Tsos

Tsos is a term that appears in various contexts as a proper noun but does not have a single, widely accepted definition. In linguistic and onomastic contexts, Tsos is often encountered as a romanization variant of East Asian surnames, particularly those rendered as Tso or Zuo in Chinese.

Historically, the surname 左 (Zuǒ) is sometimes romanized as Tso in older English texts and in Wade-Giles, giving rise to English-language forms such as Tso and, less commonly, Tsos. The famous Chinese figure Zuo Zongtang is the namesake of the dish commonly known in the United States as General Tso's chicken, illustrating how transliteration variants can propagate into common usage.

Beyond surname usage, Tsos can appear in transliterated forms of place names, brands, or fictional works that borrow East Asian-sourced naming conventions. In these cases, the term generally functions as a proper noun rather than a word with a separate semantic meaning.

Because Tsos has no single canonical meaning, individuals encountering the term should rely on context to determine whether it refers to a personal name, a transliteration variant, or a specific name in a work of fiction or branding. Related terms include Tso, Zuo, and the historical figure Zuo Zongtang.