Romanization of Taiwanese Hokkien

 

Taiwanese Hokkien, often called Taiwanese, is one of the most widely spoken languages in Taiwan. It was brought to Taiwan by settlers from Fujian Province in Mainland China several hundred years ago. Today, many Taiwanese people use it at home, in local markets, and during cultural events. The language is an important part of Taiwan’s identity and heritage. Although Mandarin Chinese is the main language used in schools and government, Taiwanese Hokkien remains popular through music, television programs, and everyday conversations. Learning and preserving Taiwanese Hokkien helps people to better understand Taiwan’s history, traditions, and cultural diversity.

Peh-oe-jī (POJ) is a romanization system that uses the Latin alphabet to write Taiwanese Hokkien. It was developed by Christian missionaries in the 19th century and became one of the earliest and most important writing systems for the language. POJ uses letters and tone marks to show pronunciation clearly. For example, the phrase “Lí hó” means “Hello” in Taiwanese Hokkien. For many years, POJ was widely used in dictionaries, newspapers, church publications, and educational materials. Even today, many learners and language enthusiasts continue to use POJ because it preserves a long tradition of written Taiwanese Hokkien and provides an effective way to learn the language’s pronunciation and tones.

Taiwanese Hokkien has a total of 8 tones, but these can be simplified to the 4 tones used in Medan Hokkien (derived from Mandarin). While this may not necessarily meet “standards” as defined by linguists, it certainly makes the learning process easier. Taking the examples of POJ from the picture above, here are the simplified tones:

Lion 獅 > sai = sai1

Tiger 虎 > hó͘  = hor4

Leopard 豹 > pà = pa3

Soft-shell turtle 鱉 > pih = pi1

Monkey 猴 > kâu = kau2

Dog 狗 > káu = kau4

Elephant 象 > chhiūⁿ = chiior3

Deer 鹿 > lo̍k = lork1

Here are the original-to-simplified tone conversions:

no marker, -h, ◌̍ = 1

◌̑ = 2

◌̀, ◌̄ = 3

◌͘ , ◌́ = 4