Taiwanese Phonetic Symbols in Chinese Characters

Taiwanese Hokkien, also known as Taiwanese or Minnan, is a variant of Hokkien spoken in Taiwan. It is the most widely spoken language in Taiwan after Mandarin Chinese. Taiwanese Hokkien has a rich phonetic system consisting of 37 phonemes, which can be represented by a set of phonetic symbols called Tai-lo or Taiwanese Phonetic Symbols. In written Taiwanese Hokkien, the phonetic symbols are usually combined with Chinese characters to form Tai-lo spellings. In this article, we will introduce some common Tai-lo spellings with Chinese characters.

Jia-kâi (家開)

Jia-kâi refers to the vowel sound in \"father\" in English. It is represented by the Tai-lo symbol \"ㄚ\" and the Chinese character \"家\" (jiā), which means \"home\". Together, they form the Tai-lo spelling \"家啊\" (gā-á), which means \"father\". Other common words with Jia-kâi include 麻啊 (má-á, \"mother\"), 疙啊 (ko-á, \"older sister\"), and 么啊 (bó-á, \"elder brother\").

Bô·-pâi (孤拍)

Bô·-pâi refers to the consonant sound in \"cat\" in English. It is represented by the Tai-lo symbol \"ㄞ\" and the Chinese character \"孤\" (gū), which means \"solitary\". Together, they form the Tai-lo spelling \"孤拍\" (kôo-phah), which means \"cat\". Other common words with Bô·-pâi include 拍糠 (phah-khong, \"banana\"), 拍肚 (phah-tōo, \"stomach\"), and 拍厝 (phah-chhù, \"house\").

Kî-ôan (基恩)

Kî-ôan refers to the vowel sound in \"boy\" in English. It is represented by the Tai-lo symbol \"ㄧ\" and the Chinese character \"基\" (jī), which means \"foundation\". Together, they form the Tai-lo spelling \"基恩\" (kî-enn), which means \"boy\". Other common words with Kî-ôan include 恩人 (enn-lîn, \"benefactor\"), 恩公 (enn-kong, \"grandfather\"), and 恩世 (enn-sì, \"progeny\").