Overview
It generally denotes regions within China mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan where Chinese nationality mainly Han nationality form the majority population and Mandarin serves as the primary lingua franca. In some contexts, it may also include territories with significant ethnic Chinese populations (e.g. Singapore).
When viewed through the lens of writing systems rather than spoken languages, the Sinosphere encompasses the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Vietnam. These regions all use languages distinct from Chinese (Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese) but share extensive Chinese-derived vocabulary and profound cultural influences from China.
However, Vietnam adopted the Latinized latin script, while both South Korea and North Korea implemented Hangul-exclusive policies. Consequently, Japan remains the only country outside the Chinese cultural sphere that still regularly uses Chinese characters.
In Southeast Asia, nations like Thailand and Philippines, though having substantial Chinese immigrant populations and significant cultural influences from the China Circle, typically exclude themselves from this designation. This is due to the progressive localization of ethnic Chinese communities over generations and their gradual abandonment of Mandarin use.
