Hokkien influence on Singaporean Mandarin

Singaporean Hokkien is the largest Non-Mandarin Chinese dialect spoken in Singapore. As such, it exerts the greatest influence on Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin, resulting in a Hokkien-style Singaporean Mandarin widely spoken in Singapore. The colloquial Hokkien-style Singaporean Mandarin can differ from Mandarin in terms of vocabulary, phonology and grammar.

Influences on phonology

Some Hokkien Singaporeans are unable to accurately pronounce the sounds of Standard Mandarin due to influences from their Hokkien mother tongue. These include consonants such as f, z, zh, s, r. They also pronounce some vowels and rhymes such as i, e, en, eng differently. In terms of tone, they often bring the checked tone (入声) of Hokkien into Mandarin.

Hokkien-derived vocabulary

The use of Hokkien vocabulary in Singaporean Mandarin can be categorized as such:

1. Use of Hokkien words in lieu of standard Mandarin words
2. Use of Hokkien monosyllabic words in lieu of standard disyllabic Mandarin words
3. Replacing of Mandarin morphemes with Hokkien morphemes
4. Use of Hokkien word order (in vocabulary) in lieu of standard Mandarin word order
5. Modifying the meaning of Mandarin word using Hokkien words

Hokkien borrowings

Some Hokkien words with the same meaning are used to replace standard Mandarin words.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien loan words)	Standard Mandarin	Definition
面盆 miàn pén	脸盆 liǎn pén	Washbasin
龙沟 lóng gōu	水沟 shuǐ gōu	Ditch
烧水 shāo shuǐ	热水 rè shuǐ	Hot water
风胎 fēng tāi	车胎 chē tāi	Tire
煮饭 zhǔ fàn	烧饭 shāo fàn or 做饭 zuò fàn	Cooking
一路来 yī lù lái	向来 xiàng lái or 一直 yī zhí	All along

Monosyllabic borrowings

Some Hokkien mono-syllabic words are used instead of two-syllable words in Mandarin.

Omission of Mandarin word's suffix

The suffix of certain Mandarin words might be omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin due to the use of Hokkien mono-syllabic words. For instance, the suffix "子 zi" is commonly omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien mono-syllabic word)	Standard Mandarin	Definition	Example of Usage (Singaporean Mandarin)
鸭 yā	鸭子 yā zi	Duck	我买了一只鸭 (I bought a duck)
位 wèi	位子 wèi zi	Seat	没有位了 (No more seats)
裙 qún	裙子 qún zi	Skirt	你的裙太长了 (Your skirt is too long.)
领 lǐng	领子 lǐng zi	Collar	你的领很脏 (Your collar is very dirty.)
石 shí	石头 shí tou	Stone	这块石很大 (This stone is very big.)

Replacing Mandarin morpheme with Hokkien morpheme

A morpheme in Mandarin is removed from a two-syllable word, leaving a one-syllable word, which is used in Hokkien.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien morpheme)	Standard Mandarin	Definition	Example of Usage (Singaporean Mandarin)
色 sè	颜色 yán sè	Colour	这块布什么色？ (What colour is this cloth?)
力 lì	力气 lì qi or 力量 lì liang	Strength	我没有力了 (I have no more strength)
工 gōng	工作 gōng zuò	Work	去找工做 (go and find a work)
明 míng	明白 míng bai	Understand	你一说我就明了 (Once you say it, I've understood it)
销 xiāo	推销 tuī xiāo	Sell	他替我销了很多本书 (He helps me to sell many books)

Same meaning, different word order

Some multi-syllable words in Standard Mandarin might be used with a different word order (reversed or changed) in Hokkien, and the latter's word order is adopted into Singaporean Mandarin.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien word order)	Standard Mandarin	Definition
面线 miàn xiàn	线面 xiàn miàn	Rice noodle
人客 rén kè	客人 kè rén	Guest
饭盒 fàn hé	盒饭 hé fàn	Small box of meal

Modifying the meaning of Mandarin using Hokkien words

Certain words in Standard Mandarin have a different meaning in Hokkien, and this difference is adopted by Singaporean Mandarin.

Some examples of these are listed below.

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien loan word)	Standard Mandarin	Definition	Usage	Notes
肥 féi	胖 pàng	Fat	你最近肥好多了 (You've been fatter recently)	The Mandarin word "肥" is not originally used for a person. Instead, Standard Mandarin uses the word "胖" esp. when referring to a fat person.
爽 shuǎng	痛快 tòng kuai	Happy/Joyful	玩得很爽 (play joyfully)	The Mandarin word "爽" originally means "cool". Here it has been modified to mean "happy".
会 huì	能 néng	Able to	车会过吗? (Is the car able to cross?)	The word "会" in Standard Mandarin does not mean an action that can probably be realized. "能", which indicates a possibility, is usually used instead.
本事 běn shì	有本事 yǒu běn shì	Capable	他很本事 (He is capable)	The word "本事" in Standard Mandarin is a 'noun'.

Influences on grammar

Singaporean Hokkien has influenced Singaporean Mandarin Grammar in 5 main areas.

Word order

The word order refers to the order or sequence of how words are arranged in combination. Because of influence from Singaporean Hokkien, the word order in certain phrases are replaced by that of Singaporean Hokkien, or are simultaneously used with that of Singaporean Mandarin.

"Verb/object + complement" structure

In Standard Mandarin, certain object in predicate structure are put after a complement. However, the "verb/object + complement" structure is used in Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin	Standard Mandarin	Translation	Grammar Notes
你上课完再去吧！ nǐ shàng kè wán zài qù ba	你上完课再去吧！ nǐ shàng wán kè zài qù ba	You go only after you've finished lessons!	The object "课" is put before the complement "完", instead of after.
考试完你再来！ kǎo shì wán nǐ zài lái	考完试你再来！！ kǎo wán shì nǐ zài lái	Come only after you've finished the exam!	The object "试" is put before the complement "完", instead of after.
你吃饭了再写好吗？ nǐ chī fàn le zài xiě hǎo ma	你吃了饭再写好吗？ nǐ chī liǎo fàn zài xiě hǎo ma	Can you write after you've finished your meal?	The object "饭" is put before the complement "了", instead of after.

Changes in overlapping word order

Overlapping word order in Singaporean Mandarin sometimes differ from that of Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (overlapping words)	Standard Mandarin (overlapping words)	Translation
想东想西 xiǎng dōng xiǎng xī	东想西想 dōng xiǎng xī xiǎng	Anyhow think
搞七搞八 gǎo qī gǎo bā	七搞八搞 qī gǎo bā gǎo	Anyhow mess around

Overlapping of words

Certain mono-syllabic adjectives and verbs or two-syllable adjectives and verbs in Singaporean Hokkien have entered into Singaporean Mandarin. These are used together with their counterparts in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin	Standard Mandarin	Translation
花红红很好看。 huā hóng hóng hěn hǎo kàn	花红红的很好看。 huā hóng hóng de hěn hǎo kàn	The flower is reddish and looks great.
你试看看。 nǐ shì kàn kan	你试试看。 nǐ shì shì kàn	Just try it.
吃看看啦。 chī kàn kàn la	吃吃看啦。 chī chī kàn la	Just try eating it.
把功课做完。 bǎ gōng kè zuò wán	把功课都做完。 bǎ gōng kè dōu zuò wán	Finish all of the homework.
这些你吃吃掉好吗？ zhè xie nǐ chī chī diào hǎo ma	这些你都吃掉好吗？ zhè xie nǐ dōu chī diào hǎo ma	Can you finish eating all these?
大家都坐好好。 dà jiā dōu zuò hǎo hǎo	大家都坐得好好的。 dà jiā dōu zuò hǎo hǎo de	Everyone is sitting properly.
他跑快快来拿东西。 tā pǎo kuài kuài lái ná dōng xi	他很快地跑来拿东西。 tā hěn kuài de pǎo lái ná dōng xi	He run here quickly to take the thing.
他硬硬要去。 tā yìng yìng yào qù	他硬(是)要去。 tā yìng (shì) yào qù	He insists on going.
不要乱乱写。 bù yào luàn luàn xiě	不要乱写。 bù yào luàn xiě	Don't anyhow write.
你久久才来一次。 nǐ jiǔ jiǔ cái lái yī cì	你很久才来一次。。 nǐ hěn jiǔ cái lái yī cì	He came only once after a long time.
吃饱饭出去散步散步。 chī bǎo fàn chū qù sàn bù sàn bù	吃饱饭出去散散步。 chī bǎo fàn chū qù sàn sàn bù	Go for a stroll after you've finished your meal.
大家见面见面一下也好。 dà jiā jiàn miàn jiàn miàn yī xià yě hǎo	大家见见面也好。 dà jiā jiàn jiàn miàn yě hǎo or 大家见一下面也好。dà jiā jiàn yī xià miàn yě hǎo	It's good everyone of us meet for a while

Omission

Certain components of a sentence that are used in Standard Mandarin are omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin, due to Hokkien influence on the latter.

Omission of directional verbs

Certain directional verbs are omitted or dropped in Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien-style omission)	Standard Mandarin	Translation	Notes
车子太大，不能进。 chē zǐ tài dà, bù néng jìn	车子太大，不能进去。 chē zǐ tài dà, bù néng jìn qù	The car is too big, it cannot get in.	The directional verb "去" has been omitted.
考试成绩还没出。 kǎo shì chéng jī hái méi chū	考试成绩还没出来。 kǎo shì chéng jī hái méi chū lai	The exam results haven't come out.	The directional verb "来" has been omitted.

Omission of the word "得"

The word "得" used in the sentence structure between a verb and a complement has been omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (omission of the word "得")	Standard Mandarin	Translation
你吃很慢。 nǐ chī hěn màn	你吃得很慢。 nǐ chī de hěn màn	You eat very slowly.
这种事我见太多了。 zhè zhǒng shì wǒ jiàn tài duō le	这种事我见得太多了。 zhè zhǒng shì wǒ jiàn dé tài duō le	I've seen this thing too many times.

Omission of certain numbers

Certain numbers, which are expressed in Standard Mandarin, are omitted in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (omission of certain numbers)	Standard Mandarin	Translation	Notes
块半。 kuài bàn	一块五毛。 yī kuài wǔ máo	One dollar and fifty cents (money)	The number "一" (one) has been omitted
尺二。 chǐ èr	一尺二。 yī chǐ èr	1.2 feet (length)	The number "一" (one) has been omitted
百三。 bǎi sān	一百三十。 yī bǎi sān shí	One hundred and thirty	The number "一" (one) has been omitted
两万五元。 liǎng wàn wǔ yuán	两万五千元。 liǎng wàn wǔ qiān yuán	Twenty five thousand dollars	The number "千" (thousand) has been omitted

Word groupings and arrangements

Certain word groupings and arrangements in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin sentences are greatly influenced by Hokkien.

Use of the words "有" and "无"

In Mandarin, the words "有" and "无" generally do not act as complementary verbs. But due to influence from Hokkien, colloquial Singaporean Mandarin uses them as complementary verbs.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
你听有吗？我听有。 nǐ tīng yǒu ma? wǒ tīng yǒu.	你听(得)懂吗？我听(得)懂。 nǐ tīng dé dǒng ma? wǒ tīng dé dǒng	Do you understand me?
他看有，我看没有。 tā kàn yǒu wǒ kàn méi yǒu	他看得见，我看不见。 tā kàn dé jiàn, wǒ kàn bú jiàn	He could see, I cannot see.
这本书我找有了。 zhè běn shū wǒ zhǎo yǒu le	这本书我找到了。 zhè běn shū wǒ zhǎo dào le	I found this book

Use of the word "到" in lieu of "得"

In a "verb+complement" sentence structure, standard Mandarin uses the word 得 to link the verb and complement. Singapore Mandarin, due to influence from Hokkien, uses the word 到 instead.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
我气到半死。 wǒ qì dào bàn sǐ	我气得半死。 wǒ qì dé bàn sǐ	I am so angry half-dead.
害到我白忙一场。 hài dào wǒ bái máng yī cháng	害得我白忙一场。 hài dé wǒ bái máng yī cháng	It wastes all my effort.
我被他弄到很不好意思。 wǒ bèi tā nòng dào hěn bù hǎo yì si	我被他弄得很不好意思。 wǒ bèi tā nòng dé hěn bù hǎo yì si	He makes me feel embarrassed.

Use of the word "去"

Certain Singapore Mandarin sentence structures use the word 去 as the resultative complement, where another character (such as 掉) might be used in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
杯子破去了。 bēi zi pò qù le	杯子破掉了。 bēi zi pò diào le	The cup has broken.
钱用去了。 qián yòng qù le	钱用掉了。 qián yòng diào le or 钱用完了。 qián yòng wán le	The money is used up.
椅子已经坏去。 yǐ zi yǐ jīng huài qù	椅子已经坏掉。 yǐ zi yǐ jīng huài diào	The chair has been broken

Use of Hokkien classifiers

A classifier (measure words) which is used with a certain noun in Hokkien might also be used similarly in Singapore Mandarin with the same noun, whereas another classifier might be used for that same word in Standard Mandarin.

Examples are shown in the table below:

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien measure word)	Standard Mandarin	Translation	Notes
一粒球。 yī lì qiú	一个球。 yī gè qiú	A ball	The word "粒" (lì) is a Hokkien measure word
一只飞机。 yī zhī fēi jī	一架飞机。 yī jià fēi jī	An aeroplane	The word "只" (zhī) is a Hokkien measure word
一支刀。 yī zhī dāo	一把刀。 yī bǎ dāo	A knife	The word "支" (zhī) is a Hokkien measure word

Sentences

Certain sentence structures used in Singapore Mandarin are influenced by Hokkien, and differ from their Standard Mandarin counterparts.

Some cases are listed in the following sub-sections.

Use of the word "有"

The word "有" (you) is usually added in front of a verb or verb predicate to indicate an existing action or completed status.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
我有看见他。 wǒ yǒu kàn jiàn tā	我看见他了。 wǒ kàn jiàn tā le	I saw him
有在家吗？ yǒu zài jiā ma	在家吗？ zài jiā ma	At home?
我明明有给你。 wǒ míng míng yǒu gěi nǐ	我明明给了你。 wǒ míng míng gěi le nǐ	I obviously gave you

Use of the word "会"

The use of word "会" (hui)[literally "can"] is used in colloquial Singaporean Hokkien, and such a use has entered Singapore Mandarin.

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
车子会过吗？ chē zǐ huì guò ma	车子能过吗？ chē zǐ néng guò ma	Can the car cross?
到宏茂桥会远吗？ dào hóng mào qiáo huì yuǎn ma	到宏茂桥(很)远吗？ dào hóng mào qiáo hěn yuǎn ma	Is it far to travel to Ang Mo Kio?
东西很多，吃会饱。 dōng xi hěn duō, chī huì bǎo	东西很多，能吃饱(吃得饱)。 dōng xi hěn duō, néng chī bǎo (chī dé bǎo)	There are many things, you can fill your stomach

Pronunciation of the word "了"

The word "了" is often pronounced as "liǎo" instead of "le".

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Translation
机器坏了 jī qì huài liǎo	机器坏(掉)了 jī qì huài diào le	Machine broke down
人走了 rén zǒu liǎo	人走(掉)了 rén zǒu diào le	The person is gone

Use of the Hokkien sentence-final particles "嘛", "啦" or "咧"

Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin often involves the addition of Hokkien sentence-final particles such as "嘛" (ma), "啦"(la) or "咧"(lēh).

Singaporean Mandarin (Hokkien influenced)	Standard Mandarin	Definition
下午到我家玩嘛。 xià wǔ dào wǒ jiā wán ma	下午到我家玩。 xià wǔ dào wǒ jiā wán	Come to my place for fun this afternoon
你快点去啦。 nǐ kuài diǎn qù la	你快点去。 nǐ kuài diǎn qù	Quickly go
不是这样咧。 bú shì zhè yàng lêh	不是这样。 bú shì zhè yàng	It's not like this.

See also

• Singaporean Mandarin
• Standard Singaporean Mandarin
• Languages of Singapore
• Chinese in Singapore
• Speak Mandarin Campaign
• Singapore Chinese Characters
• Singdarin
• Standard Mandarin
• Taiwanese Mandarin
• Malaysian Mandarin
• Singaporean Hokkien

References

• 新加坡闽南话与华语 (Singaporean Hokkien and Mandarin)

Further reading

• 周清海编著， 《新加坡华语词汇与语法》，新加坡玲子传媒私人有限公司出版， 2002年9月, ISBN 981-4127-23-X， ISBN 978-981-4127-23-3 (Zhou, Qinghai (2002), Vocabulary and Grammar of Singaporean Mandarin, Lingzi Media)
• 周清海(著)，《变动中的语言》，新加坡玲子传媒私人有限公司出版, 2009年, ISBN 981-4243-92-2、ISBN 978-981-4243-92-6 (Zhou, Qinghai (2009), The changing languages, Lingzi Media)
• 周長揖、周清海(著)，《新加坡閩南話詞典》 ，中國社會科學出版社， 2002年，ISBN 978-7-5004-3530-3 (Zhou Changyi, Zhou Qinghai (2002), "Singaporean Hokkien Dictionary", China Social Science Pub.)
• 周長揖(著)，《新加坡閩南話概説》 ，廈門大學出版社， 2000年 (Zhou Changyi (2000), "An Overview over Singaporean Hokkien", Xiamen University Pub.)
• 周長揖(著)，《新加坡閩南話俗語歌謠選》 ，廈門大學出版社， 2003年，ISBN 7-5615-2158-8(Zhou Changyi (2003), "Collection of Singaporean Hokkien Folk Adage and Ballad", Xiamen University Pub.)