Family Members in Penang Hokkien
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Learn how various family members are called in Penang Hokkien, , using Taiji Romanisation. Compared to English, Penang Hokkien has a very complex way of addressing each member of the family. There is a specific term to call a person based on his station in reference to yourself.
Some of these terms correspond exactly to how you would address him, while at other times, you simply call the person "Ah3 + term". For people who are of the same generation as yourself, you often attach "Ko1" (male) or "Chee4" (female) to the person's name if he or she is older than you.
Generally, only people who are older than you, or at a higher station/generation, are called by the specific forms of address. Those who are younger than you are usually called by name.
To help you make sense of the various terms and forms of address, I have created the "Penang Hokkien Happy Family Chart". As this is quite large, I made it into a pdf file which you can open by clicking on the thumbnail.
Click the image below to open the PDF chart which you can enlarge
Family Members in Alphabetical Order
The following are the family members that appear in the above chart, listed here in alphabetical order along with the expected pronunciation using IPA symbols.- ang1 [aŋ]: (noun) husband
- ca3bor1 soon3 ah4 [tsa-bɔ-sun-a]: (noun) brother's daughter; niece
- cau1wa4 [tsau-ua]: (noun) daughter
- cek3 [tsek]: (noun) father's younger brother; uncle
- cek1 kong1 [tsek-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's younger brother; grand uncle
- chee4 [tsi]: (noun) elder sister
- chee1 hoo1 [tsi-hu]: (noun) husband's elder sister's husband
- chin3 kae1 [tshiŋ-kɛ]: (noun) sons'/daughters' father-in-law
- chnae3 mm4 [tshɛ̃-m]: (noun) son/daughter's mother-in-law
- cim4 [tsim]: (noun) father's brothers' wives; aunts
- cim1 poh2 [tsim-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's younger brother's wife
- ee2 [i]: (noun) mother's sisters; aunts
- ee3 poh2 [i-po]: (noun) maternal grandparents' sister as well as paternal grandmother's sisters; grand aunt
- ee3 tniau3 [i-tiãu]: (noun) mother's sisters' husbands; uncles
- ee3 tniau3 kong1 [i-tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandmother's sisters' husband and maternal grandparents' sisters' husbands; grand uncles
- gua33 ca3bor1 soon1 [gua-tsa-bɔ-sun]: (noun) maternal granddaughter
- gua33 kong1 [gua-kɔŋ]: (noun) maternal grandfather
- gua33 mah4 [gua-ma]: (noun) maternal grandmother
- gua33 seng1 [gua-seŋ]: (noun) sister's son (nephew)
- gua33 seng3lu4 [gua-seŋ-lu]: (noun) sister's daughter (niece)
- gua33 soon1 [gua-sun]: (noun) maternal grandson
- hau33snaeh1 [hau-sɛ̃]: (noun) son
- kim33 [kim]: (noun) mother's brothers' wives, wife's brother's wives; aunts, sisters-in-law
- kim33 poh2 [kim-po]: (noun) grandparents' brother's wife; grand aunt
- knia1 sai3 [kiã-sai]: (noun) son-in-law
- ko1 [ko]: (noun) elder brother
- koo33 [ku]: (noun) mother's brothers, wife's brothers; uncles
- koo33 kong1 [ku-kɔŋ]: (noun) grandmothers' brothers; grand uncle
- kor1 [kɔ]: (noun) father's sisters, husband's sisters; aunts, sisters-in-law
- kor3 poh2 [kɔ-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder/younger sister; grand aunt
- kor3 tniau3 [kɔ-tiãu]: (noun) father's sisters' husband; uncle
- kor3 tniau3 kong1 [kɔ-tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's sisters' husband; grand uncle
- lai33 ca3bor1 soon1 [lai-tsa-bɔ-sun]: (noun) paternal granddaughter
- lai33 kong1 [lai-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather
- lai33 mah4 [lai-ma]: (noun) paternal grandmother
- lai33 soon1 [lai-sun]: (noun) paternal grandson
- lau33 ee3 poh2 [lau-i-po]: (noun) paternal grandmother's sister
- lau33 kim3 poh2 [lau-kim-po]: (noun) maternal grandmother's elder brother's wife
- mak3 ee3 poh2 [maʔ-i-po]: (noun) maternal grandmother's sister
- mm4 [m]: (noun) father's elder brother's wife; aunt
- mm3 poh2 [m-po]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder brother's wife; grand aunt
- moi33sai3 [mɔi-sai]: (noun) husband's younger sister's husband; younger sister's husband; brother-in-law
- ng1 knua1 [ŋ-kuã]: (noun) husband's father; father-in-law
- niau2 [niau]: (noun) husband's mother
- paek1 [pɛk]: (noun) father's elder brother; uncle
- paek1 kong1 [pɛk-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's elder brother; grand uncle
- piau1 chee4 [piau-tsi]: (noun) elder maternal female cousin
- piau1 ko1 [piau-ko]: (noun) elder maternal male cousin
- piau1 moi3 [piau-moi]: (noun) younger maternal female cousin
- piau1 tee3 [piau-ko]: (noun) younger maternal male cousin
- se1han1 ee2 [i]: (noun) mother's younger sisters; aunts
- sim3pu3 [sim-pu]: (noun) daughter-in-law
- sio1 moi3 [sio-moi]: (noun) younger sister
- sio1 tee33 [sio-ti]: (noun) younger brother
- soh4 [so]: (noun) elder brother's wife; husband's elder brother's wife; sister-in-law
- soon3 ah4 [sun-a]: (noun) brother's son; nephew
- soon3 sai3 [sun-sai]: (noun) son's daughter's husband; daughter's daughter's husband; grand son-in-law
- soon1 sim3pu3 [sun-sim-pu]: (noun) son's son's wife; daughter's son's wife; grand daughter-in-law
- tang3 mui2 [taŋ-mui]: (noun) wife's sisters' husband; brothers-in-law
- tee33 hu33 [ti-hu]: (noun) younger brother's wife; husband's younger brother's wife; sister-in-law
- thang2 chee4 [thaŋ-tsi]: (noun) elder paternal female cousin
- thang2 ko1 [thaŋ-ko]: (noun) elder paternal male cousin
- thang2 moi3 [thaŋ-moi]: (noun) younger paternal female cousin
- thang2 tee3 [thaŋ-ko]: (noun) younger paternal male cousin
- tniau3 [tiãu]: (noun) parents' sisters' husbands; uncles
- tniau3 kong1 [tiãu-kɔŋ]: (noun) grandfathers' sisters' husband; grand uncle
- tniau3 lang2 [tiãu-laŋ]: (noun) wife's father; father-in-law
- tniau3 mm4 [tiãu-m]: (noun) wife's mother; mother-in-law
Family Members not shown in the chart
- au3bo4 [au-bo]: (noun) stepmother
- au3pa1 [au-pa]: (noun) stepfather
- khe1mak3 [khe-mak]: (noun) godmother, foster mother
- khe1knia4 [khe-kiã]: (noun) godmother, foster mother
- khe1pa1 [khe-pa]: (noun) godfather, foster father
- se1cek3 [se-tsek]: (noun) father's youngest brother
- se1cim4 [se-tsim]: (noun) father's youngest brother's wife
- se1ee2 [se-i]: (noun) second wife, lesser wife, mistress
- tua33bor4 [tua-bɔ]: (noun) main wife
- tua33pek1 [tua-pɛk]: (noun) father's eldest brother
- tua33kor1 [tua-pɛk]: (noun) father's eldest brother's wife
- tua33pek1kong1 [tua-pɛk-kɔŋ]: (noun) paternal grandfather's eldest brother; Tua3 Pek1 Kong1 is the Taoist god of prosperity
Numbering of Family Members
Family members are numbered according to age. The eldest is called tua3 while the youngest seh3 or seh1han3. Therefore, the paternal eldest uncle is tua3 pek3 followed by jee33 pek3, snar3 pek3 and so on. Once it crosses your father, the name changes from pek3 to cek3 but the numbering continues.View full list of Penang Hokkien Vocabulary
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