Posted by sally soon on May 16, 2003 at 23:27:19:
In Reply to: family surname SAN from Soon Tak, China posted by Connie on April 22, 1998 at 09:46:59:
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I know there was a San Peng Road, and a San Peng Road School. San and Soon are written in the same Mandarin characters. So Dr. Sun Yat San, the father of the Chinese Republic, and my surname are written in the same way in Chinese. The difference is I am a 3rd generation hockien descended from immigrants from South China.
"Wong" is a Cantonese surname and "Ong" is the Hockien equivalent, just as "Chan"is a Cantonese surname and "Tan" is its hockien equivalent. The surname has the same writing in Mandarin. So Mr. or Miss Chan or Mr. Tan or Miss Tan have the same surnames when written out, but speak different Chinese dialects.