Definition of "Hokkien"

Hokkien

/ˈhɒkiɛn/

proper noun
1. (chiefly Southeast Asia) A linguistic subgroup of the Min Nan (Southern Min) 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 by overseas Chinese of Hoklo descent, such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, etc.
  Quotations
  Almost 90 percent of Taiwan's 6 million occupants at the end of World War II spoke Hokkien.
  2011, Shelley Rigger, Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, page 28
  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.
  2020, Tsung-lun Alan Wan, “Language Revitalization and Perceived Language Shift: A Case of Kinmenese Hokkien”, in Jens Damm, Hauke Neddermann, editors, Intercultural Dialogue across Borders: China between Tradition and Modernity‎, Zürich: LIT Verlag, page 106
  Under colonial rule, learning or speaking my grandma’s native Hokkien, along with dozens of indigenous languages, was illegal by law.
  2022 June 22, Zoe Yu, “Endangered Languages Are Worth Saving”, in The New York Times‎, archived from the original on 2022-06-22, Student Editorial Contest Winner‎
  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.
  2023 July 2, Ben Blanchard, “Taiwan celebrates linguistic diversity at annual music awards”, in William Mallard, editor, Reuters‎, archived from the original on 3 July 2023, Asia Pacific‎
2. (chiefly Southeast Asia) A group of Han Chinese people whose traditional ancestral homes are in southern Fujian, South China, especially those that ancestrally spoke the Hokkien language.
3. (dated) Any person from Fujian.
adjective
not comparable
1. Of or relating to the Fujianese people.
2. (chiefly Southeast Asia) Of or relating to the Hokkien language and its dialects or variants.
3. (dated) Of or relating to the province of Fujian in China.

Definition of "Hokkien"

Hokkien

proper noun

Quotations

adjective