English Loanwords in Penang Hokkien

Penang Hokkien has liberally borrowed many words from English. Some of these words continue to retain their original meaning while a few have evolved to a new meaning. There are also a few derivative words that are of English origin, but exists only in Penang Hokkien. View also the list of English Loanwords via Malay. Direct loans
The following are commonly used words in Penang Hokkien that retain their meaning in English. Such words are spelled as in English, without the inclusion of any tone marks. They appear regularly in every day conversations. Indirect loans
These words are derived from English by way of Malay. Those that may appear as a direct loan are also spelled in their English form in brackets

1. bas1: bus
   
   
2. le1sen1 [lɛ-sɛn] : license
   
   
3. tek1si4: taxi
   
   

English derivative
These are words derived from English. They may retain their original English meaning or may have evolved somewhat.

1. action [ɛk-ʃən]: (verb) to show off
   
   
2. go1stan4 [go-stan] : (verb) to reverse
   
   
3. moto [mo-to]: (noun) motorcycle

View full list of Penang Hokkien Vocabulary

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Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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