Hui DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · China · East Asia
The Hui are Chinese-speaking Muslims, found throughout China but most numerous in the northwest, in Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai. Their communities go back to Muslim merchants, soldiers and officials from Persia, Central Asia and Arabia who settled in China, especially under the Yuan dynasty, and married into local families. In our model, the Hui average is 85.7% East Asian and 3.9% Ancient Northeast Asian, with a set of small West Eurasian-related shares, steppe 2.9%, Iranian Neolithic 2.0%, Anatolian Neolithic 1.3%, Ancient North Eurasian 1.2% and Natufian 1.1%, plus 1.8% South Asian hunter-gatherer related. Together they set the Hui apart from the Han, and the fit is very close (0.011). The closest modern averages are another Hui sample from Gansu (0.0061), then Bonan (Baoan) samples and Tibetans of Gannan, neighbours in the Gansu-Qinghai borderlands. The closest ancient group is a Tang-era population with an Upper Yellow River profile from Naobaowan in Inner Mongolia (0.0286).
- Largest ancient components in our model: East Asian 85.7%, Ancient Northeast Asians 3.9%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 2.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Hui (Gansu), distance 0.0061
- Closest ancient group in our data: China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (Upper Yellow River Profile), distance 0.0286
This page sums up what the DNA of the Hui sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in China, and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Hui average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Hui average, 85.7%, goes to East Asian, ahead of Ancient Northeast Asians (3.9%) and Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (2.9%). The East Asian component reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Ancient Northeast Asians, Steppe herders (Yamnaya), Iranian Neolithic farmers and South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.011), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report
Closest modern populations to Hui
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Hui average is Hui (Gansu), at a distance of 0.006 (very close). Next come Bonan at 0.010 and Tibetan (Gannan) at 0.012. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Bonan (0.010), Tibetan (Gannan) (0.012) and Baoan (0.013). Even the tenth closest, Han (Qinghai), is only 0.028 away: Hui belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hui (Gansu) | 0.0061 | Very close |
| 2 | Bonan | 0.0095 | Very close |
| 3 | Tibetan (Gannan) | 0.0117 | Very close |
| 4 | Baoan | 0.0130 | Very close |
| 5 | Dungan | 0.0189 | Very close |
| 6 | Hui (Heilongjiang) | 0.0215 | Very close |
| 7 | Tu | 0.0215 | Very close |
| 8 | Salar | 0.0238 | Very close |
| 9 | Yugur | 0.0273 | Close |
| 10 | Han (Qinghai) | 0.0275 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Hui
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Hui average is China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (Upper Yellow River Profile) (Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD), at 0.029. China Shaanxi HP Song-Yuan Dynasty Yangjiacheng and Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Tang Emissary Attendant) come next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (Upper Yellow River Profile) | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0286 |
| 2 | China Shaanxi HP Song-Yuan Dynasty Yangjiacheng | Historical period | 0.0303 |
| 3 | Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Tang Emissary Attendant) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0355 |
| 4 | Mongolia Late Medieval Mongol Period (Tibetan Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0386 |
| 5 | China Shandong N Late Dawenkou Gangshang | Neolithic | 0.0405 |
| 6 | China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (Inner Mongolia Profile) | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0441 |
| 7 | China Shaanxi HP Tang Dynasty Xingfulindai | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0482 |
| 8 | Xinjiang HP Tang Dynasty-Uygur Period Lafuqueke (Upper Yellow River Profile) | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0511 |
| 9 | Tibet Medieval Chaxiutang | Medieval, c. 500-1500 AD | 0.0517 |
| 10 | China Henan HP Tang Dynasty Lusixi | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0522 |
Ancient DNA from China
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,865 individuals excavated in present-day China, dated from about 100,550 BC to 1823 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are O2a (168), C2b (74) and N1b (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are D4 (208), C4 (121) and B4 (72). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Hui population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| D4 | 208 | NE34 NE-5 NE5_AmurRiver |
| C4 | 121 | WQM4 NE9 NE-9 |
| B4 | 72 | Tianyuan BS Dushan4-1 |
| F1 | 68 | NE19 WGM35 18R21265 |
| D5 | 50 | BLSM14 BLSM27S BLSM45 |
| U5 | 49 | NLKG218_M5-1 G218M5-3N C3340 |
| G2 | 45 | NE56 JZ24089582-C24-22 S96 |
| A | 35 | M89_Houtaomuga JZ24089566-C8-28 ZJG7 |
Ancient DNA studies on China
- Ancient DNA unveils distinctive ancestries in the Bronze and Iron Ages of East Tianshan (2026)
- Ancient DNA unveils distinctive ancestries in the Bronze and Iron Ages of East Tianshan (2026)
- Genomic characterization of historical Jinlingnan individuals: insights into genetic continuity and trans-Eurasian signals in eastern China (2026)
- Go north: Isotope and aDNA analysis reconstructing the life history of a first-generation immigrant in the early Western Zhou Yan state (2026)
- A prehistoric East-Asian Yersinia pestis genome and a ~5.3 ka trans-Eurasian expansion of plague (2026)
- Genomic signatures of female exogamy and cultural interaction in a Tang Dynasty patrilineal clan (2026)
- Genetic continuity and dietary change during the emergence of millet farming in northern China (2026)
- Genetic continuity and dietary change during the emergence of millet farming in northern China (2026)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,865 from China.
Compare yourself with Hui
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Hui average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Hui and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Hui individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Hui. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Hui average. Your own DNA has its own story: Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Sinosphere / East Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Yellow & Yangtze River Neolithic, Erlitou/Shang/Zhou dynasties, Han Dynasty, Yayoi migration, Tang Dynasty, Manchu/Qing era) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from East Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Hui?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Hui average is about 85.7% East Asian, 3.9% Ancient Northeast Asians and 2.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Hui?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Hui (Gansu)), the closest modern populations to the Hui average are Bonan, Tibetan (Gannan) and Baoan. The closest ancient matches are China Inner Mongolia HP Tang Dynasty Naobaowan (Upper Yellow River Profile), China Shaanxi HP Song-Yuan Dynasty Yangjiacheng and Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Tang Emissary Attendant).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Hui?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Hui average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Hui ancestry?
Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Hui average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.