English Loanwords via Malay in Penang Hokkien
Go BackDue to its close interaction with English and Malay, Penang Hokkien has picked up many loanwords spelled in Malay, but are of English origin. These words follow the Malay spelling, though the pronunciation is said to be the same or similar in English, Malay and Penang Hokkien. For the purpose of easy recognition, many of these words are spelled the same way as in Malay, even when they do not strictly follow the Penang Hokkien spelling convention.
- bas1
: bus - ba1si1kal4 : bicycle
- beg1 : bag
- bis1kut1 : biscuit
- brek1 : to brake
- fail1 : file
- gam4 : gum
- go1stan1 : to reverse (go astern)
- mo1to4 : motorcycle
- pen1 : pen
- pen1sil4 : pencil
- po1ket1 : pocket
- saiz1 : size
- so1fa4 : sofa
- tek1si4 : taxi
- ti1ket1 : ticket
View full list of Penang Hokkien Vocabulary
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