Christ to them in creative ways that they will understand.

Han Chinese, Min Nan Across Countries (ROP3 - 102140) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

10 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Han Chinese, TaiwaneseHan Chinese, TaiwaneseArgentina1,400No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Peru7,700No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Canada29,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)United States156,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseUnaffiliated
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Hong Kong418,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han ChineseHan ChinesePhilippines1,275,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Singapore1,790,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Malaysia2,415,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Taiwan13,680,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)China35,550,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseAgnosticism

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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