汉语族（或汉语语族、汉白语族）为汉藏语系中的一支。关于其所包含的语言种类，在语言学界主要有两种不同的观点：一种认为汉语族只有汉语一种语言；另一种认为汉语族包含官话、赣语、闽语、粤语、客语、吴语、湘语等七大语言（或者是官话、赣语、闽语、粤语、客语、吴语、湘语、晋语、徽语、广西平话），再加上闽语内部不能互通，所以闽语实际上是一类语言，而在语言学上的归属应该是闽语语群，其下的闽南语、闽东语、闽北语、闽中语和莆仙语则为单一语言。前一个观点将赣语、闽语、粤语、吴语、官话、晋语、湘语、客语等列为汉语的方言；而后一种观点认为汉语族包含了数个互相关联的亲属语言。此外，有说法主张白语（白族的语言）也属于汉语族（故而称汉白语族）。

The Sinitic languages, are a family of Sino-Tibetan languages, often synonymous with the group of Chinese varieties. They have frequently been postulated to constitute a primary branch, but this is rejected by an increasing number of researchers. The Bai languages and possible relatives, whose classification is difficult, may also be Sinitic; otherwise Sinitic is equivalent to Chinese, and the term may be used to indicate that the varieties of Chinese are distinct languages rather than dialects of a single language.