Abstract: Objective To investigate the association between passive smoking and tongue cancer in residents in Fujian Province. Methods A case-control study was performed including 190 tongue cancer cases with pathologically confirmed and 686 community controls from September 2010 to January 2015. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) between passive smoking and tongue cancer, and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Stratified analysis was carried out on the sex, age, and residence to explore possible difference in association between subgroups. Results Passive smoking was positively associated with the risk of tongue cancer; adjusted ORs were 2.813 (95% CI:1.581-5.005) for those only initiated before the age of 18, 1.666 (95% CI:1.055-2.631) for those only initiated after the age of 18, and 2.690 (95% CI:1.674-4.322) for those both initiated before and after the age of 18. With the decrease in the initiated age and increase in daily exposure duration as well as duration of passive smoking, the risk of tongue cancer was elevated (all P_trend<0.05). Stratified analysis indicated that passive smokers in female or in people aged 60 and over had higher risk of tongue cancer, compared with those in male or in people aged under 60. Conclusions Passive smoking is an independent risk factor for tongue cancer. Avoiding passive smoking could reduce the incidence of tongue cancer to a certain extent.