Hokkien is one of the largest Chinese language groups worldwide. Profanity in Hokkien most commonly involves sexual references and scorn of the object's ancestors, especially their mother. The mentioning of sexual organs is frequently used in Hokkien profanity.[citation needed]

Profanity
Profanities of Taiwanese Hokkien in Japanese ruled era
Hàn-jī垃圾話
Pe̍h-ōe-jīLap-sap-ōe / Lah-sap-ōe
Tâi-lôlap-sap-uē / lah-sap-uē
Profanities of Taiwanese Hokkien Japanese ruled era

Hokkien is the preferred language for swearing in Singapore.[1]

Insults

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As in English, a vulgar word for the sexual act fuck is used in insults and expletives. Below are the most commonly used Hokkien vulgar words.

Most frequently used F-word

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  • kàn (姦) - fuck. Expressions:
    • "kàn lín lāu-bú chhàu chi-bai" (姦恁老母臭膣屄); often abbreviated to "kàn lín lāu-bú" or simply "kàn lín niâ" (姦恁娘) - the most notoriously popular Hokkien expletive meaning "fuck your mother's smelly vagina (Cunt can also be substituted in this.)".
    • "sio kàn" (相姦) - to fuck
    • "tio̍h kàn" (著姦)- to get fucked
    • "hiong kàn/hong kàn" (鄉姦) - expression used in anger, meaning "go get fucked!"
  • chi-bai (膣屄) - vagina; cunt
  • chhàu chi-bai (臭膣屄)- smelly vagina
  • poah (撥) - to fuck or fucking.
  • kàn lín lāu-bú poah chi-bai" "姦恁老母撥膣屄 - Fuck your mother's fucking vagina (Cunt can be substituted)
  • ni, leng (奶)- breast

Kan (Chinese: ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kàn), literally meaning fuck, is the most common but grossly vulgar profanity in Hokkien. It's sometimes also written as . It is considered to be the national swear word in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Used in a manner similar to the English word fuck, kan can express dismay, disgrace, and disapproval. It is extremely offensive when used to insult someone.

Variety of phrases associated with Kan:

Most frequently used sexual organ

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  • chi-bai (膣屄) - vagina; cunt
  • chhàu chi-bai (臭膣屄)- smelly vagina
  • poah (撥) - to fuck or fucking.
  • ni, leng (奶)- breast

C-word (Cock)

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  • lān-chiáu (𡳞鳥) - penis; also used as an expression to indicate incredulity, as in the English "Bullshit!". Expressions:
    • koài-lān (怪𡳞) - literally 'weird penis', used to call somebody fucked up or abnormal.
    • kóng lān-chiáu oe (講𡳞鳥話) - to talk rubbish
    • khoàⁿ siáⁿ-mih lān-chiáu? (看啥物𡳞鳥) - "What the hell are you looking at?"
  • lām-pha (𡳞脬)- scrotum; also used as an expression to indicate incredulity, as in the English "Bollocks!" Nasal assimilation takes place as the onset of the second syllable is a bilabial, turning the underlying form /n/ in the coda of the first syllable to the surface form /m/.
  • lān-hu̍t (𡳞核) - testes; used in a similar way as the above examples.

Very VULGAR

  • kha-chhng (尻川) - buttocks or anus
  • kha-chhng khang (尻川孔) - anus; arsehole
  • phah chhíu-chhèng (拍手銃)- literally 'to fire a hand-gun'; slang for male masturbation
  • bôa (磨)- literally 'to rub' or 'to grind'. Slang for 'having sex', the imagery being two bodies rubbing against each other.
  • tēⁿ (捏)- literally 'to squeeze' or 'to lie on something'. Slang for 'fuck'. Expression:
    • "lí hō͘ lâng tēⁿ" (汝予人捏) - you let yourself get (squeezed).
  • (勢) - literally 'to whack'. Slang for 'fuck'. Expression:
    • "lí hō͘ lâng sè" (汝予人勢) (you let yourself get fucked).
  • siáu (痟) - crazy.
  • (咬) - literally 'to bite'; slang for fellatio. Expression:
    • "lí khàm goá lān-chiáu" (汝崁我𡳞鳥) (suck my cock), used in anger as in "up yours!"
  • khàm (崁)- literally 'to cover'; slang for fellatio. Expression:
    • "khàm lān" (崁𡳞) (stupid cock).
  • chhīu-ni/chhiū-leng (樹奶) - literally 'rubber'; slang for condom
  • khàu-pē khàu-bú (哭爸哭母) - literally 'cry father cry mother', refers to annoying and noisy complaining.

List of Hokkien profanities

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Hokkien profanities
Chi-bai
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
chi-bai 膣屄 cunt
chhàu chi-bai 臭膣屄 smelly cunt
Kàn
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
kàn to fuck
kàn lín chó͘-má 姦恁祖媽 to fuck your grandmother
kàn lín lāu-bú 姦恁老母 to fuck your mother
kàn lín lāu-bú chhàu chi-bai 姦恁老母臭膣屄 to fuck your mother's smelly cunt
kàn lín lāu-su 姦恁老師 to fuck your teacher
kàn lín niâ 姦恁娘 to fuck your mother
kàn lín niâ chhàu chi-bai 姦恁娘臭膣屄 to fuck your mother's smelly cunt
tio̍h-kàn 著姦 to be fucked The prefix 著 (tioh8) implies passive.
Khàu
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
khàu to cry
khàu iau 哭枵 to cry for hunger 哭 (khau3) means to cry, and 枵 (iau1) means hunger.
khàu pē 哭爸 to cry for father 哭 (khau3) means to cry, and 爸 (pe7) means father.
Lān
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
lān 𡳞 male reproductive system
lān-chiáu 𡳞鳥 penis bullshit
lān-hu̍t(-á) 𡳞核(-仔) testes bullshit
lān-pha 𡳞脬 scrotum bollocks
lān-sîn 𡳞神 the god of penis lazy man
ōe hó͘ lān 畫虎𡳞 to draw the tiger's penis boast
Siâu
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
siâu semen
chia̍h siâu 食潲 to eat semen no way
gê-siâu 㤉潲 to loathe, dislike
gia̍t-siâu 孽潲 be naughty
hau-siâu 嘐潲 boast For example, Mái thiaⁿ i teh hau-siâu! (Don't believe what he says!).
siáⁿ-siâu 啥潲 what the hell For example, Lí sī teh kóng siáⁿ-siâu haⁿh?! (What the hell are you talking about?!).
soe-siâu 衰潲 be unlucky For example, Kin-á-ji̍t chin soe-siâu! (It's an unlucky day!).
chhap-siâu 插潲 to care about For example, Mái kā i chhap-siâu lah! (Don't care about it!).
– Others –
Pe̍h-ōe-jī Hàn-jī literal meaning English translation Notes
kha-chhng 尻川 ass buttocks or anus
lín chó͘-má 恁祖媽 your grandmother first personal pronoun Used by female speakers as a rude modality, see Hokkien pronouns.
lín niâ 恁娘 your mother
lín pē 恁爸 your father first personal pronoun Used by male speakers as a rude modality, see Hokkien pronouns.
tio̍h-kâu 著猴 be monkey-like to become crazy
cha̍p-chéng 雜種/十種 mixed breed / ten breed mongrel; fucker
piáu-siⁿ 婊生 prostitute/bitch-born son of a bitch; bastard
soaⁿ-kâu 山猴 mountain monkey stupid; clueless; fool
chhàu-hǐ 臭耳 smelly ear deaf; rude; brusque
chhàu-hoan 臭番 smelly foreigner / barbarian roughshod; lowly
siáu-siáu 痟痟 insane; mad crazy; dumb
iáu-siū 夭壽 die young Damn!

References

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  1. ^ Carson, Lorna; Jiang, Ning (2021), Tien, Adrian; Carson, Lorna; Jiang, Ning (eds.), "Offensive Words in Chinese Dialects", An Anatomy of Chinese Offensive Words: A Lexical and Semantic Analysis, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 99–143, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-63475-9_5, ISBN 978-3-030-63475-9, retrieved 2024-11-25