• The use of the term “散钱” to mean “small change” first appeared in the Tang-dynasty novel Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang: Records of Nuogao (《酉阳杂俎·诺皋记上》).
• It also appears in Chronicle of Zhu Zi (《朱子年谱》), written in the Qing dynasty. It refers to a Qing-dynasty coin with a square hole in the middle that could be strung together and be used as change.
• In the Hokkien dialect, the term “散钱” refers to banknotes of smaller values. However, the term is used in Singapore and Malaysia to refer to small denominations of currency, such as coins, otherwise known as “零钱” in Mandarin.
• The word “散” in “散钱” is derived from the second character in the Mandarin term “零散”, unlike the term “零钱” used in Mainland China, which makes use of the first character “零”.

I had some coins that were probably small change from buying fishball noodles during recess. I used them to secretly buy haw flakes at the mama shop downstairs at the corner of the shophouses, because I knew that I would definitely get a scolding if my mother found out. (Lianhe Zaobao, 28/6/2018)

零钱 (Mainland China), 散纸 (Hong Kong)