She Chinese

She Chinese
Shehua
Shanha
Native toFujian, Zhejiang
EthnicityShe
Native speakers
400,000 (2002)
Early forms
Proto-Sino-Tibetan
Chinese characters
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
Linguasphere79-AAA-gbf

She Chinese or Shehua (畲话, Shēhuà, meaning 'She speech') is an unclassified Sinitic ethnolect and spoken by the She people of Southeastern China. It is also called Shanha, San-hak (山哈) or Shanhahua (山哈话). She speakers are located mainly in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces of Southeastern China, with smaller numbers of speakers in a few locations of Jiangxi (in Guixi and Yanshan County), Guangdong (in Chaozhou and Fengshun County) and Anhui (in Ningguo) provinces.

Shēhuà (畲话) is not to be confused with Shēyǔ (畲语, also known as Ho Ne), which is a Hmong–Mien language spoken in East-Central Guangdong. She and Sheyu speakers have separate histories and identities, although both are officially classified by the Chinese government as She people. The Dongjia of Majiang County, Guizhou are also officially classified as She people, but speak a Western Hmongic language closely related to Chong'anjiang Miao (重安江苗语).