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Family Members in Penang Hokkien

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Learn how various family members are called in Penang Hokkien, , using Taiji Romanisation. Compared to English, Penang Hokkien has a very complex way of addressing each member of the family. There is a specific term to call a person based on his station in reference to yourself.

Some of these terms correspond exactly to how you would address him, while at other times, you simply call the person "Ah3 + term". For people who are of the same generation as yourself, you often attach "Ko1" (male) or "Chee4" (female) to the person's name if he or she is older than you.

Generally, only people who are older than you, or at a higher station/generation, are called by the specific forms of address. Those who are younger than you are usually called by name.

To help you make sense of the various terms and forms of address, I have created the "Penang Hokkien Happy Family Chart". As this is quite large, I made it into a pdf file which you can open by clicking on the thumbnail.

Click the image below to open the PDF chart which you can enlarge

Family Members in Alphabetical Order

The following are the family members that appear in the above chart, listed here in alphabetical order along with the expected pronunciation using IPA symbols.

  1. ang1 [aŋ]: (noun) husband

  2. ca3bor1 soon3 ah4 [tsa-bɔ-sun-a]: (noun) brother's daughter; niece

  3. cau1wa4 [tsau-ua]: (noun) daughter

  4. cek3 [tsek]: (noun) father's younger brother; uncle

  5. cek1 kong1 [tsek-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's younger brother; grand uncle

  6. chee4 [tsi]: (noun) elder sister

  7. chee1 hoo1 [tsi-hu]: (noun) husband's elder sister's husband

  8. chin3 kae1 [tshiŋ-kɛ]: (noun) sons'/daughters' father-in-law

  9. chnae3 mm4 [tshɛ̃-m]: (noun) son/daughter's mother-in-law

  10. cim4 [tsim]: (noun) father's brothers' wives; aunts

  11. cim1 poh2 [tsim-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's younger brother's wife

  12. ee2 [i]: (noun) mother's sisters; aunts

  13. ee3 poh2 [i-po]: (noun) maternal grandparents' sister as well as paternal grandmother's sisters; grand aunt

  14. ee3 tniau3 [i-tiãu]: (noun) mother's sisters' husbands; uncles

  15. ee3 tniau3 kong1 [i-tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandmother's sisters' husband and maternal grandparents' sisters' husbands; grand uncles

  16. gua33 ca3bor1 soon1 [gua-tsa-bɔ-sun]: (noun) maternal granddaughter

  17. gua33 kong1 [gua-kɔŋ]: (noun) maternal grandfather

  18. gua33 mah4 [gua-ma]: (noun) maternal grandmother

  19. gua33 seng1 [gua-seŋ]: (noun) sister's son (nephew)

  20. gua33 seng3lu4 [gua-seŋ-lu]: (noun) sister's daughter (niece)

  21. gua33 soon1 [gua-sun]: (noun) maternal grandson

  22. hau33snaeh1 [hau-sɛ̃]: (noun) son

  23. kim33 [kim]: (noun) mother's brothers' wives, wife's brother's wives; aunts, sisters-in-law

  24. kim33 poh2 [kim-po]: (noun) grandparents' brother's wife; grand aunt

  25. knia1 sai3 [kiã-sai]: (noun) son-in-law

  26. ko1 [ko]: (noun) elder brother

  27. koo33 [ku]: (noun) mother's brothers, wife's brothers; uncles

  28. koo33 kong1 [ku-kɔŋ]: (noun) grandmothers' brothers; grand uncle

  29. kor1 [kɔ]: (noun) father's sisters, husband's sisters; aunts, sisters-in-law

  30. kor3 poh2 [kɔ-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder/younger sister; grand aunt

  31. kor3 tniau3 [kɔ-tiãu]: (noun) father's sisters' husband; uncle

  32. kor3 tniau3 kong1 [kɔ-tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's sisters' husband; grand uncle

  33. lai33 ca3bor1 soon1 [lai-tsa-bɔ-sun]: (noun) paternal granddaughter

  34. lai33 kong1 [lai-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather

  35. lai33 mah4 [lai-ma]: (noun) paternal grandmother

  36. lai33 soon1 [lai-sun]: (noun) paternal grandson

  37. lau33 ee3 poh2 [lau-i-po]: (noun) paternal grandmother's sister

  38. lau33 kim3 poh2 [lau-kim-po]: (noun) maternal grandmother's elder brother's wife

  39. mak3 ee3 poh2 [maʔ-i-po]: (noun) maternal grandmother's sister

  40. mm4 [m]: (noun) father's elder brother's wife; aunt

  41. mm3 poh2 [m-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder brother's wife; grand aunt

  42. moi33sai3 [mɔi-sai]: (noun) husband's younger sister's husband; younger sister's husband; brother-in-law

  43. ng1 knua1 [ŋ-kuã]: (noun) husband's father; father-in-law

  44. niau2 [niau]: (noun) husband's mother

  45. paek1 [pɛk]: (noun) father's elder brother; uncle

  46. paek1 kong1 [pɛk-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder brother; grand uncle

  47. piau1 chee4 [piau-tsi]: (noun) elder maternal female cousin

  48. piau1 ko1 [piau-ko]: (noun) elder maternal male cousin

  49. piau1 moi3 [piau-moi]: (noun) younger maternal female cousin

  50. piau1 tee3 [piau-ko]: (noun) younger maternal male cousin

  51. se1han1 ee2 [i]: (noun) mother's younger sisters; aunts

  52. sim3pu3 [sim-pu]: (noun) daughter-in-law

  53. sio1 moi3 [sio-moi]: (noun) younger sister

  54. sio1 tee33 [sio-ti]: (noun) younger brother

  55. soh4 [so]: (noun) elder brother's wife; husband's elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

  56. soon3 ah4 [sun-a]: (noun) brother's son; nephew

  57. soon3 sai3 [sun-sai]: (noun) son's daughter's husband; daughter's daughter's husband; grand son-in-law

  58. soon1 sim3pu3 [sun-sim-pu]: (noun) son's son's wife; daughter's son's wife; grand daughter-in-law

  59. tang3 mui2 [taŋ-mui]: (noun) wife's sisters' husband; brothers-in-law

  60. tee33 hu33 [ti-hu]: (noun) younger brother's wife; husband's younger brother's wife; sister-in-law

  61. thang2 chee4 [thaŋ-tsi]: (noun) elder paternal female cousin

  62. thang2 ko1 [thaŋ-ko]: (noun) elder paternal male cousin

  63. thang2 moi3 [thaŋ-moi]: (noun) younger paternal female cousin

  64. thang2 tee3 [thaŋ-ko]: (noun) younger paternal male cousin

  65. tniau3 [tiãu]: (noun) parents' sisters' husbands; uncles

  66. tniau3 kong1 [tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) grandfathers' sisters' husband; grand uncle

  67. tniau3 lang2 [tiãu-laŋ]: (noun) wife's father; father-in-law

  68. tniau3 mm4 [tiãu-m]: (noun) wife's mother; mother-in-law

Family Members not shown in the chart

  1. au3bo4 [au-bo]: (noun) stepmother

  2. au3pa1 [au-pa]: (noun) stepfather

  3. khe1mak3 [khe-mak]: (noun) godmother, foster mother

  4. khe1knia4 [khe-kiã]: (noun) godmother, foster mother

  5. khe1pa1 [khe-pa]: (noun) godfather, foster father

  6. se1cek3 [se-tsek]: (noun) father's youngest brother

  7. se1cim4 [se-tsim]: (noun) father's youngest brother's wife

  8. se1ee2 [se-i]: (noun) second wife, lesser wife, mistress

  9. tua33bor4 [tua-bɔ]: (noun) main wife

  10. tua33pek1 [tua-pɛk]: (noun) father's eldest brother

  11. tua33kor1 [tua-pɛk]: (noun) father's eldest brother's wife

  12. tua33pek1kong1 [tua-pɛk-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's eldest brother; Tua3 Pek1 Kong1 is the Taoist god of prosperity

Numbering of Family Members

Family members are numbered according to age. The eldest is called tua3 while the youngest seh3 or seh1han3. Therefore, the paternal eldest uncle is tua3 pek3 followed by jee33 pek3, snar3 pek3 and so on. Once it crosses your father, the name changes from pek3 to cek3 but the numbering continues.

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