Meaning of Hokkien | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A linguistic subgroup of the Southern Min (Min Nan) branch, of the Min branch, of the Sinitic (Chinese) branch, of the Sino-Tibetan language family which is mainly spoken in the south-eastern part of mainland China (Fujian province), Taiwan, and people of Hoklo descent elsewhere in the world, like in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, etc.
2. the varieties of Hokkien spoken in mainland China, usually as opposed to Taiwanese Taigi spoken in Taiwan.
   Taiwan
3. A group of Han Chinese people whose traditional ancestral homes are in southern Fujian, South China, especially those that ancestrally spoke the Hokkien language.
4. Any person from Fujian.
   dated

Examples

“Almost 90 percent of Taiwan's 6 million occupants at the end of World War II spoke Hokkien.”

“Because Hokkien is the most widely spoken local language (after Mandarin) in both Taiwan and Kinmen, this national language policy – when implemented in Kinmen – resulted in a different perceived language policy.”

“Under colonial rule, learning or speaking my grandma’s native Hokkien, along with dozens of indigenous languages, was illegal by law.”

“The awards celebrate not only Mandopop but also artists singing in Taiwanese - also known as Hokkien - Hakka and indigenous languages, a visible sign of the government's efforts to promote tongues other than Mandarin.”

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:Hokkien.”

CEFR level