Chimbridge Singlish Dictionary

definitions

noun

1. a widely-spoken Southern Min (Min Nan) language (or family of related languages / dialects) spoken by people from parts of Fujian including Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Amoy, etc. and its diaspora, especially in maritime South-East Asia (where it used to be the lingua franca amongst Chinese communities) and Taiwan (where it is an official language).

Hokkien songs are for the man-in-the-street. Patrons feel that Hokkien lyrics relate more to their lives, and love, happiness and sadness are described explicitly.

— 1988 September 2, Guan Libing (quoting A.C. Chua). The Straits Times, "Hokkien pop is the rage". p.6

I stumbled upon the programme Happy Can Already on Toggle and was delighted that it was in Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese, although predominantly in Hokkien.

— 2017 February 8, Cindy Tan (quoting A.C. Chua). Today, "Variety show Happy Can Already worth another run". p.31

2. a person of Hokkien ethnicity, culture, background, etc.

Visit monuments in which decisions that shaped modern Singapore were made, landmarks that the Armenians, British, and Scots established, or discover the history and culture of the Hokkiens along Telok Ayer Street.

— 2012 January 26. Today (Afternoon Edition), "Things To Do: Monumental Walking Tours". p.11

3. (rare) Fujian, a province in China

adjective

1. of or relating to the Hokkien ethnolinguistic community and its people, language, ethnicity, culture, background, etc.

"Hokkien food is not like Cantonese-style dishes ... when they garnish a dish with carrots, they carve it into a flower, but a Hokkien dish uses the whole carrot just the way it is," ...

— 1993 November 18, Celine Tan (quoting James Tan). Weekend East, "Dig into tasty, no-frills Hokkien dishes". p.33