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The Harry Potter franchise is full of interesting characters. Cho Chang, Harry's first love interest and the only Asian character in the main series, played a minor but important role in the franchise. However, her name has attracted some controversy in recent years. Unlike other strong female characters, whose names are not only real but have deep literary and cultural references, Cho Chang's name only contains a vague indication of her Asian origin.
Cho Chang Is Not a Plausible Name
Many have pointed out that "Cho" might be a Korean surname. However, it's unlikely to be used as a first name, like in Harry Potter. Although "Chang" also exists in the Korean language, it's only used as a surname. It seems weird for a person to be named after two surnames with only one syllable making up for her first name, which is very uncommon in Korean culture.
Similarly, "Chang" can be used as both a surname and a first name in Han Chinese. "Cho," on the other hand, does not exist in the language. Even in Cantonese, "Cho" is only used as a surname and not a first name. It's possible that "Cho" as a first name might be the romanization of "Qui" (Autumn) from Chinese or similar-sounding words from other Asian cultures, which isn't uncommon for Asian children born in a Western society. Perhaps "Cho" came from the Japanese culture, but either way, it seems like a stretch to make "Cho Chang" a plausible name for a person of Asian descent.
On top of that, J.K. Rowling never clarified the character's ethnicity. With Cho's parents only appearing through mentions in the Harry Potter books, there's no way of knowing the character's ancestry and lineage. Some fans also criticize how "Cho Chang" sounds similar to "chin chong," a phrase that has been used to mock Asian people and how their languages sound.
Cho Chang's Name Isn't Her Only Problematic Aspect
Cho Chang's name isn't the only issue. The character's stereotypical portrayal of Asian people might have been the real reason why fans take issues with her name. Cho first appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Harry's love interest. She dated Cedric and joined Dumbledore's Army after his death. During The Order of the Phoenix, she sparked a brief romance with Harry but faded out of the film after Dolores Umbridge used veritaserum to make her reveal the location of the group's meetings.
In other words, Cho Chang plays right into the smart Asian stereotype. She's portrayed as an intelligent girl from Ravenclaw who does nothing other than date a couple of boys before being unceremoniously written out as a "tattletale." Fans looking for positive representation for the Asian community might be better off looking elsewhere.