Definition of hukou in English:

nounhukou, hukous

• 1An official document issued by the Chinese government, certifying that the holder is a legal resident of a particular area.

  ‘only students with a Beijing hukou are allowed to take the exam in the capital’

  ‘the proportion of city residents who lack urban hukou has been rising’

  1. 1.1mass noun The Chinese system whereby people are legally required to register as residents of a particular area.
     ‘the cost for reforming hukou with a starting group of 20 million migrants would be about $320 billion’