Hokkien Pronunciation Guide
For Native English Speakers
Overview
Hokkien (Min Nan / Bân-lâm-gú) is spoken by ~50 million people in Fujian province, Taiwan, Southeast Asia (especially Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines), and diaspora communities. Taiwanese Hokkien is the most documented variety. Key challenges: 7–8 tones, aspirated vs. unaspirated stops, and final consonants.
Writing System
Hokkien is primarily oral; written forms use Chinese characters. The Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ) romanization is widely used for Taiwanese Hokkien. Tones are marked with diacritics. This guide uses POJ + IPA.
Core Sounds (Initials)
| POJ | IPA | Closest English Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| p | /p/ | p unaspirated | |
| ph | /pʰ/ | p aspirated | |
| b | /b/ | b | |
| t | /t/ | t unaspirated | |
| th | /tʰ/ | t aspirated | |
| k | /k/ | k unaspirated | |
| kh | /kʰ/ | k aspirated | |
| g | /ɡ/ | g | |
| ch / ts | /ts/ | ts in cats | |
| chh / tsh | /tsʰ/ | Aspirated ts | |
| j | /dz/ or /z/ | ds or z | |
| s | /s/ | s | |
| ng | /ŋ/ | ng — word-initial | |
| h | /h/ | h | |
| m | /m/ | m — can be syllabic | |
| n | /n/ | n | |
| l | /l/ | l |
Vowels & Finals
| POJ | IPA | Approximation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | a in father | |
| e | /e/ | e in bed | |
| i | /i/ | ee | |
| o | /o/ | o in note | |
| o͘ (oo) | /ɔ/ | o in law | |
| u | /u/ | oo | |
| -p | /p̚/ | Unreleased p | Entering tone final |
| -t | /t̚/ | Unreleased t | |
| -k | /k̚/ | Unreleased k | |
| -h | /ʔ/ | Glottal stop | |
| -m | /m/ | m | |
| -n | /n/ | n | |
| -ng | /ŋ/ | ng |
Tones (Taiwanese Hokkien)
Taiwanese Hokkien has 7 tones (tone 6 = tone 2 in practice, 8 = entering):
| Number | Contour | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ˦˦ (44) | High level |
| 2 | ˥˩ (51) | High falling |
| 3 | ˨˩ (21) | Low falling |
| 4 | ˨ (entering) | Low stopped (-p/-t/-k/-h) |
| 5 | ˨˦ (24) | Rising |
| 7 | ˧ (33) | Mid level |
| 8 | ˦ (entering) | High stopped |
Difficult Sounds
Entering tones: Syllables ending in unreleased -p, -t, -k, or glottal stop -h. The syllable ends abruptly without air release.
7-tone system: More tones than Mandarin. Each must be learned with vocabulary. Tone sandhi (tones change in connected speech) is also extensive.
Word-initial /ŋ/: ng at the start of a syllable — practice starting from a back nasal position.
Voiced initials (b, g, j): Hokkien has voiced stops alongside unaspirated ones — three series total.
Common Mistakes
- Releasing entering-tone consonants with a puff of air.
- Ignoring tone sandhi in connected speech.
- Treating aspirated and unaspirated stops as the same.
- Omitting word-initial nasal consonants.
Practice Words
| POJ | IPA (approx.) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lí-hó | /li˥˩ hɔ˧/ | hello (how are you) |
| to-siā | /to˨˦ sia˧/ | thank you |
| chúi | /tsui˥˩/ | water |
| chhù | /tsʰu˨˩/ | house |
| Tâi-gí | /tai˨˦ gi˧/ | Taiwanese |
Final Tips
Learn tones with every word from the start. Tone sandhi in Hokkien is extensive — learn phrases as units. Taiwanese pop music and Hokkien drama (台語劇) are excellent listening resources. The POJ romanization system is fully phonetic once learned.