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Choi, sometimes spelled Choe or Choy, is a common Korean family name. The 2000 South Korean census counted 2,169,704 people bearing this name. The vowel sound is similar to the German ö [œ], but in English-speaking countries, most Chois prefer the anglicized form that rhymes with soy. Ethnic Koreans in the former USSR prefer the form Tsoi (Tsoy) (Russian Цой), e.g. Russian rock artist Viktor Tsoi.

There are roughly 160 clans of Chois. Most of these are quite small. The largest by far is the Gyeongju Choi clan, with a 2000 South Korean population of 976,820. The Gyeongju Choe claim the Silla scholar Choe Chi-won as their founder.

The name Choi (崔) is derived from the combination of 3 ancient Chinese characters:

山 symbolizes the mountains.

人 symbolizes a person.

土 symbolizes the soil. In Choi, two 土 are used to symbolize the land.

Choi means a governor, who oversees the people, the land, and the mountain. The surname Choi also means high, superior, lofty or towering.

It should not be confused with "choi" in the pak choi food, which is of Chinese origin and of a different meaning.

• Choi Ji-Hye, one of South Korean richest girls
• Choi Cheol-han, South Korean professional Go player
• Choi Dong Wook, Real name of korean singer, Se7en.
• Choi Sung-Kuk
• Choe Chiwon, a scholar of the Silla period
• Choi Chol-Su, North Korean boxer
• Choe Chung-heon, military dictator of the Goryeo period
• Choi, Eleanor,Teacher Extraordinaire,USA.
• Choi Eun-hee, South Korean actress once abducted to the North
• Choi Eun-Kyung, South Korean speedskater
• Choi Geesung, high-ranking Samsung executive
• Choi Han, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Hee-seop , a South Korean baseball player
• Choi Hong Hi, South Korean general considered one of the pioneers of taekwondo

• Choi Hong-man, South Korean kickboxer
• Choi Jeong-yoon, South Korean actress
• Choi Ji Woo (b. 1975), South Korean actress and model
• Choi Jin-Cheul, a K-League footballer
• Choi John, Saint Paul City Attorney (Appointed 2006)
• Choe Jun (1884-1970), businessman and philanthropist
• Choi Kwang Jo Creator of Choi Kwang Do
• Julia Choi American professional bungee jumper
• Choi Kyoung-hwan, a South Korean politician
• Choi Kyung-Ju, professional golfer known as K.J. Choi
• Choi Kyu-hah (1919-2006), transitional President of South Korea following the assassination of Park Chung-hee
• Choe Manri, an early critic of hangul
• Choi Min-sik, South Korean actor
• Choe Mu-seon, a 14th-century Korean inventor
• Choe Myong-ho, North Korean football player
• Choi Myung-Hoon (b. 1975), South Korean professional Go player
• Choe Nam-seon (1890-1957), Korean historian and independence activist
• Choi Sang Ki, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Sejin, a 15th-century linguist
• Choi Seok Pil, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Seong Woo, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Si Won, K-pop singer/actor from boyband Super Junior
• Choi Soo Jin, South Korean voice actor
• Steven Choi, American politician
• Choi Sung-Hee, K-pop singer known as "Bada."
• Choi Sung-Kuk, K-League footballer
• Choi Sung-Yong, K-League footballer
• Choi Tae-Uk, J-League footballer
• Choe U (d. 1249), military dictator of the Goryeo period
• Choi Won Hyeong, South Korean voice actor
• Choi Won-Kwon, K-league footballer
• Choi Yang-il a.k.a. Yoichi Sai, film director
• Choi Yeon-Sung, professional StarCraft player
• Choi Ji-Hoon, Amit Gupta Handler
• Choe Yeong, military leader of late Goryeo
• Choe Yeong-ui, founder of Kyokushin karate, better known as Masutatsu Oyama
• Choi Yong-kun (1903-1972), high-ranking North Korean official
• Choi Yong-Soo, J-League footballer
• Choi Yong Sul, founder of hapkido
• Cui Jian, Chinese rock musician
• Anita Tsoi, Russian pop singer
• Viktor Tsoi, Russian rock musician

• Choi Bounge
• Grace Choi
• Ryan Choi, a fictional superhero from DC Comics.

• Cai Chinese surname also pronounced Choi in Cantonese.
• Choi
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Korean family names

• Official site of the Gyeongju Choi Association, in Korean