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It's funny I don't think I've met a Smith in my life. Met plenty of Wang, Chen, and Tan when I lived at that part of the world though. Can I ask why Tan (Singapore and Malaysia) and Chen (Taiwan) are coloured differently? They're the same surname.
Lived in a few American states and the Smith thing always surprises me too. Johnsons, I know tons. Smiths? Not enough for that factoid to make sense.
Tan (Singapore and Malaysia) and Chen (Taiwan) are . . . the same surname
Is there a script or alphabet where they’re spelled identically?
They are all different pronunciation of the Chinese word 陳. Chen usually is besed off of the Mandarin way, Chan is Cantonese, and Tan is Hokkin, another Chinese dialect commonly spoken in Singapore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_%28surname%29?wprov=sfla1
Super fascinating — thank you!