My family was watching a Hokkien TV series earlier on, and I had to read the subtitles to understand. It was kind of funny, cos' none of us were Hokkien, but I think my brother-in-law [BIL] is Teochew/Hokkien. My parents could understand Hokkien well enough, but there are I guess subtle differences between the Penang Hokkien and the southern Hokkien. What's more, the TV series spoke Taiwanese Hokkien. Quite different actually, and I could barely make out any words which the actors/actresses said.
Mum: How do you say "Sorry" in Hokkien? [asking my BIL]
And my BIL had to pause a while to think. I smiled and glanced at my younger sister, and she also smiled, and I blurted out:
Me: No "Sorry" in Hokkien, because Hokkien people never say "Sorry". True ah?
Now if you asked me how to say "Sorry" in Hakka, I also don't know, but my Dad gave a few words in Hakka for "Sorry", which for the life of me, I can't remember. Sounded so unfamiliar. What to do? Yellow outside, white inside... :P
So? How DO you say "sorry" in Hokkien?
2 comments:
southern hokian?
sorry:
soli! (muahahaha) thanks much for being Malaysianized.
Taiwanese:
paiseh
sit leh
dui pu kee
and many other ways of saying the same meaning but different choice of words.
The 6pm 'Tian Ha Dei It Be' show? It's a long long long running drama, but quite touching it seemed.
If I ever get home early, I will catch it, too.
We don't really say sorry - we usually say, "pai seh" or "boh hor yee sue".
Most Taiwanese would say Dui Pu Kee (direct adaptation from Mandarin).
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