The Kachin peoples (Kachin: Ga Hkyeng, lit. 'red soil'; Burmese: ကချင်လူမျိုး, pronounced [kətɕɪ̀ɰ̃ lù mjó]) are a collection of diverse ethnolinguistic groups inhabiting the Kachin Hills in northern Myanmar's Kachin State, as well as Yunnan Province in China, and the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Approximately 1.5 million Kachin people live in this region.

In contemporary usage, the Kachin peoples typically refer to a specific grouping of four to six ethnicities: the Jingpo, the Zaiwa, the Lashi/Lachik, the Lawngwaw/Maru, and to a lesser extent, the Rawang and the Lisu. Kachin identity is heterogenous and diverse, as it encompasses various ethnolinguistic groups who share overlapping territories, but do not all share coherent cultural practices and integrated social structures. Some definitions distinguish Kachin and Shan (Tai) peoples though some Kachin people have demonstrated the over-simplicity of the concept of lineage-based ethnic identity by culturally "becoming Shans".

The most widely spoken Kachin language is Jingpho, which serves as a regional lingua franca. Jingpho has a number of dialects and is written using a Latin-based script developed in the late 19th century. A version in Burmese script was later created. Various dialects are also spoken in southwestern China and northeastern India, where it is called Singpho. In neighbouring China, "Kachin" is interchangeably used with "Jingpo", who comprise the largest subgroup.

Below are common ethnonyms used by the Kachin subgroups:

The etymology of the ethnonym "Kachin" is unclear, but it likely predates British colonial rule. Burmese and Shan speakers used the term as an exonym to refer to the Jingpo, the largest Kachin subgroup. During the colonial era, "Kachin" became a broad administrative label for all non-Shan and non-Burmese speakers in the Kachin Hills. As the British developed formal classifications, they used language as a key criterion, which led to inconsistencies—some groups labeled as Kachin were not linguistically, ethnically, or racially related to others.

This ambiguity raised questions about whether "Kachin" meant one community and language, many communities with one language, or simply a geographical designation. In the post-independence era, the Burmese government continued to adopt this exonym. The Burmese government classifies the Kachin as one of the country's 8 national races. Today, the Burmese government recognises 12 groups within the "Kachin " national race:

The Kachin peoples lack a collectively agreed endonym. Some Christian institutions, which tend to be dominated by Jingpo speakers, have proposed the term "Jinghpaw Wunpawng" (lit. 'Jingpo confederation') or "Jinghpaw," while the Kachin Independence Organisation uses the term "Wunpawng." These terms remain contested by non-Jingpo ethnic groups that reject a Kachin identity premised on Jingpo identity and culture.

Kachin oral history states that they all descended from Măjoi Shingra Bum or Kăang Shingra also known as Măjoi Shingra Hkindawt. The meaning of the words are plain and refer to a "naturally flat mountain", "central (or common) plain" and "borders of the common plain". This has been alluded to referencing the plateau and was orally stated to be in the northern direction of the Kachin homeland. Further insight were not detailed but some descriptions of snow suggested the Dapha bum in northeastern Assam. The Kachins lived in the watershed of upper Burma surrounded by the Măli hka, N'Mai hka, N-Shawn and the Hpunggawn. The Kachin were unable to move south below the 28th parallel north until a few centuries ago. This migration is attributed to the weakening of the Shan states and Yunnan in the region.