Culture & Etiquette

1. 客家

   hag4 ga1

   Hakka (the people)

   Usage

   An ethnic group from the Fujian–Guangdong–Jiangxi borderlands; in Taiwan they live mainly in Taoyuan–Hsinchu–Miaoli, Kaohsiung–Pingtung and Hualien–Taitung

   Grammar Note

   A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

2. 客話

   hag4 fa3

   The Hakka language (hag fa)

   Usage

   The language of the Hakka; in Taiwan besides Sixian and Hailu there are Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and other varieties

   Grammar Note

   A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

3. 大人愛同細人仔講客話。

   tai3 ngin5 oi3 tung5 se3 ngin5 e2 gong2 hag4 fa3.

   Adults should speak Hakka with children.

   Usage

   Talks about passing the language on to children

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words.

4. 山歌比賽

   san1 go1 bi2 soi3

   Mountain-song contest

   Usage

   A contest for singers of Hakka hill songs, held for example in Zhudong

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words.

5. 你會唱山歌無？

   ngi5 voi3 cong3 san1 go1 mo5?

   Can you sing hill songs?

   Usage

   Asks whether someone can sing hill songs

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words.

6. 𠊎當想去竹東聽山歌。

   ngai5 dong1 xiong2 hi3 zug4 dung1 tang1 san1 go1.

   I really want to go to Zhudong to hear hill songs.

   Usage

   Says you want to go and hear hill songs

   Grammar Note

   Built from the dictionary example about wanting to go to the Zhudong contest. Adapted from a dictionary example sentence.

7. 過年愛放八音，較鬧熱。

   go3 ngien5 oi3 fong3 bad4 im1, ka3 nau3 ngied8.

   At New Year you play Bayin music, which makes it livelier.

   Usage

   Mentions playing Bayin music at New Year

   Grammar Note

   Based on the dictionary example about playing Bayin at New Year. Adapted from a dictionary example sentence.

8. 採茶

   cai2 ca5

   Tea-picking opera (cai ca), Hakka folk theatre

   Usage

   Short for the Hakka tea-picking opera, staged on temple-square stages

   Grammar Note

   A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

9. 敬字亭

   gin3 sii3 tin5

   Respect-for-Words Pavilion (gin sii tin)

   Usage

   A small pavilion or furnace where paper bearing writing was burnt out of respect for characters; still seen in Hakka villages

   Grammar Note

   A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

10. 禾埕

    vo5 tang5

    Threshing yard (vo tang)

    Usage

    The open yard in front of a traditional house where rice was dried

    Grammar Note

    A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

11. 灶下

    zo3 ha1

    Kitchen (zo ha)

    Usage

    The Hakka word for kitchen; 灶 is the stove

    Grammar Note

    A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

12. 祠堂

    cii5 tong5

    Ancestral hall (cii tong)

    Usage

    A hall honouring a clan's ancestors, where relatives gather to pay respects on New Year's Eve

    Grammar Note

    A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

13. 土地伯公

    tu2 ti3 bag4 gung1

    Earth God (tu ti bag gung)

    Usage

    The deity of a small area of land, worshipped at village entrances and by the fields

    Grammar Note

    A word listed as a headword in the MOE dictionary.

14. 客家文化个保存，愛大家共下來打拚。

    hag4 ga1 vun5 fa3 ge3 bo2 sun5, oi3 tai3 ga1 kiung3 ha3 loi5 da2 biang3.

    Preserving Hakka culture takes everyone working together.

    Usage

    Talks about keeping Hakka culture alive

    Grammar Note

    Taken directly from the dictionary example for 客家. Adapted from a dictionary example sentence.

Browse all TravelPhrases languages