Have Fun With Hokkien

Hokkien (福建話) is a group of mutually intelligible Min Nan Chinese dialects spoken throughout Southeastern China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and by many other overseas Chinese. Hokkien originated from a dialect in southern Fujian. It is closely related to Teochew, though mutual comprehension is difficult, and is somewhat more distantly related to Hainanese.

Hokkien historically served as the lingua franca amongst overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, and remains today as the most spoken variety of Chinese in the region (including in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, peninsular Malaysia, and most of Indochina).

Hokkien is reportedly the native language of up to 98.5% of the Chinese Filipino in the Philippines, among which is known locally as Lan-nang or Lán-lâng-oē (“Our people’s language”). Hokkien speakers form the largest group of Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia

The Quanzhou dialect, Xiamen dialect, Zhangzhou dialect, Taiwanese, Penang Hokkien and Singaporean Hokkien are mutually intelligible.

• 咱人話 literally means “our own people’s speech”, it mostly refers to Philippine Hokkien.
• 閩南語 literally means “Southern Min language” or “Ban Lam Gi” or “Minnan language”, this refers to the variant spoken in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Xiamen and Taiwan (in Taiwan and Mainland China).
• 台語 and 台灣話 literally means “Taiwanese language”, this refers to Taiwanese Hokkien.
• 厦門話 literally means Xiamen Speech refers to Min Nan spoken in Xiamen City in Fujian, Mainland China.
• 泉州話literally means Quanzhou Speech refers to Min Nan spoken in Quanzhou City and other City Like Shishi City, Nan-an City,An-xi City Jinjiang City, Hui-an City, Ying-chun City, Dehua City and Tong-an City in Fujian, Mainland China.
• 漳州話 literally means Zhangzhou Speech refers to Min Nan spoken in Zhangzhou City and other City Like Longyan City, Zhangping City, and Dongshan City in Fujian, Mainland China.
• 福建話 literally means “Fujianese language”, this refers to all Fujianese varieties in Taiwan and Mainland China, however this term is a misnomer because in Fujian, China there are many other languages like Min Dong and Min Zhong.

In Malaysia, the Hokkien dialect is the lingua franca for the Chinese in Johor, Malacca, Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, Kelantan, and Sarawak. As such, the Hokkien as a trade language is the majority Chinese language in these states.

Let’s have fun with some Hokkien words and phrases. Bear in mind that these are Hokkien used in Sarawak and may be different from Hokkien used in other parts of Malaysia or other parts of the world.

BAK CHEW ANG translates as “eye red” and means envious.

BAK CHEW HOR SAI KOR translates as “eyes glued by shit” and means ignorant.

BAY HEOW CHOE LANG means  translates as “don’t know how to be human” and means inconsiderate.

BAY TAHAN means cannot endure or tolerate.

BEEN CHHAO CHHAO translates as “face smelly smelly” and means sour face.

BO JIO is a Hokkien phrase which means did not invite.

BOH CHHYE KANG means in vain.

BOH SWEE A KHA translates as “not a beautiful leg” and means one who is a bad paymaster or who doesn’t honour his words.

BO THAO SEEN means forgetful.

BO THAO BO BOEY translates as “no head no tail” and means lack of perseverance or something impossible to understand as one cannot make head or tail out of it.

CHAO LOR translates as “run road” and means abscond.

CHOE POON SEE, BOH CHOE POON SEE translates as “do also die, no die also die” and means a Catch-22 situation.

CHUI KONG LUM PAR SONG translates literally as ” mouth talk, testicles shiok” and is used to describe someone who mouths off only to please himself with no benefit to anyone else.

CHA SI LANG translates as “disturbing people until they die” and is used to describe noisy people

CHAM means “pitifully disastrous”

CHAM SIONG means to negotiate or come to an agreement in order to get out of a spot of trouble.

CHAO KAH translates as”smelly feet” and is used to describe a bad loser or cheat.

CHAP CHENG translates as “mixed kind” and is used to scold someone as a “bastard child” or “mixed blood child”.

CHAP SAR TIAM translates as “thirteen o’clock” and is used to describes something as half-baked or incompetent or with weird behaviour..

CHAR BOR means “woman” or “female”.

CHAR TAU translates as “Wooden Head” and is a derogatory term for someone, in the sense of an idiot.

CHHAT HUEY translates as thief goods and means stolen goods.

CHEE KO PEK means a dirty old man.

CHEEM means something is profound or deep or intellectual.

CHEET KONG PEIK KONG translates as “seven talk eight talk” and means taking nonsense based on hearsay.

CHHEOH LANG CHHEOH KA KEE translates as “laugh at people laugh at ownself” and means the joke is on you.

CHENG HU KANG means government job.

CHIA LAT translates as “to eat strength” and means that a task is onerous and consumes one’s energy.

CHIAK BAY LEOW translates as “cannot finish eating” and it means to have come into great, unending fortune or being blessed with abundance.

CHIAK CHOW translates as “eating grass” and is used to describe impoverishment, and thus doing without.

CHIAK LOOI translates as “eating money” and t is used to describe someonewho is corrupt or a con man or cheat.

CHIAK NOOI PNOOI translates as “eat soft rice” and means a man who lives off the earnings of his female partner.

CHIAK PA EOH KHA translates as “eat full shake legs” and means leading a comfortable life.

CHIAK PA PHAK KA CHNG translates as “eat till full, hit backside” and means to be able to enjoy without paying.

CHOR LOR means “rough” or “crude”,

CHUAY SI translates as”looking for death” and means courting disaster.

CHUI KANA KAH, KAH KANA LUM PAR  translates as “mouth like legs, legs like testicles” and is used to describe someone who is extremely clumsy

EH SAI BO? has the same meaning as the locally anglicized, “Can or not?”

GAO CHOE HEE means good at pretending.

GOR CHIAM TUA KUAY GU CHIA LING translates as “five cents bigger than a bullock cart’s wheel” and is used sarcastically to criticise someone for thinking that his money is worth a lot.

HOE SEEM BOH HOE POH translates as “good heart no good returns” and means good-hearted but not appreciated.

HO SAY means satisfaction, or enthusiastic endorsement.

HOW SEOW means nonsense or bullshit.

KA KEE LANG  means own people.

KAM SYA means thank you.

KANA SAI means like shit.

KANG TAU means opportunity.

KAO PEH KAO BO translates as “cry father, cry mother” and means kicking up a big fuss about something.

KAY KIANG is usually used to describe someone as biting off more than one can chew – to be acting smarter than one actually is.

KAYPOH means a busybody.

KEH KIANG translates as “pretends to be clever” and means acting smart or biting off more than one can chew.

KIA SI LANG translates as “scare people to death” and is used when one has been given a fright.

KIAM SIAP KOOI translates as stingy ghost and someone who is a miser.

KIAO KAH YO LUM PAR translates as “raise one’s legs and shake one’s genital”  and means being extremely idle.

KIASI translates as “afraid of death” and is used to describe someone for being cowardly.

KIASU means afraid of losing.

KIU KIU KIOmeans make a lot of noise.

KONG KA OO KHA OO CHEW translates as “talk unitil got legs got hands” and means exaggeration.

KONG SAR KONG SI translates as “Talk three talk four” and means to engage in idle talk or gossip.

KONG TANG KONG SAI translates as “talk east talk west” and means talking nonsense.

KONG SI MI? means “What are you saying?”.

KOON THAO BO means fist.

KU KU CHIAO is an affectionate Hokkien term for the penis, mostly used when speaking to children.

KWAI LAN literally means strange dick and is a Hokkien term used to describe someone who is  difficult to deal with or is just plain annoying.

LAO HOR BOH translates as “tigress” and maens a fierce loud-mouthed woman.

LAO KWEE means to lose face or to be greatly embarassed.

LAO NUA translates as leaking saliva and means to salivate.

LAO SAI means a case of diarrhoea.

LAO YAH is used to describe something as crappy, broken or useless

LAU TU KHOR translates as “old male pig” and used to describe a lecherous man.

LIAH BO KIEW translates as “catch no ball” and means  to completely not understand.

LIAK KOO CHAO PIK translates as “catch tortoise run turtle” and means unable to meet each other due to miscommunication  or wrong timing.

LIM PEH KA LU KONGtransaltes as “Let your father tell you…”  and is designed to put you in your place – a subordinate position, naturally.

LOH SOH  means longwinded.

LOO TIAM TIAM BOH LANG KONG LOO AIR KAU translates as “you quiet quiet nobo0dy say you are dumb” and is usually used to admonish someone who happens to open his mouth and say the wrong thing at the wrong moment.

MA HUAN means troublesome.

MAI SNG SNG translates as “don’t play-play” and is used as a warning against hubris: do not fool with things beyond your ability.

MANA EH SAI is a hybrid of Malay (Mana – “Where”) and Hokkien (Eh sai – “can”) and is loosely translated  a, “How could it be  possible?”

MIEN KHEK KHEE means don’t stand on ceremony or don’t mention it.

NOH THAO CHUA translates as “two headed snake” and means a hypocrite.

OO CHIT HOE BOH NOH HOE translates as “got one good, no two good” andeathere are both pros and cons.

OO NEE BOH GOAY translates as “got year no months” and means taking a long time.

OOH YIAH BOH?  means “is it for real?” or “Are you sure?”

OR KOOI KOOI translates as black ghost ghost and means very dark or black.

OR KWEE TAU’Or KWEE KONG  translates as “tortoise head” and “tortoise grandfather” and means pimp.

OR SEEM translates as “black heart” and means wicked.

PAR TOR PHAHK LOW KOR translates as “stomach hitting drum” and means a hungry, growling stomach.

PAI KIA  means “bad kid” or “bad boy”.

PAI SEH is used mainly as an apologetic response or a portrayal of the feeling of embarrassment.

PANG PUAY KEE translates as “fly aeroplane” and means being stood up.

PEK CHEK means exasperation or frustration.

PENG SAN means to faint.

PHAH BAY SEE “translates as “beat not dead” and means destructible or invincible.

PHAH TOK CHIAM translates as “hit poison needle” and means to instigate.

PHAK CHEW CHENG translates as “hit the hand gun” and means masturbation.

PHAK PUAY KEE translates as “beat aeroplane” and also meansmasturbation.

PHAK SEE BOH CHAO translates as “ whack die no run” and means no retreat or surrender.

PHAK TOR means going on a date.

PIAN CHIA’H translates as “cheat to eat”. It means doing something which may seem impressive to others but is actually quite easily done.

PIE KOOT SIEN translates as rib fairy and means a very thin person.

POW KA LEOW means all-encompassing or doing everything.

PUI CHAO NUAH translates as “spitting smelly saliva” and is used to describe being extremely fed up or disgruntled.

SI GIN NA  translates as “die children”  and is a Hokkien term used in exasperation which can roughly be translated as “bloody kid”.

SI MI TAI CHI  means “What’s the Matter?”

SIAH SUAY  means embarrassing or an act which embarrasses someone.

TAN BOH CHIAK translates as “earn no eat” and is used to describe something that is useless or not worth your while.

TAN KU KU translates as “Wait long long” and is used to describe something  that  won’t happen.”

TAO KHA CHIEW translates as “fix legs hands” and means to lend a helping hand.

TAU HONG  translates as “air in the head”, meaning “go mad”.

THAO JUAK JAUK BOEY LENG LENG translates as “head hot not tail cold cold” and means lacking persistence when doing something.

T’NG KHA CHNOOI translates as “long ass and means a person who overstays his welcome and takes up too much time of the host.

TOO LAN means disgruntled or pissed off.

TUA PHHAO SIEN translates as “big cannon fairy” and means a boastful person who bullshits a lot.

TUA SAY SEEM translates as “big small heart” and means unfair or one-sided.

TUM SIM means greedy.

YAU KWEE translates as  “hungry ghost” and is used to describe a glutton or avaricious person.

 

It is time for a little joke to ease your tension.

Hokkien Joke

Question: What’s the difference between Angmo & Hokkien fairy tales ?

Answer  : Angmo fairy tales begin with “Once upon a time”
and Hokkien fairy tales begin with ” Lim Peh ka lu kong.”

 

Are you in the mood for some Hokkien riddles? Here we go:

Riddle 1

Thao chiam, boey chiam (Pointed head, pointed behind)

Pang sai chhao hiam hiam (Shit very smelly)

Hair tua toe tang (Laid on a table)

Boh lang hiam. (Nobody makes a fuss)

Riddle 2

Thow loo A mua (Unravel your sarong)

Khnua teoh loo A more (See your hair)

Bun loo A more (Pluck your hair)

Khnua teoh loo A bak (See your flesh)

Chiak loo A bak (Eat your flesh)

Choon loo A Koot (What’s left is your bone)

Riddle 3

3 men having shower together.

Guess an electrical appliance. (Note: Answer must be in Hokkien)

I am sorry to cause you to rack your brain for the answers to the riddles. Now you just sit back and relax as 張惠妹 A-Mei brings you this Hokkien song 心事誰人知.

Now for the answers to the riddles:

Riddle 1: A chicken

Riddle 2: Eating a sweet corn

Riddle 3: Washing Machine (Catch no ball?) In Hokkien (洗衣机 = 洗三支)