Khee Choo Teng

One day in 1960, I found myself on a Hin Bus and half an hour later I was in front of a house in Georgetown. It had a large hall and going to the second hall, I notice some steps that seems to be going up the roof. As far as I can recall, I asked my mum whether I can "Khee Choo Teng"  as I have never been inside a double-story house before and was amazed that one can go up the roof :-)

Khee - Go Up

Choo Teng - Roof

Penang Roads & Places in Hokkien

Krystle : Dad, it's not fair , why is there a street named after Kimberley ?

CCH: AFAIK, Kimberley was your mothers' choice and was named after Kimberley, the diamond capital of South Africa !

Krystle : OK, so what is Hokkien for Kimberley Street ?

CCH: Sua Thow Khey

Krystle : What are the Hokkien names of other roads or streets in Penang ?

CCH: OK, here goes my limited list

• Aboo Sitte Lane - Samesng Hang (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Archeen Street - Pak Cheo Khey (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Burmah Road - Chiah Chui
• Balik Pulau - Pulor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Bakau Street - Cha Tiah (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Beach Street - Toh Koh Khey
• Beach Street (after the Traffic Lights) - Kiam Hoo Teah
  
• Bishop Steet - Cha Bak Khey 
• Brdige Steet aka Jalan CY Choy - Koay Kang Ah (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Botanical Gardens - Ang Moh Hwa Hooi (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Carnavon Street - Lam Chan Nah (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Campbell Street - Sin Khay (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Chulia Street - Gu Gan Thang 
• Dato Kramat Road - Kah Mah Hooi (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Esplanade - Huan Na Kak 
• Fettes Park - Wan Tor Boey
• Gertak Sanggul - Boey Or
  
• Gurney Drive - Sin Hua Na Khak
• Green Lane - Cheh Chow Hang 
• Gurdwarra Road - Cheah Chooi Kang
  
• Katz Street - Sar Teow Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Love Lane - Ai Cheng Hang (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Macalister Road - Teong Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Malay Road - Tai Goo Au (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Paya Terbong - Long Boay (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Prangin Lane - Sia Boey
• Perak Road - Tor Lor Au 
• Penang Road - Phoh Tay (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Pitt Steet - Yar Khar (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Presgrave Street - See Teow Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Maxwell Road - Ooi Kar Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Macallum Street - Goh Teow Lor
• Magazine Road - Tau Teow Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Mount Erskine Road - Pek Hoon Suah (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Noordin Street - Jee Teow Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• New Lane
  
• Immigration Road - Imi Teah Lor
• Relau Road - Or Lai (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Rifle Range - Phak Cheng Por
• Rope Walk - En Tang Lor
  
• Sandilands Street - Chit Teow Lor 
• Sungai Ara - Sin Kang  (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Stewart Lane - Kwan Yim Teng Ow
  
• Transfer Road - Tiow Ho Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo) 
• Tramway Road - Cheng Ghee Suah (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Teluk Kumbar - Kongpar  
• Vale of Tempe Road aka Jalan Lembah Permai - Chooi Tee Lor
• Victoria Street - Pak Thee Khey
  
• Weld Quay - Hai Kee (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)
• Western Road - Ang Moh Lor (contributed by Uncle Goh Teng Oo)

Counting in Hokkien : Chit, Nor, Sar... [Updated 15th Nov 2009]

Kister : Dad, how to say 1-10 ?

CCH :

Chit - One
Nor - Two
Sar - Three
See - Four
Goh - Five
Luck - Six
Cheet - Seven
Peik - Eight
Kow - Nine
Chap - Ten

Kimster : How to say in hundreds ?

CCH :
Chit Pa - One Hundred
Nor Pa - Two Hundred
Sar Pa - Three Hundred
See Pa - Forur Hundred
Goh Pa - Five Hundred
Luck Pa - Six Hundred
Cheet Pa - Seven Hundred
Peik Pa - Eight Hundred
Kow Pa - Night Hundred

Kimster : How to say in thousands ?

CCH :
Chit Cheng - One Thousand

Nor Cheng - Two Thousand
Sar Cheng - Three Thousand
See Cheng - Four Thousand
Goh Cheng - Five Thousand
Luck Cheng - Six Thousand
Cheet Cheng - Seven Thousand
Peik Cheng - Eight Thousand
Kow Cheng - Nine Thousand
Chit Ban or Chap Cheng - Ten Thousand

Kimster : How about tens of thousands ?

CCH:
Chit Ban - Ten Thousand
Nor Ban - Twenty Thousand
Sar Ban - Thirty Thousand
See Ban - Forty Thousand
Goh Ban - Fifty Thousand
Luck Ban - Sixty Thousand
Cheet Ban - Seventy Thousand
Peik Ban - Eighty Thousand
Kow Ban - Ninety Thousand
Chap Ban  - One Hundred Thousand

Lu Kong Ha Mi

Somebody said something and you did not hear it properly. So in English, you would probably say "Sorry, what did you say ?"

In Hokkien, you would probably say "LOO KONG HA MI"

LU : You
KONG : Said
HA MI : What ?

Lu Choe Ha Mi ?

Kimberley's Hokkien is atrocious and very limited whilst Krystle's aka Kister is non-existent.

Lu Choe Ha Mi is Kimberley's aka Kimster's favourite Hokkien question :-)

What she is asking is "What are you doing "

Lu - You

Choe - Do

Ha Mi - What ?

Why Hokkien... Hokkien... Hokkien ?

I was born, bred and probably die in Penang where Hokkien is the predominant Chinese dialet spoken. Penang Hokkien is quite different from the Hokkien spoken in the rest of Malaysia, Singapore and China in that it is sing-song in nature and contains quite a number of Malay words.

Being born a Hokkien would probably make you assume that I am very proficient in Hokkien. Believe it or not, English is my native language in that I think, dream and have nightmares in English ! I only realise that I hardly speak any Hokkien when in the early 1980's my "Jee Tneoh" i.e husband to my Mum's 2nd Sister asked why I reply in English when he asks me in Hokkien !

The crunch came somewhere in the mid-1980's where I was involved in assisting Bank Negara in raiding a major deposit-taking co-operative during the "deposit-taking crisis". After the investigations, the Accounting Firm where I was working was appointed the Receivers and one of my task was to go on a road-show to almost all the co-operative's branches in order to return part of the money deposited. That is when I discovered my handicap in Hokkien :-(

I clearly remember trying to tell a depositor that the quantum of the deposit to be returned has yet to be decided as follows :-

Depositor : Lu eh heng wah jua cheh

CCH: Ah boi choo teah (translated as It has not been fated !)

What I should have said is "Ah boi kuat teng !

That's when I decided to try to learn and speak better Hokkien !

This blog basically documents what and how I am teaching Hokkien to my 2 daughters living with me i.e Kimberley and Krysle who are both studying in a Chinese School after 3 years in Saint Christopher Pre-school.