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Learn Penang Hokkien

Learn Penang Hokkien online with practical, real-life situations! Simple, fast and easy learning. Speak Penang Hokkien language with confidence. Start now with uTalk!.


About Penang Hokkien

Hokkien, a variety of the Southern Min languages, originated in south-eastern mainland China and was historically spoken by the Hokkien people, many of whom were maritime traders. Over time, many Hokkien speakers left mainland China and settled in neighbouring coastal areas where the language is now spoken. These include Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines. Each country has their own variety of Hokkien - which can also vary by region - and which often incorporates words from local languages e.g., Malay. uTalk recorded Hokkien speakers from Malaysia’s Penang state.

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Planet Earth
Where is it spoken?

Malaysia

People Talking
Number of speakers

400,000

Family Tree
Language family

Sino-Tibetan

Chinese

Southern Min

Fun facts — Penang Hokkien

  • Penang Hokkien can be written in more than one script. uTalk features both the Taiji and Tâi-lô scripts.
  • Food is very important in Hokkien culture and a traditional greeting is ‘have you eaten?’ which in Penang Hokkien is ‘Lú tsia̍h-pá buē?’.
  • The expression ‘to have lunch or dinner’ literally translates in Penang Hokkien as ‘to eat rice’ - ‘tsia̍h-pūinn’.
  • If a Penang Hokkien speaker says ‘I am eating the wind’ - ‘Uá tsia̍h-hong’ - it means they are going on holiday or on a day out!
  • Penang Hokkien has six tones and at least two sounds – the syllabic nasals ‘m’ and ‘ng’ – are made by keeping your mouth closed and making a sort of humming noise.
  • ‘Hokkien' is the Southern Min pronunciation of the Chinese 福建 (Fújiàn), which is the name of the Chinese province where these languages are primarily spoken.

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