Penang Hokkien Dictionary
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To find a word in Penang Hokkien, type the word in English, in the input cell (where it says "type word here"). Next, click the "input language" and select "English". Then click search (the magnifying glass). To search for a new word, refresh the page.
About the dictionary
Penang Hokkien Dictionary is the first online reference of the modern Hokkien dialect used in Penang and areas in northern Peninsular Malaysia. This dictionary uses Taiji Romanisation. Entries are listed with definition in English, Malay, Hokkien written with Chinese characters 漢字, Amoy Dialect referencing the 1883 MacGowan Dictionary of Amoy Dialect (also called the Xiamen variant), Taiwanese Hokkien referencing the 2011 Ministry of Education of the Republic of China's Online Minnan Dictionary, and since 2020, Wiktionary for Pinyin, Zhuyin 注音, Wade-Giles, Cantonese (Jyutping and Yale), Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ; and Guangdong Romanisation), Min Dong/Hock Chew (Bàng-uâ-cê / 平話字／平话字), Teochew (Peng'im 拼音), Middle Chinese and Old Chinese (Baxter-Sagart and Zhengzhang). Words in Penang Hokkien are often discussed among native speakers at Learn Penang Hokkien Facebook Group before they are added. Permission is granted to make print outs of the search results for personal, non-commercial use. To know more about the writing system used in this dictionary for Penang Hokkien, read about Taiji Romanisation.
Updates on the dictionary
5 July 2023
The Penang Hokkien Dictionary was officially launched by the caretaker Chief Minister of Penang YAB Chow Kon Yeow at a ceremony at the Penang Town Hall, alongside the Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel.
4 May 2020
Users may now search the dictionary using Chinese characters, Taiwanese Romanisation (Tâi-lô) and Church Romanisation (POJ). Presently, the dictionary recognizes only Traditional Chinese, as the input so far is mostly Hokkien using Traditional Chinese characters. There is a small amount of Mandarin here, but not much for now.
Thank you to Mr Tee Joo Tatt for his help in creating the Search Box feature for the dictionary, without which searching through the entries would have been more tedious.
Thank you to Ms Adel Boo for help in adding Mandarin in Simplified Chinese to the dictionary. Thank you to Penang Hokkien book authors Mr Tan Choon Hoe, the late Mr Raymond Kwok and the late Mr Jonny Chee.
Should I miss out anyone, my humble apologies. Thank you to all of you for making this endeavor possible.
Penang Hokkien Dictionary is the first online reference of the modern Hokkien dialect used in Penang and areas in northern Peninsular Malaysia. This dictionary uses Taiji Romanisation. Entries are listed with definition in English, Malay, Hokkien written with Chinese characters 漢字, Amoy Dialect referencing the 1883 MacGowan Dictionary of Amoy Dialect (also called the Xiamen variant), Taiwanese Hokkien referencing the 2011 Ministry of Education of the Republic of China's Online Minnan Dictionary, and since 2020, Wiktionary for Pinyin, Zhuyin 注音, Wade-Giles, Cantonese (Jyutping and Yale), Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ; and Guangdong Romanisation), Min Dong/Hock Chew (Bàng-uâ-cê / 平話字／平话字), Teochew (Peng'im 拼音), Middle Chinese and Old Chinese (Baxter-Sagart and Zhengzhang). Words in Penang Hokkien are often discussed among native speakers at Learn Penang Hokkien Facebook Group before they are added. Permission is granted to make print outs of the search results for personal, non-commercial use. To know more about the writing system used in this dictionary for Penang Hokkien, read about Taiji Romanisation.
Updates on the dictionary
5 July 2023
The Penang Hokkien Dictionary was officially launched by the caretaker Chief Minister of Penang YAB Chow Kon Yeow at a ceremony at the Penang Town Hall, alongside the Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel.
4 May 2020
Users may now search the dictionary using Chinese characters, Taiwanese Romanisation (Tâi-lô) and Church Romanisation (POJ). Presently, the dictionary recognizes only Traditional Chinese, as the input so far is mostly Hokkien using Traditional Chinese characters. There is a small amount of Mandarin here, but not much for now.
Acknowledgement and Thanks
Thank you to the members of the Learn Penang Hokkien Facebook Group for their assistance and assistance in volunteering input that went towards this compilation.Thank you to Mr Tee Joo Tatt for his help in creating the Search Box feature for the dictionary, without which searching through the entries would have been more tedious.
Thank you to Ms Adel Boo for help in adding Mandarin in Simplified Chinese to the dictionary. Thank you to Penang Hokkien book authors Mr Tan Choon Hoe, the late Mr Raymond Kwok and the late Mr Jonny Chee.
Should I miss out anyone, my humble apologies. Thank you to all of you for making this endeavor possible.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.