Wh-Question Words

what-- ha mi
where-- ta lok
why-- ha mi su
how-- an chuahn
when-- ti si
who-- chu chooi

Pronouns
I, me--wah we (all)--wah lang (kah liow)
you-- ee them--ee lang eh ("them all", the people)
you- lu you--lu lang eh (them, they, you all, you people)
his, hers--e eh yours, theirs--ee lang eh
mine-- wah eh ours--wah lang eh

Conjunctions
and (with)--kah or--a si

Prepositions
on top, above--teng bihn
on bottom, underneath--e teh
in front--tau cheng

before, first--tau seng

beside, next to--pi ah
across--tui bihn
inside--la bihn
outside--gwa kao

Specifiers and Locators

this--chit
that-- hit
each--take
further--kouq
on-- -tieng
at foot of-- -kha
beside-- -pi
before-- -chieng
behind-- au
in, inside-- -lai
at, by-- -ni
direction to, away-- -khi
other, different--pat
some-- u +
near--kihn
far--hui

Opposites (Boh Siang "Different," Toh Tau Peng "Reverse, the other way around")
yes--ai
no--mai
far--hui
near--=keen
cheap--pan gi
expensive--kui, kooi
dirty--la sam, (boh chin ki)
clean--chin-ki, (boh la sam)
light--chien
dark--tang
bright (daylight)--ku hnw i
dark --am
high--kuan
low--k eh
tall--kuan
short--a
up--thng binh
down--e teh
beautiful--suwee, sue
ugly--boh sui, kap si
in--jep
out--chot
good--ho

bad --pie (broken appliances, naughty, bad)

good--k way
naughty-- pi e-si
left/right--tow chew
right--ch ia chew
thin--sun
fat--pui
pretty (for women, objects, flowers, pictures, etc.) suwee, sui
ugly--boh suwee
handsome (for men)--ean tau
ugly--kiap see
cute (for baby, small craft)--chu bee
not cute--piy kwa
crude, vulgar--chor-lor
refined, fine (delicate, petite, fragile)--ewe siew
vulgar (unrefined, rough, crude, ill-mannered, buffoon, clumsy)--chor lor
polite (to have manners)--(oo) lay-sawr
man--tar p or
woman--char b or --female (human),
male (animal)--kang
female (animal)-- kbo
clever--gao
stupid--g ong
small--seh
big--tua

young--seh hanh
old--tua hanh
thin--san
fat-pui
front--tao ching
behind--au boey
straight--teat
crooked, slanted -- ow hy
young--siow-lien old--lao
child--gin na adult--t ua lang
dead--si
alive--wh oa
weak--lam
strong-- i-yong
wet--tam
dry--t a
sharp (pointy needle)--ch iam
dull--tun
sharp (knife)--lai " "
hard--h eng, teng
soft--t/n ui, nooi
fast--ko-why
slow-- bahn
big, large--tuwa
small, little--say

long--tung
short (length)--teh
broad,wide--kuwaa'
narrow --/ e
happy--huwha -he
sad--/kek-sim ("frustrated hard")
over, above--teng-bin
under, below--/e-te

Colors (Sek)
black--oh
white--pek
red--ang
blue--lam
purple--lam-ma-na
yellow--ooi'
brown--chocolat
grey--hoay-hoo
pink ("watery red")--chui-ang
green--che'
orange--kam
Description of intermediate colors:
turquoise--'the color of the sea' --'siang ka hai e sek'
off-white--'the color of the clouds'--'siang ka hung e sek'

deep red--'the color of pig liver' --'siang ka tu kwa e sek'

tangerine--'the color of tangerine'--'siang ka kam e sek'
This thing is red--Chile meki'a ang e sek--"This thing red one color"
This thing is blue--Chile meki'a lam e sek--"This thing blue one color"
This thing is white--Chile meki'a pek e sek--"This thing white one color"
light--chien
dark--tang
light red--chien ang
dark red--tang ang
light blue--chien lam
dark blue--chien lam
(light/dark) red apple--(chien/tang) ang e pengko "red the apple"
(light/dark) blue ball-- (chien/tang) lam e bot "blue the ball"
(light/dark) purple flower--(chien/tang) lam-ma-na e hua "purple the flower"
(light/dark) green grass--(chien/tang) che' e chou"green the grass"
this grey sea--hoay-hoo e hai "grey sea"
this brown river--chocolat e kang "brown river"
sea is grey--hai hoay-hoo e sek "sea grey (this,one) color"
river is brown--kang chocolat e sek "river brown (this,one) color"
this grey sea--chi-peng e hai hoay-hoo (e) sek "one here this sea grey color"
this brown river--chi-le (e) kang chocolat (e) sek "one-this (one) river brown color"
that grey sea--hi-peng e hai hoay-hoo sek "there this sea grey color"
that brown river--hi-le (e) kang chocolat (e) sek "that (one) river brown color"
this corner of the sea is grey--chi-kak e hai hoay-hoo (e) sek "one section this sea grey (this)
color

this stretch (section, corner) of the river is brown--chi-kak e kang chocolat (e) sek "one
section this river brown (this) color" one red apple--chi-liap ang (e) pengko "one round red
(this, one) apple"
one blue ball--chi-liap lam (e) bot "one round blue (this, one) ball"
one purple flower--chi-lui lam-ma-na (e) hua "one round purple (this,mone) hua"
one patch of green grass--chi-kak che (e) chou--"one patch green (this) grass"
one bundle of green grass--chi-chok che (e) chou--"one bundle green (this) grass"
one patch of green grass --chi-kak e chou che e sek "one patch this grass green this one"
grass is green--chou che' e sek "grass green this color"
apples are red--pengko ang e sek "apple (s) red this color"
balls are blue--bot lam e sek 'balls blue this color"
flowers are purpole-- hua lam-ma-na e sek "flowers purple this color"
this grass is green--chi-le chou che' e sek "this grass green this color"
these apples are red--chi-le pengko ang e sek "the apples green this color"
these balls are blue--chi-le bot lam e sek "these balls blue this color"
these flowers are purple--chi-le bot lam-ma-na e sek "these flowers are purple"
this (one) apple is red -- chi liap pengko ang e sek "one round apple red this color"
this (one) ball is blue -- chi liap bot lam e sek "one round ball blue this color"
this (one) flower is purple--chi lui hua lam-ma-na e sek "this bloom flower purple this color"
this (spot of) grass is green -- chi kak chou che e sek "one square (corner, spot, patch) grass
green this color"
this (bundle of) grass is green--chi chok chou che e sek "one bundle (bunch, bouquet) grass
green this color"
Distinction between single definite emphasis--this "one", the "one" and a singular "set"
definite emphasis--this "bundle"
Distinction between a thing, object, (flower, apple) and a place (sea)
Distinction between place noun and thing noun

Numbers (Ho Tau, Suee Ho Tau "Count numbers")

one--chit , it
two--no, gee
three--san
four--see
five--gor
six--luk
seven--cheet
eight--pe
nine--kow
ten--chap
eleven--chap it
twelve--chap gee
thirteen--chap san
fourteen--chap see
twenty ("two ten")--gee chap
twenty-one ("two ten one")--gee chap it
twenty-two ("two ten two")--gee chap gee
thirty ("three ten")--san chap
thirty-one ("three ten on")--san chap it
thirty-two ("three ten two")--san chap gee
forty--si chap
fifity--go chap
sixty--luk chap

one hundred--chit-b ah
hundred (and) one--b ah (lien) it
"hundred (and) two"--b ah (lien) gee
"hundred (and) ten"--b ah (lien) chap
"one hundred (and) eleven--chit-b ah (lien) chap it"
"two hundred (and) one"--no-b ah (lien) it
"one thousand"-- chit-cheng
"thousand one"-- cheng it
"thousand two"-- cheng gee
"thousand three"-- cheng san
"(one) thousand (and) ten"--(chit) cheng (lien) chap
ten thousand--chap cheng, chap ban
one hundred thousandchit-b ah cheng, chit-bah ban
two hundred thousand--no-b ah cheng
one hundred (and) ten thousand (and) one hundred (and) forty-five-chit-b ah lien chap chen chit-b ah see chap gor
one million-- chit-ba ban, aik ban
first -- (kiok/pie) te it, (kiok) tau--"take head"
second --(kiok/pie) te gee
third --(kiok/pie) te san
fourth--(kiok/pie) te see
fifth--(kiok/pie) te gor
tenth --(kiok/pie) te chap
eleventh -- kiok/pie chap it, "take/line ten one"
twelvth--kiok/pie chap gee, "take/line ten two"

"pie" is used in a line-person is eleventh in line-- chi-le lang pie chap it

s/he is eleventh in line-- ee pie chap it
"kiok" is used in "place"-this person came in eleventh (place)--chi-le lang kiok chap it (meea)
s/he came in eleventh (place)--ee kiok chap it (meea)

"Action"--verbs (Cho ming kia "doing things")--Verbs are basic and simple, without
conjugation for person, tense or plurality. They are contextually modified by basic adverbs.
come--lai go--kii'
send as a gift--sang
swim--su'i
sink--tim
eat--chiak
eat (without chewing)--kam
drink--lim
bite--kahr
suck--sok
drive (car, plane, train, boat)--hoanh
ride--chee, tak
stand--kia
stand up--kia kee
sit--cheh
sit down--cheh lok
run--chow, chau

walk--k ia
crawl--peh
jump--t'eoh
throw--tim
fall-pat toh
catch--li a' (fish, rabbit)
fly--pua
spin, to go around--lian
love, pain (only children)-- t- ia
embrace--lam
want (an apple, love a spuse)--aye
kiss--chim
sleep--koon awake (get up)--kee, ki
dream--bang
nightmare--hang been
day dream--koon bang
lay down--toh
nap--bee
hit--pa -- hit beat--paa', pak
slap--p ah kick--tat
struggle--koon leong scratch--peh
scold--meh curse--lay
scold (usually with vulgar words)--chok
quarrel--seow meh
fight--seow pak

write--siah
draw--o'wah
paint--chat
read--tak
cook--choo chiak, chu
fry--chien'
cut--k aa, kahr
cut (meat)--kuak
fry--chahar, char
deep fry--chien
toast over heat-- poo
burn--seow
pour--tohr
slice (vegetables)--chiat
smoke (cigarette)--sok hoon tie--pak
pick--k'eok
point--g ey
stop--heh
close--kam
open--kooi, kui
push--sak
pull--kui
pray--pai
attach--tau
sew (by hand)--t ee

sew (by machine)--cheay

to iron-- ut (t)
comb--seh (lua)
think--si ow
teach--ka
plead--kui
pray--pai
laugh--cheow, chioo
cry--how
tickle--gili (Malay)
frown--pong tau, pong bin
swallow--toon
pass water, pee--pang jeou
pass motion, poo--pang sai
cough--sau
spit--p ui spit (spittum)-- p'tui nueh
clear throat--kah sau
hiccup--pak kak arhk, pak kok wu
fart--pang pooi
choke--k'neh
vomit--ow
sneeze--hai choo
yell, scream--jiang
call--ki o
sing--kua

talk--kong ua
speak, talk--kong
hear--ti a'
smell--bee
taste--taam
pinch--chu bit
wink--ge' ou
race--seow tau chow
dig--ohr
catch--liak
play--ti toh
sweep--sau
abscond--chau lor
slaughter--tia
bathe--chang ak
wash--say
wash clothes--say snah
scrub, brush--bin

Adverbs--"Action Adjectives"
quiet, silent--tiam
noisy--luan
wind/gas in stomach--pong hong
bloated up (too full)--kam chek

itchy--gatai (Malay)
very--chin ya
very many--chin ya che
almost-- toh ho
already--liow

Fruit (Kueh Chi)--There are no singular or plural forms--just a general form. Plurality is
unmarked. The amount must be specified if more than one.
apple --peng-ko
orange -- kam
tangerines--chiam
lemon-- leng-mong
pear -- lie-ya
banana--keen-chyo
peach -- tow
mangosteen--mang-git
mango--suo-ya-chu
pineapple--ong-lai
papaya--bu-kwa
Durian--'du-rl ien'
rambutan--'rl am-bu-tan'
olive--kan-na
date--cho
lychee-'ly-chi'
coconut--e-ya

related words:
sek--ripe
seen-- new ("fresh")
ku (liow) -old (already)
nua (liow) - rotting (already)
chow (liow) --bad (already)
nui (liow) --soft (already)
ta (liow) --dry (already)
tam (liow) --soggy, wet (already) "Durian"
oo (liow) --black (already) "bananas"
pi (liow)--old (already)
chow bee (liow) -- smell bad (already)
(oo) bee (liow) -- got smell (already)
teng (liow) --hard (already)
boh sek (ko)--not ripe before
a-boy sek (ko)-- not yet ripe before
siow sek (liow)--too ripe (already)
che' ko--still green
the ripe apple--chi-le peng-ko sek (liow)
the (one) ripe apple--chi-liap peng-ko sek (liow)
the old apple--chi-le peng-ko ku (liow)
the (one) ripe apple--chi-liap peng-ko ku (liow)
the unripe apple--chi-le peng-ko boh sek (ko-)
the green apple--chi-le peng-ko che' (ko-)
the apple is very good to eat--chi-le peng-ko chin ho chiak "this apple very good eat"

the apple is not very good to eat--chi-le peng-ko (chin-nya) boh ho chiak "this apple (really)
bad to eat"

Vegetables
green mustard--chai sim, kui tiow, kahr nahr chay, chai tiow
jicama-- bang kuang
potato--kahr nang choo
carrot--ang chai tow
Chinese white radish-- pek chai tow
chile--han cheow
ginger--kihow
chives-- ku chai
dried chiles--han cheow kua
squash (hairy)--mor kua
cucumber--timun
small chile--han cheow kea

Food
sugar--ting
salt--tam
soy sauce--tau u
bean sauce--tau cheon, tau joo
black soya sauce--ohr tau u
salted fish--kiam hu, kiam hoo

fish--hu, hoo
vegetables--chye
salted vegetables--kiam chye
meat-bak
shrimp--har
crabs--chiem
shellfish--hahrm, ciput (Malay), lala (Malay), balitong (Malay), hau, chiem, cheik
eggs--nu i
salted egg--kiam nui
syrup water--ting chooi
bananas--keen choui
candy--ang mo ting
chocolates--chok ko lat
peanut brittle--tow tow ting
sugar cane--kam cheay
bread--low ti
biscuits, cookies--piah
lemon grass--chang mow
coffee--kopi
coffee beans--kopi hoon
tea--teh
boiled water--koon chui
soup--th'ng
dishes--kiam, siang pueh
oil--eui

lard--bak eui
vegetable oil--chye eui
peanut oil--tow tow eui
fried pork rind--bak eu pok
pork floss--bak hoo
rice--pooi
rice (uncooked)--bee, bee chek
red pepper--han chieou
red pepper powder--han chieou hoon

Hawker Food
Dumplings (chang)
bah chang
kee chang
kiam tee chang
hum yoke chang
Dim Sum (Cantonese)
char siew pao tdua pao
kaya pao siu mai
siu kow ieu pui
Food made from flour
apom, apom telu, apom ablek murtabek
roti-canai, roti telu, roti jala, roti babi thosai
putu mayam, putu piring mua chee

che cheong fun ohr kueh

ang ku mee ku

Soupy Dishes
curry mee mee rebus
Hokkien mee mee jawa
lohr mee yong tau foo
lum mee lok lok
hoo tow bee hoon hoo wan th'ng
tok tok mee wan tan mee
ark th'ng koay chiap
mee sua th'ng laksa (sui, lemak)
ke ling gnah mee
Deep Fried Food
ban chang koay goreng pisang
eu char koay kueh kodoh
ham chim peng hua chee, har chee
poh piah chee tau kua chieu (plain), tau kua goreng (vegetables)
har ch'nh
Drinks (Chui, "water, liquid")
kopi o kau kopi o ch'neah
kopi o poke kopi kau
kopi si kop peng
kopi o peng
tau chooi (soy bean juice)

kiam chea chui (sugar cane water)

teh o kau te o-ch'neah
teh o poke teh kau
teh si teh peng
teh o peng teh tarik
lim chooi (beer) stout
Meat Dishes (bak)
satay (chicken, beef, mutton, rabbit, pork)
lohr bak
oh chien (fried oyster)
gee hu
Rice dishes (pui)
bah moey kek pui
chee cheong chuk nasi ulam
kai chok ark pui
hoo moey ketupat
nasi lemak nasi kunyit
nasi kandar nasi tomato
char siuw pui
Fried dishes (char a ming kia)
char kaoy teow char mee suah
char tung hoon Hokkien char
keng che bee hoon koay kak
mee goreng sar har fun
sambal bee hoon

Salad (Chia liau)

ch'neh hoo gado gado
ji hoo eng chai pasembor
po piah rojak
Sweet Dessert (tee a ming kiah)
ais kacang an tow th'ng
pek koay th'ng geng geng kua th'ng
leng chee kang bubur cha cha
bee koe moey chindol
gandum heng jin teh
see koe th'ng tau hua
muar chee
Nonya Kueh
conde conde pulut ta tai
kueh tayap apok apok
rempah udang kueh udang
kueh lapis kueh beng kang
kueh talam kueh kosui
otak otak pulut inti
ketupat k'nui koh
kueh badar huat kueh

Animals (Kim Sieu)

fly-hor seen (h sn)

spider-ti too
pidgeon-kap
monkey-kau
monitor lizard-si kar chuah
Gecko--sin tang
cockroach -ka chuah
squirrel- pong chu
bird- cheow ciu
turkey-hueh keh
caterpillar-seh moh tang
tiger- hohr (h', la-h )
goose- go (go)
cat-meow, neow (niu )
mouse-niau choo
turkey-hue kay (h-ku)
prawn, shrimp- har
king crab-hau
worms- tang
turtle- ku, koo
tortoise-pik
snake- chuah (cu)
cobra- pun kee cheng
python- gim chua
dragon- leng
phoenix- hong

fowl-keh
rooster-keh kak
hen-keh boh (ku)
chicks -keh kia
fish - hu, hoo (h)
horse- beh (b)
bird- cheow
dog, monkey - kau (ka)
duck- ark
pig- tu, too (t)
sow- tu, too boh
piglets-tu, too kia
cow, cattle--gu, goo (g)
deer-lok
mosquito--bang
crab--chi, chim

Nature
Midnight-pua meh (pu m)
cold-ling (kua :SV., ling)
hot-juak (zuq)
flower-hua (hu)
leaf-huek (hiuq)

rain-lor hor (h, loq h)

snow-hor sing
drizzle- hor chooi, hor chui
tree- chui chang (chi)
grass- chaw (cha)
rainbow- kheng
fire -hueh (h)
water-- chooi, chui (cui)
sea-- hai (hai)
river- kang (ho)
clouds- hoon (hn)
wind- hong (hng)
thunder- lee kong (tn lu V.O.)
lightning- sik nak (sq-n)
heaven- th'n teng (th)
hell- im kan
earth- teh (tue, th)
morning- char kee
afternoon- jit tau, chit tau (-p)
night-- arm meh (m)

Vehicles (Chiah)
bicycle- kar tak cheay (kh-tq-chi)
motorbike- mo toh bike

motorcar- cheay (chi, khi-chi, hng-chi)

train-- hua cheay (h-chi)
plane-- pueh key
ship-- choon (cn)
bus-- bus, baht (older people use this) (bs: bt; bat-si, kng-king khi-chi)

Buildings
school--ouk ting (oq-t'ng)
hospital--loh koon choo (i-i, i-kun, lo-kn-ch)
maternity hospital--seah kia ting
I.C. building-- teng ki kuan I.D. = (tieng-ki)
legal office (lawyer) -- "law yer kuan"
prison-- kah khoo keng (haa-kh-king)
sundry shop-- chia tiam mah (cp-h-tim)
police station-- mata keng (king-cht-kik, m-t-ch)
shop-- tiam (tim, tim-tha)
coffee shop-- kopi tiam
medicine shop--eok tiam medicine = (iuq)
cloth shop--por t tiam cloth=(p)

Household (Chu lai)

house--chu, choo (ch)
host/hostess, home owner--chu lang ("house person")

balcony-- hang lohr

roof--chu teng ch-ting po
bedroom, room--pang keng
hall, living room--tiah (t'ng)
lounge, sitting room ( khq-thi)
kitchen--chow ka (ca-kh)
toilet--jamban (Malay)
window--tang ngah (thng-m'ng, thng)
door--mui (m'ng)
key-- soo si (so-s)
curtains for door--tang ngah poh
garden-- hui (h'ng)
fish tank--hu ti, hoo ti
upstairs--lau teng (la-ting po)
downstairs--lau kahr (la-kh po)
stairs- lau tui
rag-- tor por
feather duster--keh moh cheng
broom--chow chew (sa-chi)
air conditioner--leng kee
television--tien see kee
telephone--tien wa (tian-ue) N.
fridge- seeng to (tin-ping-si)
sewing machine--chiam cheay
iron--ut tau (thiq N)

needle- chiam (cim)

scissors--char tow
buttons--looi wah (li)
snap buttons--tak tak looi
washing machine--seh sah kee
electric kettle-- tien teh kor
kettle-- teh koh
ladle-- sin dok
wok--tia
tiffin carrier-- u-wa chan
spatula--chien see
medicine (drug)-- eo hk( iuq)
medicine (water, liquid)-- eoh chooi, eor chui
medicine (pills)--eoh wan
medicine (powder)--eoh hoon
soap--sabun (Malay) (sp-bn)
detergent--sabun hoon
scrubber--bin nar
comb--sar seh (luq)
perfume--pang chooi, pang chui
lipstick--ean chee
powder (face)--bin hoon
towel--bin pohr
toothpaste--chu kee ko (kh-ko)
toothbrush--chu kee bin (kh-bn)

washbasin--bin poon
stove--chau (stationary)--(cau)
stove top--chau teng
burner--hua lor
floor--tau kah, tau kar (th-kh)
light-- hua (ting)
cups--ow (a, pu)
plates-puah
bowl--ouah
chopsticks-- too (t)
spoons--tua keong (thng-s)
forks--chiam ma (chi m)
knife--toh (toa (small): to (large))
pots--book keng
cutting board--tiam
Tongs (for picking up hot charcoal pieces) -- hoy ngek
charcoal--hoy teoah
altar--ang kong tok
table--tow tenng (toq)
chair--kow ee
bed--me'ng ch'ng (bn-ch'ng, mng-ch'ng)
blanket--pou tu'eo (thn)
pillow--chim tau (cm-tha)
bolster-- lam chim, puluk
bed sheet-- chuak ga kam (sheet, bedding) (ph-tu)

mattress--chuak ga
pillow cases--chim tau long
pail--tim ba (thng, cu-thng)
water tub-- chooi tee, chui tee

Things (Miscellaneous)
cigarettes--hoon kee (hn-k, hn)
matches--huey chik (h-cht, h-ch)
money--lui, looi (c, gn, lu)
road--lohr, (l)
loose change, coins--toon nah kea
name, life--mia mi
pencil--iam pit (i n-pt)
ball--bot (ki)
ice-cubes--seeng kak
story book--kohr so chk (story) = (k-s)

People (Lang)
people, person, human--lang (lng)
(common people) = (pq-s)
devil-- kooi, kui
fairy--sien
spirit-- sin

wife--boh, char boh lang, lau ee ("the old one") (b)

(wife, woman)= (h-zn-lng_
(wife, Mrs.)= (tha tha, si n-s; -ni)
husband--ang, tar pho lang, lau ee ("my old one") (ang) (rustic); (thong h, sian- s; ta-p
(said by wife))
bridegroom, "son-in-law"--kia sai (ki; -sa)
bride- sin neoh (sn-ni)
in-laws (male)--chin keh
in-laws (female)--cheh um
relatives--chin lang ('close people') (chn-lng)("clans men")
(relations) = (chn-chik )
grandson--tah bor soon
granddaughter--char boh soon
grandchildren--soon (sn)
sister--ah chi (c-b; tu -c)
brother--ah koo (hi ; -ti; hi; tu-hi; -hi ; ko; -ko)
younger brother--seow tee (siu-t)
younger sister--seow mua (siu-b)
older brother--tua ko
older sister--tua chi ( -c (elder sister))
father--ah pa, papa (la-p, k -h)
mother--ah ma, mama, ah bo (la-b; k-b)
grandfather--ah kong (n-kng: -kng)
grandmother--ah ma (n-m)
aunt--ah ee, ah chim, ah um ('m,: -'m,: cm, -cim, cm-'m: k: a -k; : - )

uncle-ah koo, ah chek, ah pek, ah theow (cik-pq: pq, -pq: cik, -cik, k-ti; k; -k;
-ti)
grandaunt (not necessarily related by blood)--chek ma
granduncle (not necessarily related by blood)--chek kong
boy--tar bor gin na (t-p gn, t-p te)
girl (virgin)--char bor gin na (c-b; c-b te)
child--gin na (zi-l) (boys & girls, children)
son--how sneh (ki; ha-s; tu-ki)
daughter--char yow (c-b-ki)
dumb--ar kow
deaf--chau hi lang
mad, insane, schizophrenic--tau hong, ting tong, mor sin, siow
out of mind--"gila"
visitor--lang khek
surgery--kui toh
innoculation--pak chiam
indigestion--beh seow hua
dizzy--lian, heen

Occupations
beggars--kee chiak ar
tiger-lady--hor kor poh (tiger-h, la-h)
trishawman--lang chia pek
pimp--or kooi, or kui
lady pimp--or kui poh

schoolchildren--ok th'ng gi na
male boss--tou keh (tha-k)
female boss--tou keh soh
coffin maker--chow kua chahr
goldsmith--pak kim (gold)= (km)
vegetable seller--beh chye
pork seller--beh bak
fish seller--beh hu, beh hoo
chicken seller--beh keh
hawker--beh seow huan, chow seow huan
seamstress--chiah sah (tailor) = (cha-hng)
road sweeper--sow keh lohr
fisherman--toh hai
(to fish, go fishing) = (liq h)
(to go sea fishing) = (to h; tho hai)
(to fish with a hook)= (tiu h)
(to fish with a net)= (bng h)
businessman--seng li lang
shop owner--tau kay
shop clerk--chai hoo (shop assistant) = (ca -h)
bridal attendant, lady who knows rituals for the bride--ch'ng khek um
fortune teller--kua meia sen
shaman, bomoh-ki tong, tang ki
priest, exorcist of spirits, officiates funerals--sai kong
person who knows rituals to frighten off spirits--kioh kiah

medium-kee tong, tang ki

monk--hwa seoh
nun, (buddist)-- mare chee
nun--lee koh
medicine man--sin seh
medicine woman--sin seh ma
dentist--chow chu kee
doctor--loh koon, low kun (-sing; lo-kn)
woman doctor--char bor loh koon
Chinese physician--teng lang sin seh
feeling pulse--bong mek
nurse--"missy" (m-s)
judge--poh lay cho
principal--hwa teoh (ha-ti)
detective--aharm pia (cing-thm)
police inspector, secret detective--tua kow (tu ka
policeman--mata kia (king-cht; m-t)
actor/actress--beng seng
construction--chor choo teoh (coolie, laborer)= (k-l; kng-lng)

Clothing (Sanh)
zipper--tua lean
shoe--aa u
sandals--chien tua

wooden clogs--ka kiak

ring-- chew chee
bracelet--chew lian, gelang
anklet--ka lian
earring--he su'ean
locket, pendant--pai
amulet--tangkai, hoo
bib--orh tohr
long blouse--t'ng sanh
pajamas--koon sanh
sweater--nee sa h
raincoat--loh hohr sanh
hat--boh (bo, bo-)
skirt--goon
dress--sanh
school uniform--ouk ting sahn (school)= (q-t'ng)
(uniform)=--c-hk
sarong-mua
long pants--ting kohr
short pants--tay kohr
socks--buek
gloves--chui long
underwear, "undies"--lah bin kohr (la-s)
lace--lendah
bras--la bin seh

suit--kot (s-cng; s; tho; s; kh)

necktie--tie
vest--y tau (Mandarin)
collar--ni a (ni)
shoe lace--a sok (u-tu)
hair clip--tahr mo pin
design--siak ke

Body Parts
hair- m'ng
hair (of the head)--tahr mor tha m'ng
face--bin bn
nose--pe kong ph
(nostril)= ph-khng
ears--hee yahar h; h
eyes--but chew bk; bk-ci
cheeks--chui peh
lips--chui toon
mouth--chui chu
tongue--cheek
chin--sia po (on)
forehead--heak
head--tau kak tha
(of body only)= tha-khk

teeth--chu kee
eyelash--but chew mohr
eyebrow--baht bai mohr
body--seng ku sn-kh
breast--leng
waist--ee yo
back--ka chiak
neck--ahr mor koon
hand--chew chi
thumb--tua kee chai tu-p-b
fingernails--chin kak
liver--ku wah
kidney--e yok chi
heart--sim sm
lung--hee, hooi
ribs--pai kut
leg--kahr kh-thu
(leg, foot)= kh
knee--ka tak ou
thigh--kahr tui, tua tui
buttock--kahr che lun
woman's bottom--ahr sin
penis (derogatory) --ku ku chiou
testicles (derogatory)--lam pa
sole--ka pan

brain--now
fingers--chew chai ca; chi-cai
toe--ka chai
big toe--chai
sin--phoi
fat--pui pu

Senses
bad smell--chow
sweet smell--pang
sour--sioun
salty--kiam kim
sweet--tee
bitter--kohr
heat--hahr
hot--juak zuq
cold--leng ku
(cold, chilly)= ling
angry--kee hong kh
(to get angry)=si kh
good--hoo ho
naughty--pia
spicey--luak
pain--tia

The Hokkien Chinese dialect as it is spoken on Penang Island is an "oral" language. Chinese
language newspapers there are written in Mandarin. There are few English-Hokkien
references available which would facilitate the understanding or learning of the Hokkien
Dialect. The only and most authoritative account available is a two volume Spoken Amoy
Hokkien (Bodman, 1955, 1958) which appears to be intended for use by British military
officers.
The Hokkien Chinese dialect as it is spoken in Penang and upon the Jetty is differs from the
Hokkien dialects found in Singapore, Taiwan and the province of China in which Amoy is
situated. It is expected that there are a number of loan words, loss of formal spoken styles,
refined vocabulary, idioms and colloquialisms of the parent language and the presence of
neologisms that are not borrowings from Malay or English. This dialectal variation is
significant in understanding the restructuring that a local language goes through, and
significant dialectal differences in the replacement of basic terms, form of grammatical
construction and sound shifts can be demonstrated even between sister communities of
Hokkien Chinese within Malaysia.
This patterning must be understood against a complex sociolinguistic background of Penang
that is characterized by the presence of multiple overlapping languages and communities of
partially fused (limited competence) multilingual speakers. The language landscape of
Penang is represented by formal British English, informal "Penanglish," Mandarin, Hokkien
Chinese, Tamil, Hindi, Bahasa Malaysia and Pasar Malay, Cantonese, Teow Chiew Chinese,
Kek, Hakka, Hok Chiew and other Chinese languages.
Though among the Chinese communities that were studied, Hokkien remains the principal
base language. It is expected that most people in Penang have some competence in at least
two or three other languages to a better or worse degree of competence, and it is not unusual
to find individuals knowing five or six distinctly different languages with a fairly high level
of competence in most of them. An interesting facet of this patterning is that much of this
multilingualism is acquired through indirect and informal means, personal interactions in the
market place or business world, through television and other forms of media and friendship
or familial ties. Only the major languages of English, Malay and Mandarin are taught
formally in the curriculum.

A schematic diagram portraying the linguistic complexity and heteroglossia of Penang

Fused multilingualism is a common, shared part of the language patterning found in Penang-a part of the mother tongue spoken by parents and among one's peers and other social role
models. Multilingual fusion is characterized by relative frequencies of code-switching/mixing
between languages at several levels (syntactic, semantic, phonetic, stylistic levels) of
linguistic analysis simultaneously. The following is an example of a normal dialogue mixing
Hokkien, English (underlined) and Malay (highlighted) between two Chinese women who
were originally of different dialect groups:
Speaker one: 1. Tiga suku...in a way...siaw lian boh mature....e a thinking a noun boh har me
straight....so every time e a boyfriend chiau e chut kee dating, the next day e lai office....e
kong e a boyfriend chow har mi, chuah e kee tak loh...har mi ka liau....these two old ladies
wah....kong koh, tell me more, tell me more, koh, ai chai whatever happen kah liau.
Speaker two: 2. So, e tell more.
Speaker one: 3. Tell kah liau, kah lu kong, tiga suku....si wah, boh kong hor tian e lang...after
that....lau e kong lau loh, this girl chut kee lunch....gossip....bodoh, actually, tit ah girl....bay
haui koh e a seng ku....a ya, terrible lah, these two old ladies....Remember these two old
biddies I was telling you about in the office.
Speaker two: 4. Ya....how can I forget.

Speaker one: 5. One day....e meet wah for lunch downstairs and then the two old ladies...lau
wah... introduce him to one of them, only one of them because the....I don't know what
happen to her...I get angry with them, these two old ladies....terrible....in my whole life cho
kang working life.
Code-swtiching and code-mixing patterns occur both contextually in the background,
unconsciously as part of the individual's normal speech style, and consciously as part of a
deliberate and strategic form of "information control" and status manipulation. A great deal
of attention must be paid to the effective use of code switching/mixing at appropriate points,
especially in complex inter-linguistic interactions when information and status are critically
important.
Within such a context, the expressive function of language as an aesthethic medium, the
"poetic" function of language, and subjectivation-objectivation in the reinforcement of a
coherent, shared version of reality necessarily yields to the social and largely pragmatic
function of communicative efficacy of "making oneself understood in the best, shortest way
possible." Pragmatic problems of "making things happen" and "getting the job done" take
first place over formal or aesthetic consideration of language production and interpretation.
Within this normal context of fused multilingualism, we must understand the importance that
the individual speech setting plays in the patterning which linguistic interaction takes (in the
home, in the office, in the market place, in the neighborhood, at the shopping center, etc.).
The second level upon which this operates is in the sociolinguistic background of speech
community in which the boundaries of that community are inherently complex and inherently
"isolectal" rather than clear-cut. Members have normally access to more than one alternate
patterning of language at any one time, and this patterning complicates communication and
characterization of a speech community in which the normal state of affairs is a sort of
creolized "fusion."
It can be expected that normally complex multilingual settings are characterized by high
levels of noise--potential for ambiguity and misunderstanding. The problem of the
disambiguation of meaning, primarily through simplification of code, will therefore take
precedence over the problem of expression or refinement of meaning through the
sophistication and elaboration of code. Structural resemblance of emergent languages must be
understood as the consequence of shared design features in the process of linguistic
reduction.
Rules of practice are worked on daily, ironed and eventually smoothed out biographically and
historically by trial and error, and the entire prolonged process can be looked upon as one of a
long series of mistakes and learning and focal elaboration and simplification on the basis of
these error patterns.
The consequence of this patterning may be a process of continuous "linguistic convergence"
which can be dialectically contraposed to the better understood patterning of linguistic
divergence. Within a given speech community, we can hypothesis the emergence of a new,
fairly coherent "creolized" patterning of speech which is the direct consequence of
multilingual fusion and which can be considered to be the offspring of two or more distinct
parent languages.

The basis of organization of this reference is upon "natural classes" that are the result of
systematic elicitation of terms from native speakers. A brief vocabulary of Hokkien terms and
sentences has been put together based upon what appear to be ethnosemantically salient and
possibly more basic categories within the language (based upon pile sorts of terms and
domains and word lists by native speakers), with the idea of conveying a fraction of spoken
Hokkien as it occurs in Penang. Some of these terms are compared with those available
(those underlined and in parenthesis in the following word lists) from the only Hokkien
reference available (Bodman, 1958) probably drawn mostly but not exclusively from the
standard parent dialect of Amoy. Phonological shifts of certain vowel sounds are apparent in
some of the terms, the most notable are those for fish ("hu" from "h") and pig ("tu" from
"t").
The form of presentation or ordering of this patterning is merely suggestive and should not be
taken as either correct or monolithic or homogeneous within the community that was studied.
Morphophonemic shifting of certain tone patterns, vowels and consonantal clusters regular
occur within the varying phrase contexts which makes uniform description difficult and there
appears to be a dropping or merging of certain final consonants. There is no standard form of
spelling of these terms, and nor is there uniform agreement on the orthography of the
syllables and sounds heard. Variant, alternate forms can be found for many terms, and many
exceptional terms and even basic categories are missing from this inventory.
At the outset, it should be remarked that the Penang variety of Hokkien as an oral language is
inherently bound up in trading and marketing activities, in practical affairs of the home,
kinship, domestic management, cooking, familial relationships and in religious practices and
beliefs. It is not a language to be used for intellectual abstraction, scientific theorization,
refined discussion of the more subtle or sublime feelings or resonance's in the world, or for
the romantic elaboration of the affairs of heart. When Hokkien Chinese wish to talk about
these things, they invariably "switch-out" of Hokkien and easily slip into other codes-Mandarin, English, Malay, for the sake of expressive elaboration. To underscore this facet of
Hokkien is not to belittle the language--such elaboration and sophistication is possible and
probably has been worked out by some people--but it is not commonly found among the
average speaker.
There is an important sense in which spoken Hokkien is "context" bound and a great deal of
the phrase structure of the language depends upon an understanding of the local context in
which it occurs. A great deal of the stylistic modification and manipulation of the language
for purposes of information control and communicative efficacy is based upon this contextual
nature of the language, and knowledge of the immediate context is often necessary before a
correct interpretation of a statement can be made.
This contextuality of Hokkien Chinese finds expression in spatially oriented constraints
within syntactic construction through the use of special verb forms of "to go," "to come," "to
give," and "to take;" of particles that act as "localizers" and noun-specifiers; as well as in the
deemphasis of devices of temporal modifiers--i.e. verb tense. This intrinsic contextboundness of Hokkien can be easily fit within an extrinsic cultural context of a larger
patrilineal, "kin-centric" universe of relations in which geomantic principles and familial
social relationships are highly elaborated.
Grammar normally entails a simplified subject-verb-object order, but this order does not
appear to be strongly determinative of phrase structure, except that verbs or the objects of a

predicate do not come before the subject. Adjectives come before nouns, as in English. There
are a number of ways of saying the same thing, for example the simple and common phrase
"Are you going to the market today?" can be expressed in several different ways--"Lu ki bahn
sahn o kane jit?", "Lu ai ki bahn sahn o?", "Kane jit lu ou ki bahn sahn o?", "Kane jit lu ai ki
bahn sahn o?", "Lu ai ki banh sanh o kane jit?".
Verbs are not conjugated and have no tense or plural/singular markings. The placement of the
verb in relation to the subject is marked by adverbial particles (such as"beq, ue, thang, ue sai,
ue thang, teq, + la, bat, -liau" aspects), "stative verbs" (such as "ho"), "directive verbs" (such
as "ki", "lai", "sang"), and auxiliary verbs (such as "u") and that defines the entire system as
"aspectual," expressing assertion, possibility, likelihood, intention or expectation.