Hakka (客家话; Kèjiāhuà in Mandarin ) is one of the main seven or so Chinese languages. It is spoken across several provinces in Southeast China including Taiwan and Hainan and Hong Kong . In this article, the Hong Kong dialect of the Hakka language will be used.
[edit ] Brief Overview The Hakka (客家 Kèjiā, IPA : [hak₃ ka₃₃] ) people are said to have migrated south from Northern China over the centuries to settle in southern Jiangsu and Hunan , western Fujian , eastern Guangdong , and various other areas, due to wars, famine, natural disasters, and political persecution. Hakka comes from the words '客' "guest" and '家' "families" which derives from an official term during the Qing Dynasty for the program of resettlement of the coastal areas of Guangdong after evacuation orders imposed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. These settlers whose language seemed different to the original inhabitants were given this appellation to show they were not indigenous to the areas they became settled in. Most indigenous inhabitants occupied the more fertile basins, whilst the incoming Hakka became settled in the more inaccessible valleys and mountainous or hilly terrain. The Hakka language (客家话; Kèjiāhuà) is shares a common vocabulary with Southern languages such as Min and Yue, and there are regular sound correspondences to the historical sound system of Middle Chinese .
[edit ] Pronunciation guide The most accessible Hakka speakers are found in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of them will be dual language speakers, in Hong Kong, they are able to understand and speak Cantonese, whilst on the mainland of China and on Taiwan, they will also speak Mandarin. There is no standard form of Hakka and regional variations in local dialects can be surmounted by understanding the gist of the spoken sentence and knowing some sound correspondences that the user will encounter.
There are some sounds in Hakka which do not occur in English. The following pronunciation guide aims to rhyme English words with the sounds found in the Hakka syllable. Please note they are approximations, you may require a Hakka speaker to guide your pronunciation.
[edit ] Vowels The vowels can be long or short. Long vowels occur in open syllables, where there are no endings. Short vowels occur in syllables which end in nasals (-m, -n or -ng) or stops (-p, -t or -k).
Vowel Sound Length Varies with Syllable Endings
Romanised Vowel
IPA
Long Vowel
IPA
Short Vowel
a
[ aː ]
a in car
[ ɐ ]
u in cut
e
[ ɛː ]
ai in hair
[ e ]
e in pet
i
[ iː ]
ee in been
[ ɪ ]
i in pit
o
[ ɔː ]
or in core
[ ɒ ]
o in pot
u
[ uː ]
oo in boot
[ ʌ ]
a in again
In some dialects there is a vowel which we represent as ii, which does not occur in standard English. It is a retroflex i, the closest sound is almost like ir in "shir" when saying English 'sure'. In the Hong Kong dialect, these sounds become -i or -u.
[edit ] Initial or Consonant
Consonant Sounds in Hakka
b
p
m
f
v
[ p ]
[ pʰ ]
[ m ]
[ f ]
[ ʋ ]
almost like b in boy
almost like p in pot
like m in man
like f in far
almost like v in van
d
t
n
l
[ t ]
[ tʰ ]
[ n ]
[ l ]
almost like d in dart
almost like t in star
like n in no (in most Hakka dialects)
like l in low
g
k
ng
h
[ k ]
[ kʰ ]
[ ŋ ]
[ h ]
like g in gone
like k in kin
like ng in singer
like h in how
z
c
s
y
[ ts ]
[ tsʰ ]
[ s ]
[ j ]
[ ˀ ]
like ts in tests
like t in too c in Italian ciao
like s in sow
like y in yew
A slight closing of the throat before syllables that begin with a vowel
Syllable Rimes in Hakka
a
ai
au
am
an
ang
ap
at
ak
[ a ]
[ ɐj ]
[ ɐu ]
[ ɐm ]
[ ɐn ]
[ ɐng ]
[ ɐp ]
[ ɐt ]
[ ɐk ]
far
eye
how
ham
an
fang
lap
sad
hag ]
ia
iɐu
iɐm
iɐng
iɐp
iɐk
[ ja ]
[ jɐu ]
[ jɐm ]
[ jɐng ]
[ jɐp ]
[ jɐk ]
yarn
yow
yam
yang
yap
yak
e
eu
em
en
ep
et
[ ɛ ]
[ eu ]
[ em ]
[ en ]
[ ep ]
[ et ]
hair
eow
em
en
epic
bet
ie
ieu
iem
ien
iep
iet
[ jɛ ]
[ jeu ]
[ jem ]
[ jen ]
[ jep ]
[ jet ]
yeah
yeow
yem
yen
yep
yet
i
im
in
ip
it
[ i ]
[ ɪm ]
[ ɪn ]
[ ɪp ]
[ ɪt ]
bee
dim
tin
dip ]
lit
ii
iim
iin
iip
iit
[ ʐ ]
[ ʐm ]
[ ʐn ]
[ ʐp ]
[ ʐt ]
fur
firm
fern
burp
bird
o
oi
on
ong
ot
ok
[ ɔ ]
[ ɒj ]
[ ɒn ]
[ ɒŋ ]
[ ɒt ]
[ ɒk ]
core
coy
con
kong
cot
cock
io
ioi
ion
iong
iot
iok
[ jɔ ]
[ jɒj ]
[ jɒn ]
[ jɒŋ ]
[ jɒt ]
[ jɒk ]
yore
yoy
yon
yong
yot
yok
u
ui
un
ung
ut
uk
[ u ]
[ uj ]
[ un ]
[ uŋ ]
[ ut ]
[ uk ]
woo
wee
bun
bung
but
book
iu
iun
iung
iut
iuk
[ ju ]
[ jʌj ]
[ jʌn ]
[ jʌŋ ]
[ ʌt ]
[ ʌk ]
you
youeille
'yun
young
yut
yuck
m
n
ng
[ m ]
[ n ]
[ ng]
mmm
nnn
ung
Tones in Hakka
#
IPA
Tone Letter
Character
Romanisation
Syllable in IPA
Meaning
1
33
˧
被
pi1
[ pʰi˧ ]
quilt cover
2
11
˩
皮
pi2
[ pʰi˩ ]
skin
3
31
˧˩
彼
pi3
[ pʰi˧˩ ]
that, there, those
4
53
˥˧
鼻
pi4
[ pʰi˥˧ ]
nose
5
3
˧
匹
pit5
[ pʰi˧ ]
bolt of cloth; counter for horses
6
5
˥
蝠
pit6
[ pʰi˥ ]
flying mammal called a bat
The tone changes known as sandhi does occur, but the change in the pitch is not as great as found in other Chinese languages.
[edit ] Some Sound Correspondences between dialect of the Hakka Language Apart from tonal differences, there are small variations in pronunciations from place to place. The following details some of the more commonly found differences, which may be helpful to the user when hearing other speakers from different areas.
h is sometimes pronounced as s , especially when there is a vowel -i- in the syllable. E.g. 兄 hiung1 may be pronounced siung1 .
au is sometimes pronounced as o . E.g. 好 hau3 / ho3
ai is sometimes pronounced as e E.g. 雞 gai1 / ge1
Some Hakka dialects has the -u- medial, so you may hear words like 光 gong1 pronounced as guong1 (gwong1).
[edit ] Phrase list [edit ] Basics
Common signs
OPEN 營業中 / 開
CLOSED 休息 / 關
ENTRANCE 入口
EXIT 出口
PUSH 推
PULL 拉
TOILET 洗手間
MEN 男
WOMEN 女
FORBIDDEN 禁止
Hello. . ( )
Hello. (informal ) . ( )
How are you? ? ( ? )
Fine, thank you. . (Simungi )
What is your name? ? ( ? )
My name is ______ . ______ . ( _____ . )
Nice to meet you. . ( )
Please. . ( )
Thank you. . ( )
You're welcome. . ( )
Yes. . ( )
No. . ( )
Excuse me. (getting attention ) . ( )
Excuse me. (begging pardon ) . ( )
I'm sorry. . ( )
Goodbye . ( )
Goodbye (informal ) . ( )
I can't speak name of language [well]. [ ]. ( [ ] )
Do you speak English? ? ( ? )
Is there someone here who speaks English? ? ( ? )
Help! ! ( ! )
Look out! ! ( ! )
Good morning. . ( )
Good evening. . ( )
Good night. . ( )
Good night (to sleep ) . ( )
I don't understand. . ( )
Where is the toilet? ? ( ? )
[edit ] Problems Leave me alone. . (Hang koi . )
Don't touch me! ! (Mok mie ngai ! )
I'll call the police. . (Ngai woi ham gin chat loi . )
Police! ! ( Gin chat! )
Stop! Thief! ! ! (Mok Jieu. Si Gui Chet ! ! )
I need your help. . (Ngai Si yau ngi bong mong ngai . )
It's an emergency. . ( . )
I'm lost. . ( . )
I lost my bag. . ( Ngai m-gian tet ngai gai bau. )
I lost my wallet. . (Ngai m-gian tet ngai gai hor bau . )
I'm sick. . (Ngai piang . )
I've been injured. . ( Ngai bun siu song lo"')
I need a doctor. . ( Ngai si yau yi shen )
Can I use your phone? ? ( Ngai ko yi jia yong ngai gai tian fa mo? )
[edit ] Numbers 1 一 yit5
2 二 ngi4
3 三 sam1
4 四 si4
5 五 ng3
6 六 luk5
7 七 cit5
8 八 bat5
9 九 giu3
10 十 sip6
11 十一 sip6 yit5
12 十二 sip6 yit5
13 十三 sip6 sam1
14 十四 sip6 si4
15 十五 sip6 ng3
16 十六 sip6 luk5
17 十七 sip6 cit5
18 十八 sip6 bat5
19 十九 sip6 giu3
20 二十 ngi4 sip6
21 二十一 ngi4 sip6 yit5
22 二十二 ngi3 sip6 ngi4
23 二十三 ngi3 sip6 sam1
30 三十 sam1 sip6
40 四十 si4 sip6
50 五十 ng3 sip6
60 六十 luk5 sip6
70 七十 cit5 sip6
80 八十 bat5 sip6
90 九十 giu3 sip6
100 一百 yit5 bak5
200 二百 ngi4 bak5
300 三百 sam1 bak 5
1000 一千 yit5 cien1
2000 二千 ngi4 cien1
10,000 一萬 yit5 van4
100,000 十萬 sip6 van4
1,000,000 一百萬 yit5 bak5 van4
10,000,000 一千萬 yit5 cien1 van
100,000,000 一億 yit4 yit6
1,000,000,000 十億 sip6 yit6
10,000,000,000 一百億 yit5 bak5 yit6
100,000,000,000 一千億 yit5 cien1 yit6
1,000,000,000,000 一兆 yit5 cau4
number _____ (train, bus, etc.) _____號 hau4
half 半 ban4
less 少 sau3
more 多 do1
now 今下 gin1 ha4
late 遲 ci2
early 早 zau3
morning 朝頭早 zau1 teu2 zau3
afternoon 下晝 ha1 zu4
evening 暗晡晨 am4 bu1 sin2
night 夜晚晨 ya4 man1 sin2
dawn 日頭一起 ngit5 teu2 yit5 hi3
dusk 日頭落光 ngit5 teu2 lok6 gong1
[edit ] Clock time 1 o'clock 一點鐘 yit5 diam3 zung1
2 o'clock 兩點鐘 liong3 diam3 zung1 (Note 兩 liong3 is used)
3 o'clock 三點鐘 sam1 diam3 zung1
The twelve divisions of the hour by five minute increments makes it fairly convenient to tell the time.
at the hour 搭正 dap5 zin4
5 past 搭一 dap5 yit5 (literally "connected to number 1 on the clock face")
10 past 搭二 dap5 ngi4
quarter past 搭三 dap5 sam1
20 past 搭四 dap5 si4
25 past 搭五 dap5 ng3
half past 搭半 dap5 luk5
25 to 搭七 dap5 cit5
20 to 搭八 dap5 bat5
quarter to 搭九 dap5 giu3
10 to 搭十 dap5 sip6
5 to 搭十一 dap5 sip6 yit5
Combine the two and you can express time as hour and minute combinations
twenty five past seven 七點搭五 ciu4 cit5 diam3 dap5 ng3
When you want to express a time between the five minute divisions, you can do so by nearly or just after in the following manner.
nearly twenty five past seven 就七點搭五 ciu4 cit5 diam3 dap5 ng3
just after twenty five past seven 整過七點搭五 zang4 go4 cit5 diam3 dap5 ng3
nearly (approaching) 就到 ciu4 dau4
just past (gone) : 過滴 go4 dit6
noon 正午 zin4 ng3
midnight 半夜 ban4 ya4
[edit ] Duration _____ minute(s) _____分鐘 _____fun1 zung1
_____ hour(s) _____隻鐘頭 _____zak5 zung1 teu2
_____ day(s) _____日 _____ngit5
_____ week(s) _____隻星期 _____zak5 sin1 ki2 / _____隻禮拜 _____zak5 li1 bai4
_____ month(s) _____ 隻月頭 _____zak5 ngiet6 teu2
_____ year(s) _____年 _____ngien2
today 今日 gin1 ngit5
yesterday 喒晡日 cam4 bu1 ngit5
tomorrow 明早日 min2 zau1 ngit5
tomorrow 天过日 tian guo ngit
this week 這隻星期 ngia3 zak5 sin1 ki2 / 這隻禮拜 ngia4 zak5 li1 bai4
last week 上隻星期 song4 zak5 sin1 ki2 / 上隻禮拜 song4 zak5 li1 bai4
next week 下隻星期 ha4 zak5 sin1 ki2 / 下隻禮拜 ha4 zak5 li1 bai4
Sunday 禮拜 li1 bai4 / 星期天 sin1 ki2 tien1
Monday 禮拜一 li1 bai4 yit5 / 星期一 sin1 ki2 yit5
Tuesday 禮拜二 li1 bai4 ngi4 / 星期二 sin1 ki2 ngi4
Wednesday 禮拜三 li1 bai4 sam1 / 星期三 sin1 ki2 sam1
Thursday 禮拜四 li1 bai4 si4 / 星期四 sin1 ki2 si4
Friday 禮拜五 li1 bai4 ng3 / 星期五 sin1 ki2 ng3
Saturday 禮拜六 li1 bai4 luk5 /星期六 sin1 ki2 luk5
[edit ] Months January 一月 yit5 ngiet6
February 二月 ngi4 ngiet6
March 三月 sam1 ngiet6
April 四月 si4 ngiet6
May 五月 ng3 ngiet6
June 六月 luk5 ngiet6
July 七月 cit5 ngiet6
August 八月 bat5 ngiet6
September 九月 giu3 ngiet6
October 十月 sip6 ngiet6
November 十一月 sip6 yit5 ngiet6
December 十二月 sip6 ngi4 ngiet6
First lunar month 正月 zang1 ngiet6
Second lunar month 二月 ngi4 ngiet6
Third lunar month 三月 sam1 ngiet6
Fourth lunar month 四月 si4 ngiet6
Fifth lunar month 五月 ng3 ngiet6
Sixth lunar month 六月 luk5 ngiet6
Seventh lunar month 七月 cit5 ngiet6
Eighth lunar month 八月 bat5 ngiet6
Ninth lunar month 九月 giu3 ngiet6
Tenth lunar month 十月 sip6 ngiet6
Eleventh lunar month 十一月 sip6 yit5 ngiet6
Twelth lunar month 十二月 sip6 ngi4 ngiet6
Leap intercalculary month 閏月 yun4 ngiet6
First day of lunar month 初一 co1 yit5
Second day of lunar month 初二 co1 ngi4
Ninth day of lunar month 初九 co1 giu3
Tenth day of lunar month 初十 co1 sip6
Eleventh day of lunar month 十一(日) sip5 yit5 (ngit5)
[edit ] Writing time and date [edit ] Colors black (Wu set )
white ( pak set )
gray ( foi set )
red ( 'fung set"')
blue ('lam set' )
yellow ( Wong set )
green ( luk set )
orange (gam set )
purple ( ji set )
brown ( )
[edit ] Transportation [edit ] Bus and train How much is a ticket to _____? ( )
One ticket to _____, please. ( )
Where does this train/bus go? ( )
Where is the train/bus to _____? ( )
Does this train/bus stop in _____? ( )
When does the train/bus for _____ leave? ( )
When will this train/bus arrive in _____? ( )
[edit ] Directions How do I get to _____ ? ( )
...the train station? ( )
...the bus station? ( )
...the airport? ( )
...downtown? ( )
...the youth hostel? ( )
...the _____ hotel? ( )
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? ( )
Where are there a lot of... ( )
...hotels? ( )
...restaurants? ( )
...bars? ( )
...sites to see? ( )
Can you show me on the map? ( )
street ( )
Turn left. ( )
Turn right. ( )
left ( )
right ( )
straight ahead ( )
towards the _____ ( )
past the _____ ( )
before the _____ ( )
Watch for the _____. ( )
intersection ( )
north ( )
south ( )
east ( )
west ( )
uphill ( )
downhill ( )
Taxi! ( )
Take me to _____, please. ( )
How much does it cost to get to _____? ( )
Take me there, please. ( )
[edit ] Lodging Do you have any rooms available? ( )
How much is a room for one person/two people? ( )
Does the room come with... ( )
...bedsheets? ( )
...a bathroom? ( )
...a telephone? ( )
...a TV? ( )
May I see the room first? ( )
Do you have anything quieter? ( )
...bigger? ( )
...cleaner? ( )
...cheaper? ( )
OK, I'll take it. ( )
I will stay for _____ night(s). ( )
Can you suggest another hotel? ( )
Do you have a safe? ( )
...lockers? ( )
Is breakfast/supper included? ( )
What time is breakfast/supper? ( )
Please clean my room. ( )
Can you wake me at _____? ( )
I want to check out. ( )
Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? ( )
Do you accept British pounds? ( )
Do you accept Euros? ( )
Do you accept credit cards? ( )
Can you change money for me? ( )
Where can I get money changed? ( )
Can you change a traveler's check for me? ( )
Where can I get a traveler's check changed? ( )
What is the exchange rate? ( )
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? ( )
[edit ] Eating A table for one person/two people, please. ( )
Can I look at the menu, please? ( )
Can I look in the kitchen? ( )
Is there a house specialty? ( )
Is there a local specialty? ( )
I'm a vegetarian. ( )
I don't eat pork. ( )
I don't eat beef. ( )
I only eat kosher food. ( )
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard ) ( )
fixed-price meal ( )
a la carte ( )
breakfast ( )
lunch ( )
tea (meal ) ( )
supper ( )
I want _____. ( )
I want a dish containing _____. ( )
chicken ( )
beef ( )
fish ( )
ham ( )
sausage ( )
cheese ( )
eggs ( )
salad ( )
(fresh) vegetables ( )
(fresh) fruit ( )
bread ( )
toast ( )
noodles ( )
rice ( )
beans ( )
May I have a glass of _____? ( )
May I have a cup of _____? ( )
May I have a bottle of _____? ( )
coffee ( )
tea (drink ) ( )
juice ( )
(bubbly) water ( )
(still) water ( )
beer ( )
red/white wine ( )
May I have some _____? ( )
salt ( )
black pepper ( )
butter ( )
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server ) ( )
I'm finished. ( )
It was delicious. ( )
Please clear the plates. ( )
The check, please. ( )
Do you serve alcohol? ( )
Is there table service? ( )
A beer/two beers, please. ( )
A glass of red/white wine, please. ( )
A pint, please. ( )
A bottle, please. ( )
_____ (hard liquor ) and _____ (mixer ), please. ( )
whiskey ( )
vodka ( )
rum ( )
water ( )
club soda ( )
tonic water ( )
orange juice ( )
Coke (soda ) ( )
Do you have any bar snacks? ( )
One more, please. ( )
Another round, please. ( )
When is closing time? ( )
Cheers! ( )
[edit ] Shopping Do you have this in my size? ( )
How much is this? ( )
That's too expensive. ( )
Would you take _____? ( )
expensive ( )
cheap ( )
I can't afford it. ( )
I don't want it. ( )
You're cheating me. ( )
I'm not interested. (..)
OK, I'll take it. ( )
Can I have a bag? ( )
Do you ship (overseas)? ( )
I need... ( )
...toothpaste. ( )
...a toothbrush. ( )
...tampons. . ( )
...soap. ( )
...shampoo. ( )
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen ) ( )
...cold medicine. ( )
...stomach medicine. ... ( )
...a razor. ( )
...an umbrella. ( )
...sunblock lotion. ( )
...a postcard. ( )
...postage stamps. ( )
...batteries. ( )
...writing paper. ( )
...a pen. ( )
...English-language books. ( )
...English-language magazines. ( )
...an English-language newspaper. ( )
...an English-English dictionary. ( )
[edit ] Driving I want to rent a car. ( )
Can I get insurance? ( )
stop (on a street sign ) ( )
one way ( )
yield ( )
no parking ( )
speed limit ( )
gas (petrol ) station ( )
petrol ( )
diesel ( )
[edit ] Authority I haven't done anything wrong. ( )
It was a misunderstanding. ( )
Where are you taking me? ( )
Am I under arrest? ( )
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. ( )
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. ( )
I want to talk to a lawyer. ( )
Can I just pay a fine now? ( )
[edit ] Learning more
