Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-01-07 19:21
Hakka Slangs by Ong Kok Meng
Ong Kok Meng says
The Fui Chiu Hakkas (惠州客家) believes in talking loudly like the sound
of thunder. "lui-kung sang 雷公聲" (literal: voice like thunder) is encouraged.
Talking in a low voice is discouraged, as only people who are dying will
do so. Talking loudly also serves to differentiate one word from another
due to the tone system in this dialect.
Ghosts, its believe and others
"kui 鬼" or ghost is not mentioned especially at nighttime. This is stated
in the
proverb, "pak nyit mao kong ngin, ya mao kong kuiō 白日莫講人, 夜晚莫講
鬼". This proverb literally means "daytime, don't speak of the living, night-
time don't speak of the devil".
The Caucasian is referred to as Red Devil (hung mao kui 紅毛鬼 or hung mao
ngin 紅毛人) as some Caucasian has red hair. Caucasians are also referred
to as fan-kui 番鬼 (literal: ocean ghost).
Do not sleep with your feet facing the door. Only corpse sleeps this way.
Taboo Words
coffin-maker Substitute: tai-liao 太了
plant ( 種 zhong)(other meaning: go to a funeral) Substitute:cha 插
dead/die (kwa/ si)
Substitute:koh-hoi-xin 過了身(literal: soul depart from body)
tiger (in the woods) lao-fu
Substitute: Toa Peh Gung 大伯公 (literal: guardian of a place/ God)
elephant (in the woods) tai-pin-cheong 大笨將
Substitute: Yew Li (literal: luck)
take medicine 食藥(sit-nyok)(literal:eat medicine)
Substitute: yim-leong-tsa 飲涼茶 (literal: drink herbal tea)
soup 湯(thong)
Substitute:soon 順(meaning: run smoothly)
Term Euphemism
house wife fan-po zhu-fan-po 番婆煮番婆
(connotation: fat lady) (literal: lady cook)
(refer to a person's wife)
to pee oh-niao siao-bian
boss-lady tiu-ga-po lao-ban-ngiong 頭家婆 or 老闆娘
(literal: head of the family-lady) (literal: wife of the boss)
spinsters lao-ku-po taan-xin-kua-lui
(literal: old maid) (literal: single woman)
lavatory xi-hang che-so
second hand car kiu-tsa ngi-siew-tsa
(literal: old car) (second hand car)
pass motion oh-si/ tai-pian oh-k/ pai-tuk
(more pleasant)
dead (plants) kwa-hoi hi-Holand
(literal: dead) (literal: went to Holland)
illegitimate child
/bastard ya-chai (son) se-sang-chai/ wong- (literal: wild born) lao -nge
(son)
se-sang-lui (daughter)
tsaap-chung-chai(son)
(mix parentage child)
prostitute ki-ngee xin-lui
(literal: God's daughter)
pimp kui-gung ap-gung
gain weight fui-hoi-le fatt-fok-hoi-le
(literal:become fat already) (literal: become wealthy already)
house helper gung-yin a-sim
(literal: servant)
@!#$ da-pi/ oh-pi fong-pi
crazy/ mad chee-sian or sin-kin-soi-yok
m-jing-siong
private part ha-xin
(literal: lower part of the body)
Other terms
Casanova
-fa-fa-kung-tse
transvestite/ sissy
-ban-gung-ma
a fat woman/ woman who gave birth to many babies
-chu-na
Mistress (kept woman)
-huet-si-fu-ngin
wolf in sheep clothing
-siet-long
hooligan/ hoodlum
-sam-xin/ ya-chai-teu/ lan-chai-teu
idler
-lan-chung
Widow
-ka-fu
Widower
-ka-lao
Adulterer
-kan-fu
Adulteress
-tong-fu
Spinster
-tai-ku-ngiong (woman whose name is unknown)
Bachelor
-taan-xin-chai/ kua-lao/Wong Lao Ng/ hok-sz/ saan-chai
Names
Pak-ka-siang
-various surname
-the surname for a Fui Chiu Hakka can be Wong/ Loh/ Koh/Kow/Chin
lu-miang
-milk name/ a name given by grandparent to their grandsons and granddaughters
-for example, ǒloi-loiō (daughter) or ǒbao-baoō(something precious) for
granddaughters
and ǒchai-chaiō(son) for grandson
lao-yew (old friend)
-this term is used reciprocally between very good friends
Endearments
ngoi-ngin my Love
na-ge Honey/ mit-tong my Honey
tiam-tiam my Sweet
chin-chin my Dear
a-go/ ǒa+last name+goō my Hubby
a-moi my Wife
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Reply To This Message
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan says
Dear Kok Meng,
Your articles remind me of my working days in my father's tin mine for two
years after high school and before coming over here (Australia) to study.
I was as strong and as rough as any mining labourer. I remembered we used to squat on the bench to have our dinners. I lived in the tin mine with
the workers and seldom went to town which was about three kilometers away. I remembered we were not allowed to whistle at night because whistling would attract ghosts. Will talk about my labourer days in my serials "Tales of a Hakka village."
It was my relative cum school mate called Chung Kok Meng (鄭國民), who lived in Kampar at that time, encouraged me to go to Australia study and to leave the mining business to my other brothers. Unfortunately, for unforeseen reason, he did not turn up in Australia. In 1981, when I took my family back to Pusing, my hometown, for holidays. He came to Pusing to see me but he missed me because I took my family to Penang where my in-laws lived. He told my father that he regretted for missing out the opportunity to study in Australia. He was working as a clerk in a rubber estate. That was long time ago.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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