Chao or Cháo may refer to:
- Chao, the Cambodian name for Tapai, fermented food made from rice
- Chao, an alternative spelling of the Chinese Zhao (surname)
- Chao (surname) (晁), a Chinese surname
- Chāo (鈔), the banknote used in Yuan Dynasty of Mongolia
- Chǎo (炒), a Chinese stir frying technique
- Cháo, the Vietnamese version of congee or rice porridge
- The Sacred Chao, a symbol of the Discordian religion
- Chao (Sonic the Hedgehog), small creatures in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe
- Chao Phraya River, a major river in Thailand
- Chaos
- Ciao, an Italian greeting
- Spanish language word chao from Italian ciao, colloquial word used to say "bye" or "goodbye"
- Ciao (magazine), a manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan
- Chao method, a way of indicating Chinese tones devised by Yuen Ren Chao
- Lake Chao, lake in Anhui, China
- Elaine Chao, former United States Secretary of Labor and the first Asian American female appointed to the United States Cabinet
- Rosalind Chao, Chinese American actress born in Anaheim, California
- Yuen Ren Chao, a Chinese linguist
- Manu Chao, a French Latin singer of Spanish origin
- Ramón Chao, a Galician writer, father of Manu Chao
- Simon Chao, environmental activist and expert on translation
- Pierre Chao, member of the Defense Science Board
