The term Canonical Spelling refers to the main form of spelling words in Penang Hokkien that I use in writing the language. As Penang Hokkien has existed largely as a spoken language, and passed down at home from one generation to the next, distortions that were introduced through informal learning result in some of the common words having evolved a number of pronunciations which are understood by speakers. This is particularly common with words pronounced with the initial "u" (closed back rounded vowel) and "w" (voiced labial-velar approximant), and also between the initial "i" (close front unrounded vowel) and "y" (palatal approximant).

It should be observed that although the words are often pronounced with variations, the tones remain the same. It can therefore be observed that comprehension is governed to a great extend by listening to tones.

Although a number of phonetical spelling of some words are accepted, one of these is taken as the canonical spelling, that is to say, the accepted written form. Words with canonical spelling also include alternative spelling forms. The follow are some of them:

  1. du3rian2: meaning "durian", pronounced [du-riɛn] , aso pronounced as [du-liɛn] and [liu-liɛn]

  2. gia2, meaning "to take", pronounced [gia] , also pronounced [ja]

  3. heh1-leh1, meaning "that", pronounced [he-le] , also pronounced [hi-le] and [ha-le]

  4. wa2, meaning "to draw", pronounced [wa] , also pronounced [ua]

  5. wa33, meaning "language", pronounced [wa] , also pronounced [ua]

  6. wah4, meaning "I", pronounced [wa] as well as [gua]

  7. wna33, meaning "bowl", pronounced [wã] , also pronounced [uã]

  8. wna4, meaning "bowl", pronounced [wã] , also pronounced [uã]

Learn Penang Hokkien with Memrise

Now you can use the most user-friendly tool on the web to learn Penang Hokkien. It helps you to listen, understand and memorise. Go to Memrise, and learn Penang Hokkien at your own pace.

Return to Penang Hokkien Resources

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.