Hakka Profile

[teoh@cs.utk.edu]

Hakka Language and Population Profile Summary
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General Information
The total Hakka population in the world is estimated to be from 45 
million to 60 millions.  The single largest concentration of the Hakkas 
is in Mei-Zhou City area(East Kwangtung), about 4.5 million people.
(Xin Hua News Agency GuangZhou 1994 December 6)

Hakka spoken language is one of the five major spoken languages in 
mainland China with the following breakdown: 
Manchurian-based Mandarin        650 million
Wu                                70 million
Cantonese                         47 million
Hoklo                             39 million
Hakka                             37 million
(Journal of Asia and African Studies, No. 24, 1982)

Hakka spoken language is 32nd widest spoken language in the world. 

Hakka  Areas
       According to Lo Hsiang-lin's An introduction to the Study of the 
Hakkas in Its Ethinic, Historical, and Cultural Aspects.(1933), there are 
32 pure-Hakka speaking counties, and 95 Hakka-speaking counties 
spread out in Kwangtung, Fukien, JiangSi, KwangSi, Szechuan, 
Hunan and Taiwan.  

       According to Hashimoto A.Y.'s The Hakka Dialect(1973), there are 
15 pure-Hakka speaking counties in Kwangtung, 8 in Fukien and 10 in 
JiangSi.  In addition to the above, there are 149 Hakka speaking 
counties in places mentioned above plus KeiChow, and SiKang's 
Hui4 Li3 county.

       The Hakkas in Taiwan are concentrated in the North West to 
Central West Taiwan.  MiaoLi, ShinChu, are major concentration  
areas.   
  In the South Taiwan, PingTung area has significant Hakka 
presence as well. There are about 3 million Hakkas in Taiwan.  
Majority of the Hakkas there are of Kwangtung origin, some are of 
Fukien origin.   

Malaysia
There are 1.3 million Hakkas in Malaysia, about 20% of the Chinese
population in Malaysia, or 1/12 of Malaysian populaton.(Source:
Federation of Hakka Association of Malaysia).
      In East Malaysia, majority of  the Hans are Hakkas contrasting with 
West Malaysia,  the dominant Hans are Hoklo and Cantonese.  
There are about 6 million Hans in Malaysia.

Some Hakkas' ancestor registry

       In Taiwan, both Lee Teng-Hui and Wu Po-Shiung are Hakkas of 
Fukien Yong Ting ancestor registry.  

       In mainland China, Sun Yat-Sen is of Kwangtung CheeChin, 
Deng Xiao-Ping is of Szechuan Kuang An. 

       In Singapore, Lee Kwan-Yew is of Kwangtung Tai Pu and Goh 
Chuk-Tong is of Kwangtung Moi Yen.    

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