Take a weekend, Hokkien lesson

I came from a kampung. My name is Ah Lian. Everyone calls me that. So, there is no denying that I have the Ah Lian blood in me.

So, cussing is part of my speech when I speak in Hokkien. Those words just roll out naturally. For example, SK a blogger once phoned me from India (I think) before the March 08 GE and I terus told him, “Lu mien hoa siao”. See? I thought he bluffed me that he was in India.

Therefore, let’s learn some Hokkien words.

Kong sai uwa. (talk shit)

Example: Asking people to be fair to all races when there aren’t any unfairness from those people but the person who said it.

Telling people that he is being concerned and stuffed a person with the harshest law and tell the rest of the world, he is doing it with good intention to PROTECT HER.

Kor sai (rub shit)

Example : Telling people ‘It is not my fault, it is not my order.’

Chiak kau sai (eat dog shit)

Example : All those people who kong sai uwa usually chiak kau sai so they spew sai from every orifices.

Pang kau sai (poo dog shit)

Example : All those people who chiak kau sai surely pang kau sai. It also means leaving a trial of smelly sai.

Cho mik sai (do what shit)

Example : Flying large group of people to some foreign country and fly them back again.

There are lots of sai cusses in Hokkien including kanasai. I think it means fark shit. Penang Hokkien speaking people don’t use kanasai much. Do learn a bit of these cusses. It is good for the soul. It is like ‘pang tua buk sai, si fook sai’ (translation : pang tua buk sai – shit a big load. However si fook sai, is Cantonese and the sai is not shit but complete, meaning ‘all completely relieved’)

Hamik sai? Means what shit? Please feel free to pang sai but don’t use any sai names in your comments, ok? I don’t want to get kor sai for nothing.

Related posts:

38 thoughts on “Take a weekend, Hokkien lesson”

  3. LOL

    Brilliant nia… really got Ah Lian’s blood… XD

    Kanasai should be “Macam sai”… if i’m not wrong… Singapore people like to use… not much heard in other part though… LOL

  5. BN serba boleh. If you need scholarship go see our DPM. If the AhLong threatens to kill you, go seek Hamid to use ISA on you, it can give you protection. Well at least for 18 hours or so.

    See liaw BN. Sai yonara BN.

    Raja Hanim

  8. I speak native (=pure) Hui Ann Hokkien. My Hokkien has a deep Hui Ann (Hui Wah) accent like China-man. Let me contribute a bit on this dialect.

    Kanasai is actually abbrev of kan-nin-nia-wa-sai

    kan u know the meaning already mah
    nin = you, your
    nia = mother
    wa = I
    sai = kan = u know the meaning already

    So the expression is native hokkien

    Kan-Nin-Nia

    and you have not enough “kan” but want some more you say –

    Wa-Sai

    So u k ppl’s m_m, and then not enough u continue the cuss with wa-sai = wa-kan… as a closing expression

    Now, u understand?

  10. seng pang pui liaw, balu eh pang sai.
    cenghu tak jit pang chow pui, beh chut sai.
    keh beh ku eh see kang, tak tiok eh tua lau sai.

  12. The Cheng Hu ppl always ‘pang sai kor piak’ (shit and rub on the wall) but ppl had taste the sai liao… ppl know the smell and the taste liao… not going to chiak sai for the second time. If they don’t stop ‘kong sai’, they are really going to ‘chiak sai’ liao. The strength of ppl will let them see how the sai taste! The best sai in the world. Taste so good.

    Choonies last blog post..Money Not Enough II

  15. Hi, Guys … of course Gals if ok… jugalah!

    Kanasai … the “sai” is not wat u r referring to…
    “Sai” means “Kan” in pure Hokkien as u know already.

    If u use kanasai, it is never Baba Hokkien.
    It is a Mingnanhua = Hokkien Dialect.

    In Kanasai = Kan-nin-nia-wa-sai
    There is one word muted: hor

    So, it should in full text be: Kan-nin-nia
    Or not enough pleasure u insist on: Nin-Nia-Wa-Sa = Nin-Nia-Hor-Wa-Sai
    So in full text, the speaker puts a heavy emphasis = Kan-Nin-Nia-Hor-Wa-Sai

    You have not enough to “Kan” ppl’s mom.
    You emphasise anothervariation of Kan = Sai

    In Hokkien, this is a very sensitive expression to many Chinese educated or traditional ppl coz u declare u f**k his mom.

    I had a friend who had a “terrible” fight when his close friend uttered that word as an expression or remark in conversation.

    Sengleng Cantonese are not much offended by:- Tunaseng
    This is normally the daily start-off greetings in Sengleng Cantonese.

    Hokkien dialects alone you have Mingnan, Mintong, Mingsay, Mingpeh dialects which are totally different in speech.

    Example, Fuzhou (or Foochow or Hokchew) is different from the Hokkien you are speaking. Fuzhou is also Hokkien. Most coffee shopowners are of Fuzhou descent.

    There is a saying on Chinese trade specializations:

    Hokchew Kopi or Hokchew Huwan-Thng
    Teochew Char Koay Teow
    Khngtang Wantan Mee
    Hokkien Char or Hokkien Mee
    Hanilam Kay-Puih

  19. (Letter to Ah Lian)

    Ah Lian ah,
    limpeh kah lu kong, lu mai kah lang kong…
    lu eh bolog cin lau tiu, cin jia chu bee…
    limpeh chio kao pua toh tia, bak chiu lau bak ewe…

    limpeh si hokkien lang, kong c’ap chai hokkien uwa…
    siang ka kiam chai tng, long chong cam cam eh…
    lu eh beng pek bo, limpeh kong ha mik?

    Ah Lian eh bolog, see chai cin jia chu bee..
    uh pun teh sin boon, uh lau tiu eh koh su…
    uh pai sin pai tien choo, ia see uh cu ciak…

    Ah Lian ah, limpeh ai kah lu kong…
    limpeh hee barn, Ah Lian uh see kang see chun…
    Ah Lian sia ka ceh hokkien koh su, hor?

    kam siah!

  22. Ah Lian Chee,

    Lan tua Lao Bak Ewe, Kiam siah jeh jeh!

    My family is in a country where NO ONE else speaks hokkien, thanks for brightening up our day!!!

    Have a great week ahead, God bless you and Malaysia!

  24. ExRC

    aeh-lah wa lang aeh minpek lu kong ami.
    jin chubi. aboh chin chiah sian ah… kuah tong kim aeh chengti… aeh siaw leh. kong kong lai chio chio ia si ho lah. puko lu beh sai yiong limpeh ka ah lian kong wah… kah teng yi chohoh lu toh chai cham.

    Aneh kong kilai, lanlang aeh sai yiong angmor ji kong hokkien wa… hahaha

  25. shadowgoby

    lu aeh sai kong hor wa lang chai lu si tua taloh jilei kok kar? Anchuah bolang kong hokkien wa leh? lu toh aeh hiau kong mah. chong bo khanta lu jilei hokkien lang nia meh?

  26. Penang Tionghua

    peng yiu, kam siah lu ka uwa kong!
    hee barn Ah Lian beh khi hong.. hahaha
    aeh pai ku cai ka lu lian lok…

  27. exRC
    Hohohoho… lan aeh hiau kong aneh ho liau aeh wa. bo kui aeh lang aeh hiau lan leh kong ami. kau si lian lok… aeh ki lian lok!…

  28. Penang Tionghua:
    Help.
    What is meaning of “kau sai” (dog shit) – is it same as bullshit ?
    and “char” in char siau means “fried” ?

    Confused in KL

  30. Penang Tionghua,
    Si lah, sar lang tua le bin 7 million beh hiao gong hokkien wa lang. Boh yao kin, nee boay tui chu liao. Tan tiah jeh jeh hokkien wa… goh jeh jeh “beep” ka tiah kah jeh “beep” wah!
    Hee bang lan kok keh eh see cheng kee liao!!

  31. kbchan –

    in your context

    kau sai = dog shit

    Chinese dialects depend on ur expression coz many words have same sounds. In ur case “sai”=shit

    “Kau Sai” is sometimes used at times of being fed-up or frustration:
    Kai sai leh! lu lang kong ami? = Shit! Wat are u all talking about? (here not bullshit, just shit in English connotation)

    Mm thng kong kau sai wa = in this sentence, kau sai = bull shit.
    kau sai ka chey kueh mo = bullshits more than the hairs.

    shadowgoby –

    lu aeh kioh (kiung) siang kha mmsi penang hokkien. oo cham tampo tiochiu wey. ler si tiochiu nang?

    pang sim, lan lang kong aeh wa si cheng ki. wo kah-cha si leh khai sek hokkien wa hor lan aeh peng yu tiah.

  34. Penang Tionghua, Lilian.

    wa ciak pah kah eng liau, bo tai cee coh…
    toh tui lai jit peng, ai chia mng lu lang…
    jit ku uwa si ha mik isu..”ang kow tio hu”
    (monkey fishing).. balu tiah tiok eh…
    bey beng pek si ha mik isu. Kam siah.

  35. exRC

    Chinese has a maxim: “Tai Kong Tio Hu”
    Not “Ang Kow Tio Hu.”

    During the Warring State Era in China, the Duke of Chou called Boon Ong (=Wen Wang = Scholar King) sought the help of a military strategist who was also a taoist by name of Jiang Zuya to help him defeat Shang Dynasty Emperor Zhao Wang.

    Jiang Zuya was popularly known as Tai Kong.

    Tai Kong was sitting on a river bank fishing when Duke Chou (= Zhou) approached him. The Duke asked why he was fishing without bait and the rod was 3 inches above the water level.

    Whereupon the Jiang replied,

    “If the fish are willing to take the baitless bait, well let it take.
    If it is not willing then he can leave.”

    So, the saying ” Tai Kong Tio Hu”.

    Duke Chou was the founder of Pok-Kua – Divination using tortoise shell and six coins.

    This was the foundation of I-Ching and Fengshui. Duke Chou’s divination is peerless and that led him into trouble with Shang Emperor Zhao Wang.

    Duke Chou became Emperor Wen Wang of Chou (= Zhou) Dynasty in the year 880 BC.

  36. kbchan

    Forget to include ur Char Sio in my earlier comment.

    Char = Fried
    Sio = Burn
    Char Sio = Fried and Burnt Meat
    Sio Bak = Burnt Meat

  37. Penang Tionghua:
    Sorry. siau as “sperm”.
    “Char siau ” as meaning “disturb” or kacau. So, what’s the meaning of “char” in that context ?

  38. kbchan

    “Char’ = Fry or disturb
    The word “char siau” is an expression commonly used in Hokkien

    It is not genteel and also impolite to use “char siau”;
    a better and more polite one would be “choh luan”

    instead of “mmai char siau”
    use the more polite form = mmai choh luan…
    or use = mmai chap…
    depending on ur context of use.

Comments are closed.