MINNAN (HOKKIEN) ANIMAL NAMES USED IN

SINGAPORE

Siong Kiat Tan and Kok Peng Lim

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

National University of Singapore
Singapore
2015
MINNAN (HOKKIEN) ANIMAL NAMES USED IN
SINGAPORE

Siong Kiat Tan and Kok Peng Lim

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377, Republic of Singapore
Email: [email protected] (SKT) and [email protected] (KPL)

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

National University of Singapore
Singapore
2015
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names Used in Singapore by

Siong Kiat Tan and Kok Peng Lim

is published by the:

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore
2 Conservatory Drive
Singapore 117377
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Website: http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg
Email: [email protected]

Editor: Hugh T. W. Tan

Copy Editor: Jeremy W. L. Yeo
Typesetter: Chua Keng Soon

Cover photograph of the 12 Animals of the Chinese zodiac © K. P. Lim, H. H. Tan & S. K. Tan

ISBN 978-981-09-1737-1 (online)

© 2015 Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the copyright holder. For information regarding permission(s), please write to: [email protected]
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

CONTENTS

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
2. About the Directory .................................................................................................................... 3
3. Pronunciation Key ...................................................................................................................... 4
4. Tones and Tone Sandhi .............................................................................................................. 7
5. Directory of Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names......................................................................... 9
a. General .............................................................................................................................. 9
b. Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 10
c. Reptiles ............................................................................................................................ 19
d. Amphibians ..................................................................................................................... 21
e. Birds ................................................................................................................................ 22
f. Fishes............................................................................................................................... 28
g. Marine Invertebrates ....................................................................................................... 42
h. Terrestrial and Freshwater Invertebrates ......................................................................... 48
i. Mythical Creatures .......................................................................................................... 56
6. Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 57
7. Useful Online Resources for the Minnan Language ................................................................ 58
8. Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 58
9. How to Cite this Book .............................................................................................................. 58

INTRODUCTION

The Minnan language (闽南语; Southern Min or Southern Fujian language [Min being the
abbreviation of Fujian]) is one of the several Chinese ‘dialects’ spoken in Singapore. Generally
referred to in Singapore and much of Southeast Asia as Hokkien, it was the most commonly
spoken primary Chinese language and effectively the lingua franca of the local Chinese
population in Singapore until around the 1980s (Lee, 1980; Norman, 1988; Anonymous, 1995).
Hokkien remains commonly used among the older generation in Singapore today (pers. obs.).
The language is also spoken in other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
and the Philippines where there are sizable Chinese communities descended from migrants from
the south-eastern Fujian (福建) province of China (from the vicinity of Quanzhou (泉州) to the
southern border shared with Guangdong (广东) province [see Fig. 1]), and on the island of
Taiwan, which lies directly east of Fujian (Medhurst, 1832; Weightman, 1985; Kong, 1987;
Norman, 1988, and other references herein cited).

In Singapore today, Hokkien is often erroneously regarded as a dialect of standard Mandarin

(called 华语, 普通话 and 国语 in Singapore and Malaysia, China, and Taiwan respectively).
This misconception appears to be largely due to the common translation of ‘fangyan’ (方言) to
mean dialect in English (pers. obs.). The terms topolect and regionalect have been proposed as a
more correct translation for ‘fangyan’, which originally and rather ambiguously mean local or
regional language, and has even been used in the past to refer to foreign (non-Chinese)
languages (DeFrancis, 1984; DeBernardi, 1991; Mair, 1991; see also Groves, 2008). Many
Chinese languages are not actually dialects of Mandarin (a northern Chinese language group
[i.e., 北方话]) in the usual sense, and Minnan or Hokkien is herein regarded as a language from
a purely linguistic perspective.

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 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

The Hokkien being referred to herein is the Singapore variant of the Minnan language. The term
Hokkien was itself derived from the Minnan pronunciation for the Fujian province (for other
definitions of the language see Chiu, 1931). It is not a common tongue throughout the Fujian
province and does not represent the provincial language. Fujian is in fact a linguistically diverse
province where Minnan is spoken only in the southeast (Fig. 1) (Chao, 1943; Bodman, 1985;
Norman, 1988). In the adjacent Chaoshan (潮汕) region in Guangdong, a distinct branch of the
Minnan language (known in Singapore as Teochew) is spoken. Other Fujian topolects spoken in
Singapore include, but are not limited to, Mindong (闽东; called Hockchew locally) from the
Fuzhou (福州) region, Kejia (Hakka; 客家) of the more inland regions of southern Fujian (also
referred to as ‘Hokkien Kheh’ by some older folks in Singapore), and Xinghua (兴化, locally
known as Henghua) from the Putian (莆田) area between Fuzhou and Quanzhou (Kuo, 1978).

The Minnan language spoken in different places can have limited mutual intelligibility and its
accents are highly varied and differ from one region to the next, even in Fujian (Chiu, 1931;
Bodman, 1985). The Hokkien spoken in Singapore appears to be rather unique because the
prevalent accent appears to be a hybrid of a few different Minnan accents and, to the best of our
knowledge, is not exactly identical to other Hokkien accents in China or other parts of the world.
From our observations, the Singapore accent can be very similar to that of southern Peninsular
Malaysia, and is generally closer to the Xiamen (厦门) accent. The pronunciations of many
common words are however, biased towards the accent of the region between Quanzhou and
Xiamen, such as Tong’an (同安) (see also Teh & Lim, 2014). Based on the number of borrowed
words, it is also clear that the language in Singapore has to some extent, been influenced by other
Chinese languages, as well as the languages of coexisting ethnic groups, such as Malay (pers. obs.;
see also Lim & Mead, 2011; Cui, 2012; Teh & Lim, 2014). Nevertheless for most Singaporean
speakers with a good grasp of the language, communication with native Minnan language speakers
in China, Taiwan, or other countries, is not a problem.

Interestingly the Min language group is regarded as one of the earliest among the Chinese
language groups to have branched off from the Han language (Chiu, 1931; Norman, 1979, 1988;
Chappell, 2001). Because of archaic features in the Min language that appear to be older than
Middle Chinese from which most other groups are descended, linguists have suggested that it was
derived directly from Old Chinese (Norman, 1979, 1988; Dong, 2014). Besides retaining many
archaic pronunciations and usages of many words, the Minnan language contains numerous
peculiar expressions, phrases, idioms, and proverbs not found in other Chinese languages (e.g.,
Chiu, 1931; 李, 2010, 2011). The language thus embodies a lot of cultural history, and has been
spoken for hundreds of years by the ancestors of many Chinese Singaporeans. It is thus a form of
intangible cultural heritage, which we feel is worth preserving and passing on to future
generations. Sadly, Hokkien appears set to become a moribund language in Singapore with very
few young people, even those of Minnan descent (or ‘Hokkien Lang’ [福建人]), able to speak it
fluently (pers. obs.; see also Kuo, 1978; Lee, 2001; Singapore Department of Statistics, 2011).

From our collective personal experiences as native speakers of Hokkien who are born and raised
in Singapore, we have compiled a directory of animal names in the language. The list consists of
names in colloquial usage within Singapore, and is neither comprehensive nor authoritative. It
includes only names that we have heard and/or gathered from Hokkien-speaking folk, particularly
among the older members of our respective families and social circles. Although it is technically
possible to construct names for practically all known fauna based on formal Chinese
nomenclature, we have strictly refrained from doing so. It therefore appears that a large number
of animal taxa do not have specific Hokkien names in Singapore as is the typical situation for any
language.

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 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Fig 1. Map of East Asia (left) showing the location of Singapore in relation to China. Enlarged inset of
south-eastern China (right) shows the Fujian Province with shaded patch indicating the general area,
with approximate borders, where the Minnan language is spoken within the province (adapted from
Chao, 1943, and Bodman, 1985). Numbers represent locations of cities mentioned in the text: 1, Fuzhou
(福州), the provincial capital; 2, Putian (莆田); 3, Quanzhou (泉州); 4, Nan’an (南安); 5, Tong’an
(同安); 6, Xiamen (厦门).

ABOUT THE DIRECTORY

The main purpose of the directory is to document Hokkien animal names and their pronunciations
as they are used in Singapore. However, we hope that it will also be useful to people who are
interested in learning about, or familiarising themselves with, the local Minnan language.

Many animal names have equivalents in Mandarin in written Han characters (汉字), but have
very different pronunciations (e.g., 鳖, 牛, 虫). A number of names appear unique to Hokkien
(e.g., ‘Sian Nang’ [gecko], ‘Bit Poh’ [bat], ‘Hor Sin’ [housefly]). As far as possible, the Han
characters for all names have been researched for inclusion, but there remain words with
characters that, to the best of our knowledge, may be non-existent, or cannot be confirmed or
traced. The unverified are indicated with a suggested character and/or a question mark in
brackets. It is also impossible to include all the known synonyms, or for us to verify the origins of
all names. Han characters that are merely homophonous representations (in the Hokkien
pronunciation) are indicated with inverted commas.

Some names are clearly derived or borrowed from other languages (e.g., ‘Ba Tu’ [short-bodied
mackerel], ‘Mor Sang’ [palm civet], ‘Sun Hok’ [marbled gudgeon]), particularly if the taxon has
no representative in southern China. These tend to be phonetically very similar or even identical
to their equivalent in the donor languages. It should also be noted that such names are used only
by Hokkien speakers in Singapore and some parts of Southeast Asia, and may not be understood
elsewhere. Many of the animals on the list are not native to Singapore or adjacent areas, but are

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 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

included because they feature prominently in Chinese Singaporean culture. These are either
symbolic (e.g., lion, Mandarin duck), have food and medicinal value (e.g., antelope), commonly
seen in zoos, or are widely kept as pets. Some are even imaginary or mythical creatures (e.g.,
dragon, phoenix).

It should be noted that variations in the pronunciation of many words exist owing to differences
in accents of the different Minnan regions. An attempt has been made to list the different ways
the animal names are pronounced by Hokkien speakers in Singapore, where differences in
accents have resulted in curious combinations of inconsistent pronunciations for many words.
For example, pronunciation of the Hokkien word for tail (尾) as ‘Ber’, ‘Beh’, or ‘Bueh’ can be
heard in Singapore. For names with more than one pronunciation, the more common variant
(based on the personal experience of the authors) is listed first. Both ‘Hur’ and ‘Hi’ are
acceptable pronunciations for fish (鱼), but to avoid unnecessary repetition in the directory,
only the predominant pronunciation in Singapore (i.e., ‘Hur’) is listed. Similarly, the
pronunciation of pig (猪) as ‘Tur’ or ‘Ti’, and rat (鼠) and ‘Cur’ or ‘Ci’ can also be heard in
Singapore, but are not repeated in every instance. Apart from differences in pronunciation due
to accent, there are also a number of heteronyms (i.e., more than one pronunciation for the same
written Han character). An example is the word for cat (猫), which can be read as either ‘Niau’
or ‘Ba’; the latter is strictly used to refer to wild animals. Differences in vernacular (白读) and
literal (文读) pronunciations of many words also occur in the Minnan language (see Medhurst,
1832). Literal pronunciation is generally the standard for formal reading (e.g., Tang poems),
and sentences composed entirely of words in the literal pronunciation are never used in
everyday speech. Some examples found in the directory are dragon (龙; vernacular ‘Leng’,
literal ‘Liong’), worm (虫; vernacular ‘Thang’, literal ‘Thiong’), and bird (鸟; vernacular
‘Ziau’, literal ‘Niau’).

Only a few examples of juveniles of animals (e.g., piglet, puppy) are herein listed. Distinct
names for young animals are rare, and generally the word ‘Kˈia’ (囝), meaning offspring or
child, is added for the purpose. The same word is also often used to distinguish animals that are
relatively small in size (i.e., fish is ‘Hur’ and small fish is ‘Hur Kˈia’). Gender nouns (e.g.,
rooster; hen) are also generally rare, and the word for either male (‘Kang’; 公) or female (‘Bu’;
母) is often added when a distinction is necessary. Only a few more commonly encountered
examples are herein provided.

PRONUNCIATION KEY

The transliteration used in this article is our own since there is not one that has been universally
adopted for the local Hokkien or for the Minnan language in general. It is therefore necessary to
explain how the phonetic transcriptions are pronounced with a pronunciation key. Like Hanyu
Pinyin (the phonetic alphabet for standard Mandarin), our transliterated words generally consist
of an initial and a final to form a syllable. Initials are basically consonants that start the syllable
while finals, which may be vowels, dipthongs, or triphthongs ending with or without a distinct
stop, make up the rest. On its own, initials cannot form a syllable, but there are many words
without initials. In addition a number of Hokkien words are pronounced with a nasal voice,
which does not occur in Mandarin. Syllables with nasal pronunciations are herein indicated with
a modifier letter vertical line (ˈ) before the finals (e.g., Pˈia [饼], ˈIu [羊], Thˈia [疼]) unless the
words start with the initial ‘Ng’, which is a nasalised initial (e.g., Ngeh [硬]).

Initials, with notes on their pronunciations, are presented in Table 1. Our transliteration is given
in the first column. Remarks explaining how the words are pronounced are provided in the
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 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

second column and examples of transliterated words in local colloquial Hokkien, which we
hope are simple enough to be easily consulted with native speakers of the language, are
provided in the last. However, instead of listing the few dozen possible combinations of letters
that make up the finals, we feel that it is sufficient to figure out the pronunciation of our
phonetic transcription based on what we have used as basis for the vowels, diphthongs and
triphthongs, and the different ends and stops. These are provided in Tables 2–4.

Table 1. Initials, with notes on their pronunciations and examples of some common words.
Initials Notes Examples

B... as in ‘bee’ 米 (Bi); 文 (Bun); 肉 (Baq)

C... similar to ‘c’ and ‘q’ initials in Hanyu Pinyin; aspirated 菜 (Cai); 碎 (Cui); 试 (Ci)

G... as in ‘girl’ 牙 (Geh); 原 (Guan); 牛 (Gu)

H... as in ‘how’ 好 (Hoh); 番 (Huan); 雨 (Hor);

J... as in ‘jig’ 尿 (Jioh [also pronounced as Lioh]);

入 (Jip [also pronounced as Lip])

K... not aspirated, as in sky; equivalent to ‘g’ in hanyu pinyin 记 (Ki); 国 (Kok); 旧 (Ku)

Kh... hard ‘k’, aspirated 起 (Khi); 区 (Khu); 看 (Khˈua)

L... as in ‘land’ 来 (Lai); 力 (Lat); 人 (Lang)

M... as in ‘mine’ 毛 (Mor [also pronounced as

Mˈng]); 名 (Mia); 门 (Mˈng)

N... as in ‘now’ 年 (Ni); 烂 (Nua); 脑 (Nau)

Ng... nasal sound; similar to ‘sing’ 五香 (Ngor hiong); 硬 (Ngeh)

P... as in ‘spin’, not aspirated; equivalent to ‘b’ initial in 肥 (Pui); 饱 (Pa); 饭 (Pˈng)
Hanyu Pinyin

Ph... as in ‘pop’, aspirated 拍 (Phaq); 喷 (Phun); 骗 (Phien)

S... as in ‘seen’ 是 (Si); 衰 (Sueh); 屎 (Sai)

T... not aspirated, as in ‘sting’; equivalent to ‘d’ initial in 大 (Tua); 刀 (Toh); 条 (Tiau)
hanyu pinyin

Th... as in ‘town’, aspirated 头 (Thau); 跳 (Thiau); 吞 (Thun)

Y... not strictly an initial; herein included only because of 烟 (Yen [also pronounced as Ien]);
habitual [mis]pronunciation by many people for finals 容 (Yong [also pronounced as
beginning with ‘i’ Iong])

Z... similar to ‘z’ and ‘j’ initials in Hanyu Pinyin or to German 早 (Za); 准 (Zun); 招 (Zioh)
‘tz’; not aspirated

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 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Table 2. Vowels in finals, notes on their pronunciation and examples of some common words.

Vowels Notes Examples

A…; …a…; …a ah, as in ‘bar’ 红 (Ang); 工 (Kang); 饱 (Pa)

I…; …i…; …i ee, as in ‘see’ 医 (I); 面 (Bin); 米 (Bi)

E…; …e…; …eh ay, as in ‘day’ 用 (Eng [also pronounced as

Iong]); 灯 (Teng); 短(Teh [also
pronounced as Ter]); 下 (Eh)

…er er, as in ‘term’ 短(Ter [also pronounced as Teh]);

妹 (Ber [also pronounced as Beh])

M a humming sound with mouth closed; similar 姆 (M); 毋(M)

to the sound made in ‘hmm’

ˈNg; …ˈng nasal sound similar to ‘sing’; rather like 黄 (ˈNg); 酸 (Sˈng); 饭 (Pˈng)
making a humming sound with the mouth
slightly open

O…; …o…; …or or, as in ‘for’ 王 (Ong); 爽 (Song); 乌 (Or)

...oh oh, as in ‘toe’ 无 (Boh); 学 (Ohq); 刀 (Toh)

U…; ...u oo, as in ‘look’ 有 (U); 输 (Su); 喷 (Phun);

...ur similar to ‘term’, but with teeth clenched and 鱼 (Hur [also pronounced as Hi]);
with back of mouth more constricted 语 (Gur [also pronounced as Gi or
Gu]); 箸 (Tur [also pronounced as
Ti or Tu])

Table 3. Combinations (dipthongs and triphthongs), notes on their pronunciation and examples of some
common words.

Combinations Notes Examples

Ai; …ai ah-ee, as in ‘pie’ 爱 (Ai); 来 (Lai); 屎 (Sai)

Au; …au ah-oo, as in ‘out’ 后 (Au); 扫 (Sau); 头 (Thau)

Ia; …ia…; …ia ee-ah 爷 (Ia); 赢 (ˈIa); 咸 (Kiam);

名 (Mia); 疼 (Thˈia)

Iau; …iau ee-ah-oo 妖 (Iau); 了 (Liau); 条 (Tiau)

Ie…; …ie… ee-ay 烟 (Ien); 莲 (Lien); 吉 (Kiet)

Ior ee-or 羊 (ˈIor [also pronounced as ˈIu]);

溶 (ˈIor [also pronounced as ˈIu])

Ioh; …ioh ee-oh 腰 (Ioh); 烧 (Sioh); 药 (Iohq)

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 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Combinations Notes Examples

Iu; …iu ee-oo 油 (Iu); 收 (Siu); 球 (Kiu); 溶 (ˈIu)

Ua…; …ua…; oo-ah 活 (Ua); 番 (Huan); 烂 (Nua);

…ua 换 (ˈUa)

Uai; …uai oo-ah-ee 歪 (Uai); 乖 (Kuai); 怪 (Kuai)

Ueh; …ueh oo-ay 话 (Ueh); 衰 (Sueh); 杯 (Pueh)

Ui; …ui oo-ee 位 (Ui); 肥 (Pui); 水 (Zui)

Table 4. Ends and stops of finals, notes on their pronunciation and examples of some common words.

Ends/ Stops Notes Examples

...m as in ‘slim’ 深 (Cim); 暗 (Am); 咸 (Kiam)

...n as in ‘bun’ 安(An); 准 (Zun); 番 (Huan)

...ng as in ‘sing’ 红 (Ang); 间 (Keng); 爽 (Song)

...p as in ‘pop’, not aspirated 粒 (Liap); 涩 (Siap); 入 (Lip/Jip)

…q a ‘q’ is added for words that end in a glottal 肉 (Baq); 桌 (Tohq); 学 (Ohq);
stop (i.e., as in the ‘uh’ in ‘uh-oh’) 铁 (Thiq)

...k not aspirated, somewhat like a pronounced 目 (Bak); 国 (Kok); 毒 (Tok);

glottal stop similar to ‘egg’ in English; with a 竹 (Tek)
stressed stop made by shutting the rear of the
mouth with the tongue

...t as in ‘butter’, not aspirated 直 (Tit); 踢 (That); 力 (Lat)

TONES AND TONE SANDHI

Minnan is a tonal language like Mandarin and other Chinese languages. However the tones are
quite different compared to the four tones (five if the neutral tone is counted) recognised in
standard Mandarin that young people in Singapore are generally familiar with. The Minnan
language is traditionally regarded as having eight tones, but only seven tones are recognised in
actual speech because tones 2 and 6 are indistinguishable (Table 5 [see also Medhurst, 1832]).
Words pronounced in tones 4 and 8 typically end with a distinct stop (‘…p’, ‘…t’, ‘…k’) or a
glottal stop (represented with the addition of a ‘q’ at the end of the respective transliterations
herein). However, many words with a glottal stop may not be consistently pronounced due to tone
sandhi. For example, table top (桌顶) is typically ‘Toh[2] Teng[2]’, though the original
pronunciation for the word table (桌) is ‘Tohq[4]’. It should be noted that examples herein given
are for the Singapore Hokkien accent, and the tone and pronunciation may not be exactly identical
for the same word in the many different Minnan accents.

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 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Like Mandarin, tone sandhi (tone change rules) occurs in the Minnan language. The rules are
however much more complex. In Singapore Hokkien, tone change occurs each time a word is
paired in front of another to give meaning, or in combinations to form a sentence. For
example, the words for red (红) and flower (花), with tones in brackets, are pronounced as
‘Ang[5]’ and ‘Hueh[1]’, respectively; when the words are combined as 红花 to mean red
flower, the tones become ‘Ang[3] Hueh[1]’, and when the words are combined as 花红 to
mean commission or bonus, the words are pronounced ‘Hueh[7] Ang[5]’ (see Table 6). As a
general rule, the last word in a ‘set’ (combinations of two or more words) always retains the
‘correct’ or original tone. In the directory, the tones are written as how the words are
pronounced in the particular combinations, with the original tones indicated in superscript
(i.e., red flower will be transliterated as Ang[35] Hueh[1]).

Table 5. Tones of Minnan in the general Singapore accent.

Tones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
High
Pitch Mid
Low
丝 死 四 熄 时 死 是 翼
(Si) (Si) (Si) (Sit) (Si) (Si) (Si) (Sit)

Examples of 君 滚 困 骨 裙 滚 近 滑
some (Kun) (Kun) (Khun) (Kut) (Kun) (Kun) (Kun) (Kut)
common
words in the 芳 纺 放 拍 房 纺 缝 暴
respective (Phang) (Phang) (Pang) (Phaq) (Pang) (Phang) (Phang) (Phak)
tones (see
Table 6 for 刀 岛 倒 桌 桃 岛 道 毒
tone sandhi) (Toh) (Toh) (Toh) (Tohq) (Toh) (Toh) (Toh) (Tok)

分 粉 揾 熨 云 粉 份 佛
(Hun) (Hun) (Un) (Ut) (Hun) (Hun) (Hun) (Hut)

Table 6. The Singapore Hokkien tone sandhi. The usual tone changes are provided in the second row, and the
last shows the occasional variations, which may occur because of differences in accent or habitual
mispronunciations of certain words in Singapore.

Original tone 1 2 (= 6) 3 4 5 6 (= 2) 7 8

Tone sandhi 7 5 2 8 3 5 3 3

Variations – 1 – 2 – 1 – 4

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 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

DIRECTORY OF
MINNAN (HOKKIEN) ANIMAL NAMES

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

GENERAL

Animal 动物 Tong[37] But[8] General term for all animals.

精牲
兽 Khim[35] Siu[3] Refers usually to beasts and wild animals
See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015 (generally birds and mammals). Also used to
designate inhumane people or people exhibiting
unacceptable behaviour.

禽兽 Zeng[71] Sˈi[1] Refers generally to beasts, but more often used

See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015 for domestic animals. Also used to designate
Zeng[71] Sˈeh[1]
inhumane people or people exhibiting
unacceptable behaviour.

Animal, large 野兽 Ia[52] Siu[3] Generally refers to ferocious wild animals.

and wild

Bird 鸟 Ziau[2]

Bird, small 粟鸟 Cek[84] Ziau[2] Refers mainly to small finch-like bird (e.g.,
munia, sparrow).

Dinosaur 恐龙 Khiong[52] Literally ‘terror dragon’. A direct translation from

Liong[5] Mandarin.

Fish 鱼 Hur[5]

Fish, drain ‘廊’沟鱼 Long[3] Kau[71] Refers usually to livebearers (e.g., molly,
Hur[5] mosquitofish), but also generally for any fish
(usually small) found in drains. Literally ‘drain
fish’, from the combining the corruption of Malay
word ‘longkang’ for drain and fish.

‘廊工’鱼 Long[3] Kang[7] Refers usually to livebearers (e.g., molly,

Hur[5] mosquitofish), but also generally for any fish
(usually small) found in drains. Literally ‘drain
fish’, from combining Malay word for drain
‘longkang’ and Minnan ’fish’.

Insect 昆虫 Khun[71] A more formal term. Insects and other creepy-

Thiong[5] crawlies are otherwise generally called
‘Thang[5]’.

Poultry 家禽 Ka[71] Khim[5]

Worm 虫 Thang[5] Refers generally to any crawling or wriggling

invertebrate.

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 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

MAMMALS

Antelope 羚羊 Leng[35] Iong[5] Mainly refers to horns of the Saiga antelope

(Saiga tatarica) that are commonly used in
Leng[35] Yong[5] traditional Chinese medicine.

Ape, e.g., 猿 Huan[3]

orang-utan,
chimpanzee Uan[5]

猩猩 Seng[7] Seng[1]

KL

Bat 密婆 Bit[38] Poh[5]

夜婆 Ia[37] Poh[5] Literally ‘night woman’.

KL

Bat, flying fox, 果子猫 Keh[52] Zi[52] Usually refers to flying fox.
or fruit bat Ba[5] Name also used for civet
cat. Literally ‘fruit cat’.
Ker[52] Zi[52]
Ba[5]

Kueh[52] Zi[52]
Ba[5]

THH

Bear 熊 Him[5]

狗熊 Kau[52] Him[5] Literally ‘dog bear’.

Bear, black 乌熊 Or[71] Him[5] Refers to Asian black bear

or sun bear. Literally ‘black
bear’. KL

10
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Bear, polar 白熊 Peh[38] Him[5] Refers specifically to polar

bear. Literally ‘white bear’.

KL

Buffalo 水牛 Zui[52] Gu[5] Literally ‘water cattle’.

DY

Camel 骆驼 Lok[38] Toh[5]

KL

Cat 猫 Niau[1] Also broadly used to

designate people who are
fastidious, fussy, or stingy.

Cat, kitten 猫囝 Niau[71] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘cat child’. KL

Cat, Siamese 暹猫 Siam[37] Niau[1] Literally ‘Siam cat’.

Cat, leopard 山猫 Sˈua[71] Niau[1] Literally ‘mountain/hill

cat’.

狸猫 Li[35] Ba[5] Also refers to civet cat.

KL

Cattle, ox or 牛 Gu[5]
cow

KL

11
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Civet, palm 果子猫 Ker[52] Zi[52] Also refers to fruit bat.

Ba[5] Literally ‘fruit cat’.
Keh[52] Zi[52]
Ba[5]
Kueh[52] Zi[52]
Ba[5]

狸猫 Li[35] Ba[5] Also refers to leopard cat. MC

‘毛松’ Mor[3] Sang[1] After the Malay name

‘musang’ for civet cat.

Civet, with 九节猫 Kau[52] Zat[84] Literally ‘nine-sectioned

banded tail Ba[5] cat’, probably in allusion to
the ringed tail.

MC

Deer 鹿 Lok[8]

THH

Dog 狗 Kau[2]

Dog, female 狗母 Kau[52] Bu[2] Literally ‘dog

female/mother’.
KL

Dog, male 狗公 Kau[52] Kang[1] Literally ‘dog male’.

Dog, puppy 狗囝 Kau[52] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘dog child’.

Dog, chow 膨狮狗 Phong[23] Sai[71] Also often used for any dog with fluffy fur.
chow Kau[2] Commonly mispronounced as Phong[2] Sai[5]
Kau[2].

Dog, German 猎狗 La[38] Kau[2] Literally ‘hunting dog’.

shepherd
狼狗 Long[35] Kau[2] Literally ‘wolf dog’.

12
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Dog, 狐狸狗 Hor[35] Li[35] Literally ‘fox dog’.

Pomeranian Kau[2]

Dolphin 海猪 Hai[52] Tur[1] Literally ‘sea pig’.

2
Hai[5 ] Ti[1]

KL

Donkey 驴 Lur[5]
Li[5]
Lu[5]

SS

Dugong 海牛 Hai[52] Gu[5] Also refers to manatee.

Literally ‘sea cattle’.
Possibly a direct translation
from the Mandarin name.
KL

Elephant 象 Cˈiu[7]

象公 Cˈiu[37] Kong[1] Refers generally to adult

elephants regardless of
gender. Literally ‘elephant
lord/grandfather’. KL

大象 Tua[37] Cˈiu[7] Literally ‘big elephant’.

大象公 Tua[37] Cˈiu[37] Refers generally to adult elephants regardless of

Kong[1] gender. Literally ‘big elephant lord/grandfather’.

Fox 狐狸 Hor[35] Li[5]

THH

Giant panda 猫熊 Niau[71] Him[5] Literally ‘cat bear’.

THH

13
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Giraffe 麒麟鹿 Ki[3] Lin[35] Literally ‘kirin deer’.

Lok[8]

长脚鹿 Tˈng[35] Kha[71] Literally ‘long-legged

Lok[8] deer’.

长颈鹿 Tˈng[35] Keng[52] Literally ‘long-necked

Lok[8] deer’. Probably a direct
translation of the Mandarin
name. KL

Goat (see 羊 ˈIu[5] Name also used for sheep.

sheep)
ˈIor[5]

山羊 Sˈua[71] ˈIu[5] Refers specifically to goat.

Literally ‘mountain/hill KL
Sˈua[71] ˈIor[5] goat’. Possibly a direct
translation from the
Mandarin name.

Guinea pig 竹鼠 Tek[84] Cur[2] Originally refers to the

bamboo rat (genus
Rhizomys) which the
Guinea pig resembles in
general appearance.
TSK

Hippopotamus 河马 Hoh[35] Beh[2] Literally ‘river horse’.

Probably a direct
translation from the
Mandarin name.
KL

Horse and 马 Beh[2]

pony

TSK

14
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

House shrew 钱鼠 Zˈi[35] Cur[2] Literally ‘money mouse’.

KL

Leopard 豹 Pa[3]

JY

Leopard, black 乌豹 Or[71] Pa[3] Refers specifically to black

panther panther. Literally ‘black
leopard’.

KL

Lion 狮 Sai[1]

KL

Monkey 猴 Kau[5]

老猴 Lau[37] Kau[5] Literally ‘old monkey’.

THH

Mouse (see 鼠 Cur[2] Also refers to rat.

rat)
Ci[2]

鸟鼠 Niau[52] Cur[2] Also refers to rat.

Niau[52] Ci[2] KL

15
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Orang-utan 红毛猩猩 Ang[35] Mor[35] Refers specifically to

Seng[71] Seng[1] members of the genus
Pongo. Literally ‘red hair
ape’. Possibly a direct
translation from the
Mandarin name.
KL

Otter 水獭 Zui[52] Thuaq[4]

KL

Pangolin 鲮鲤 La[35] Li[2]

KL

Pig 猪 Tur[1]
Ti[1]

Pig, stud 猪哥 Tur[71] Koh[1] Literally ‘pig brother [elder]’. Also used to
designate lecherous men.
Ti[71] Koh[1]

种猪 Zeng[52] Tur[1] Literally ‘seed pig’.

Zeng[52] Ti[1]

Pig, sow 猪母 Tur[71] Bu[2] Literally ‘pig mother/female’.

1
Ti[7 ] Bu[2]

Piglet 猪囝 Tur[71] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘pig child’.

Ti[71] Kˈia[2]

Piglet, hand 牛奶猪 Gu[35] Ni[71] Refers to rejected piglets that are hand reared
reared Tur[1] with cow’s milk. Literally ‘cow’s milk pig’.
Gu[35] Ni[71] Ti[1]

Pig, wild 山猪 Sˈua[71] Tur[1] Literally ‘mountain/hill

1 pig’.
Sˈua[7 ] Ti[1]

THH

16
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Porcupine 豪猪 Hoh[35] Tur[1] Literally ‘grand pig’.

Hoh[35] Ti[1]

刺猪 Ci[23] Tur[1] Literally ‘spiny pig’.

KL
Ci[23] Ti[1]

Porpoise 和尚鱼 Her[3] Sˈiu[37] Name also used for

Hur[5] dolphins without beaks.
Literally ‘[Buddhist] monk
Heh[3] Sˈiu[37] fish’.
Hi[5] KL

Rabbit 兔 Thor[3]

KL

Rabbit, white 白兔 Peh[38] Thor[3] Refers specifically to

domestic albino rabbit.
Literally ‘white rabbit’.

KL

Rat (see 鼠 Cur[2] Also refers to mouse.

mouse)
Ci[2]

鸟鼠 Niau[52] Cur[2] Also refers to mouse.

Niau[52] Ci[2] KL

Rhinoceros 犀牛 Sai[71] Gu[5]

KL

Seal or sea lion 海狗 Hai[52] Kau[2] Literally ‘sea dog’.

KL

17
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Sheep (see 羊 ˈIu[5] Name also used for goat.

goat)
ˈIor[5]

绵羊 Mi[35] ˈIu[5] Refers specifically to

sheep. Literally ‘floss
KL
goat’. Possibly a direct
translation from the
Mandarin name.

Squirrel 膨鼠 Phong[23] Cur[2] Literally ‘fluffy rat’,

probably in allusion to the
fluffy tail.
KL

Tiger 虎 Hor[2]

老虎 Lau[37] Hor[2] Literally ‘old tiger’.

Tiger, white 白虎 Peh[38] Hor[2] Refers specifically to white

tiger. Literally ‘white
tiger’.

KL

Whale 海翁 Hai[52] Ang[1] Literally translates as ‘old man of the sea’.

鲸鱼 Keng[71] Hur[5] Probably a direct translation from the Mandarin

name.

Wolf 狼 Long[5]

Liong[5]

Zebra 花斑马 Hueh[71] Pan[71] Literally ‘flower-patterned

Beh[2] horse’.

斑马 Pan[71] Beh[2] Literally ‘patterned horse’

KL
乌白马 Or[71] Peh[38] Literally ‘black-white
Beh[2] horse’.

18
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

REPTILES

Crocodile ‘磨页’ Bua[3] Ya[2] After the Malay name

‘buaya’.
Bua[3] Ia[2]

鳄鱼 Ngok[38] Hur[5] Very rarely used in

Singapore owing to
dominance of the preceding KL
Malay loan word.

Gecko, house 善虫 Sien[37] Nang[5] Literally translates as

‘good/kind worm’.
Sien[37] Thang[5]
Sin[37] Nang[5]

[舌/钱?]龙 Ji[3] Leng[5] KL

Lizard, green 大伯公鸡 Tua[37] Peh[24] Refers to Bronchocela

crested Kong[71] cristatella. Literally ‘Tua
Kueh[1] Peh Kong’s (Taoist deity)
chicken’.

大伯公蛇 Tua[37] Peh[24] Refers to Bronchocela

Kong[71] Zua[5] cristatella. Literally ‘Tua
Peh Kong’s (Taoist deity)
snake’. KL

Lizard, 四脚蛇 Si[23] Kha[71] Literally ‘four-legged

monitor Zua[5] snake’.

KL

Skink, large 狗母蛇 Kau[52] Bu[52] Usually refers only to the

Zua[5] large species. Literally
‘bitch (female dog) snake’.

Skink, small 草龙 Cau[52] Leng[5] Refers only to the small

KL
species. Literally ‘grass
dragon’.

Snake 蛇 Zua[5]

KL

19
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Snake, cobra 乌[?] Or[71] Phˈng[1] Refers specifically to Naja

sumatrana.

目镜蛇 Bak[38] Kˈia[23] Literally ‘spectacled

Zua[5] snake’. Probably a direct
translation from its
Mandarin name
NB
7 5
饭匙铳 Pˈng[3 ] Si[3 ] Literally ‘rice-scoop gun’.
Ceng[3]

Snake, blind 铁蛇 Thi[24] Zua[5] Refers specifically to

Ramphotyphlops braminus.
Literally ‘iron snake’.
According to local folklore,
KL
the animal turns into iron
after it is burnt.

Snake, green 青竹丝 Cˈi[71] Tek[84] Refers to green-coloured

vine Si[1] members of the genus
Ahaetulla. Literally ‘green
Cˈeh[71] Tek[84] bamboo strand’. The same
Si[1] name refers specifically to
the Chinese tree or bamboo KL
viper, Trimeresurus
stejnegeri, in Fujian and
Taiwan.

Snake, python 锦蛇 Gim[52] Zua[5]

THH

Snake, sea 海蛇 Hai[52] Zua[5] Literally ‘sea snake’.

KL

Snake, water 水蛇 Zui[52] Zua[5] Literally ‘water snake’.

KL

20
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Tortoise 龟 Ku[1] Also refers to turtle and

beetle-like insects.

乌龟 Or[71] Kui[1] Literally ‘black tortoise’,

but is a general term not
Or[71] Ku[1] restricted to black/dark
animals.
KL

Turtle, 龟 Ku[1] Also refers to tortoise and

freshwater and beetle-like insects. Does
terrestrial not include softshell turtles.

乌龟 Or[71] Kui[1] Literally ‘black tortoise’,

but is a general term not KL
Or[71] Ku[1] restricted to black/dark
animals.

Turtle, marine 海龟 Hai[52] Ku[1] Literally ‘sea

turtle/tortoise’.

[魟/蚶]龟 Hang[71] Ku[1]

THH
Ham[71] Ku[1]

Turtle, 鳖 Piq[4] Refers to members of the

softshell family Trionychidae.

KL

AMPHIBIANS

Frog 水鸡 Zui[52] Kueh[1] Literally ‘water chicken’.

Zui[52] Keh[1]

蛤婆 Kap[84] Poh[5] Also used to refer to toad

by some people.
KL

石[?] Zioh[38] Kang[3] Probably refers to large

edible frogs of the genus
Limnonectes.

21
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Frog, banded 地牛 Teh[37] Gu[5] Refers specifically to

bullfrog banded bullfrog. Literally
‘ground/earth cattle’,
probably so named because
of their calls that sound like
bellowing cattle’.
KL

Tadpole 大头钉 Tua[37] Thau[35] Literally ‘big head

Teng[1] pin/nail’.

TCH

Toad 蟾蜍 Ziong[7] Zur[5] Refers to members of the

family Bufonidae.
Zˈiu[7] Zur[5]

KL

BIRDS

Bulbul, red- 木瓜鸟 Bok[38] Kua[71] Literally ‘papaya bird’.

whiskered Ziau[2] Probably so called because
of pet owners’ habit of
feeding papaya to the birds.

‘莲雾’ Jiam[5] Bu[7] After the Malay name MC

‘burong jambu’.
Liam[5] Bu[7]

Bulbul, 白头鹄 Peh[38] Thau[35] The name can also be

yellow-vented Khok[4] translated as ‘white head-
shell’.

KL

22
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Chicken 鸡 Kueh[1] Also slang for prostitute.

Chicken, hen 鸡母 Kueh[71] Bu[2] Literally ‘chicken

mother/female’

Chicken, old 老鸡母 Lau[37] Kueh[71] Refers to an old hen.

hen Bu[2] Literally ‘old chicken
mother/female’.
TSK

Chicken, 鸡角 Kueh[71] Kak[4] Literally ‘chicken horn’.

rooster
鸡公 Kueh[71] Kang[1] Literally ‘chicken male’.

Chicken, big 鸡公 Kueh[71] Kong[1] Literally ‘chicken lord/grandfather’.

rooster
鸡角公 Kueh[71] Kak[84]
Kong[1]

Chicken, silky 乌鸡 Or[71] Kueh[1] Literally ‘black chicken’.

and black
乌骨鸡 Or[71] Kut[84] Literally ‘black-boned chicken’.
Kueh[1]

Chicken, wild 山鸡 Sˈua[71] Kueh[1] Literally ‘mountain or hill

chicken’. Also refers to
pheasant. Also slang for
wanton women.
MC

Crane 鹤 Hohq[8] Has cultural significance to

the Chinese. Name also
applies to the stork or
flamingo.

KL

Crow 乌鸦 Or[71] A[1]

歹鸟 Phai[52] Ziau[2] Literally ‘bad bird’.

KL

23
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Duck 鸭 Aq[4]

Duck, drake or 鸭角 A[24] Kak[4] Literally ‘duck horn’.

male
KL
鸭公 A[24] Kang[1] Literally ‘duck male’.

Duck, hen or 鸭母 A[24] Bu[2] Literally ‘duck mother or female’.

female

Duck, 菜鸭 Cai[23] Aq[4] Refers specifically to duck farmed for meat.

common Literally ‘vegetable duck’.
domestic

Duck, 鸳鸯 Uan[71] Iong[1] Has cultural significance to

Mandarin the Chinese as symbol of
Uan[71] ˈIu[1] marital fidelity.

KL

Duck, 番鸭 Huan[71] Aq[4] Literally ‘foreign duck’.

Muscovy

KL

Duck, wild 水鸭 Zui[52] Aq[4] Literally ‘water duck’.

KL

Eagle, 鹰 Eng[1]
including
hawk, kite, etc.

老鹰 Lau[37] Eng[1] Literally ‘old eagle’.

Possibly a direct translation
from the Mandarin name.

鸱鸮 La[3] Hiohq[8] The same written

KL
characters refer to owl in
Mandarin.

24
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Goose 鹅 Goh[5]

Gia[5]

TSK

Hornbill 飞机鸟 Pueh[71] Ki[71] Literally ‘airplane bird’, so

Ziau[2] called because of the
gliding birds’ supposed
Per[71] ] Ki[71] resemblance to airplanes.
Ziau[2]
THH

Laughing 画眉 Ueh[38] Bi[5] Literally ‘drawn eye-brows’.

thrush
(huamei) Hueh[7] Bi[5]

Magpie robin 乌白 Or[71] Pehq[8] Literally translates as

‘black and white (bird)’.

水浸 Zui[52] Zim[3] Literally ‘water

soak/immerse’.

THH

Munia 草鸟 Cau[52] Ziau[2] Literally ‘grass bird’. Also

called Cek[8] Ziau[2].

粟鸟 Cek[84] Ziau[2] Name also used for sparrow

and other small finch-like
MC
birds.

Myna 䴔鸰 Ka[71] Leng[7]

TSK

25
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Owl 暗光鸟 Am[23] Kong[71] Literally ‘dim-light bird’.

Ziau[2]

猫头鹰 Niau[71] Thau[35] Literally ‘cat-headed

Eng[1] eagle’.

猫头鸟 Niau[71] Thau[35] Literally ‘cat-headed bird’.

Ziau[2]

MC

Parrot 鹦哥 Eng[71] Koh[1]

MC

Peafowl 孔雀 Khong[52] Ciok[4]

TSK

Pheasant 山鸡 Sˈua[71] Kueh[1] Literally ‘mountain or hill

chicken’. Also refers to
wild chicken.

KL

Pigeon 粉鸟 Hun[52] Ziau[2] Literally ‘powder bird’.

鸽 Kap[4]

KL

Quail 鹌鹑 An[71] Tun[1]

Ien[71] Tun[1]

26
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Rail, including 田鸡 Can[37] Kueh[1] Refers largely to members

waterhen of the family Rallidae.
Literally ‘paddy chicken’.

KL

Seabird, e.g., 海鸟 Hai[52] Ziau[2] Literally ‘sea bird’.

tern

KL

Sparrow 麻雀 Ma[35] Ciok[4] Also used for ‘Mahjong’,

the Chinese tile game, in
Ba[35] Ciok[4] the Minnan language.
Mua[35] Ciok[4]
KL

粟鸟 Cek[84] Ziau[2] Name also used for munia

and other small finch-like
birds.

Starling 乌鸟 Or[71] Ziau[2] Refers mainly to Aplonis

panayensis. Literally ‘black
bird’. Also generally for
any black bird.
THH

Swallow (see 燕 Ien[3] Also used for swift.

swift)
ˈI[3]

THH

Swan 天鹅 Thien[71] Goh[5] Literally ‘sky goose’.

Possibly a direct translation
from its Mandarin name.

MC

Swift (see 燕 Ien[3] Also used for swallow.

swallow)
ˈI[3]

27
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Turkey 火鸡 Her[52] Kueh[1] Literally ‘fire chicken’.

Probably a direct
Hueh[52] Kueh[1] translation from its
Heh[52] Keh[1] Mandarin name.

TSK

White egret 白鹭鸶 Peh[38] Lor[37]

Si[1]
Peh[38] Leng[37]
Si[1]
MC

White-eye 白目圈 Peh[38] Bak[38] Literally ‘white eye ring’.

Khuan[1]

白目环 Peh[38] Bak[38] Literally ‘white eye circle’.

Khuan[5] THH

White-rumped 长尾 Tˈng[35] Ber[2] Literally ‘long tail’.

shama
Tˈng[35] Bueh[2]
Tˈng[35] Beh[2]

FISHES

Anchovy 江鱼 Kang[71] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

genera Stolephorus and
Encrasicholina. Literally THH
‘river fish’.

Angelfish 鲳鱼 Cˈior[71] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

genus Pterophyllum,
Cˈiu[71] Hur[5] Monodactylus, and the
family Pomacanthidae.
Also refers to pomfrets.

THH

28
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Arowana 龙鱼 Leng[35] Hur[5] Literally ‘dragon fish’.

Refers to members of the
family Osteoglossidae.
THH

Barb 鲫鱼 Zit[71] Hur[5] Refers to some members of

the family Cyprinidae.

THH

Barb, tiger 老虎鱼 Lau[37] Hor[52] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] genus Puntigrus that are
common ornamental fishes.
Literally ‘old tiger fish’.
Also applies to tiger THH
perches of the genus
Datnioides.

Barracuda 沙君 Sua[71] Kun[1] Literally ‘sand lord’.

THH

Barramundi 金目鲈 Kim[71] Bak[38] Literally ‘bright-eyed bass’.

Lor[5]
THH

Batfish 密婆鲳 Bit[38] Poh[35] Literally ‘bat pomfret’.

Cˈiu[1] Refers to members of the
genus Platax.

THH

Bream, 龙占 Leng[3] Ziam[1] Refers to members of the

emperor genus Lethrinus.

THH

Bream, 红哥鲤 Ang[35] Koh[71] Refers to fishes of the

threadfin Li[2] genus Nemipterus. This
name is also used for
Pristipomoides snappers. THH

29
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Carp 鲤鱼 Li[52] Hur[5] Freshwater food and

ornamental fish imported
from China.
THH

Carp, bighead 松鱼 Song[35] Hur[5] Freshwater food fish

imported from China.
Literally ‘pine [tree] fish’.
KL

Carp, grass 草鱼 Cau[52] Hur[5] Freshwater food fish

imported from China.
Literally ‘grass fish’
KL

Carp, silver 鲢鱼 Lien[35] Hur[5] Freshwater food fish

imported from China.
THH

Catfish, glass 玻璃猫 Poh[71] Leh[35] Refers to Kryptopterus vitreolus, a popular

Niau[1] aquarium fish. Literally ‘glass cat[fish]’.
Probably a direct translation from the English
name.

Catfish, 成鱼 Seng[35] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

marine, with family Ariidae.
forked tail THH

Catfish, 琵琶鼠 Pi[35] Peh[35] Refers to suckermouth

suckermouth Cur[2] catfishes of the genus
or sailfin Pterygoplichthys from
South America that are
popular aquarium fish.
Literally ‘pipa [Chinese
THH
lute] mouse’, owing to its
resemblance in shape to the
musical instrument when
viewed from above.

食屎鱼 Zia[38] Sai[52] Literally ‘eat excrement

Hur[5] fish’.

Catfish, 涂虱 Thor[35] Sat[4] Refers to members of the

walking genus Clarias. Literally
‘mud louse’. THH

30
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Cichlid, 扩头鱼 Khok[84] Thau[35] Literally translates as

flowerhorn Hur[5] ‘protruded-forehead fish’.
(luohan)

THH

Climbing 刺壳 Ci[23] Khak[4] Literally ‘spiny shell’.

perch

THH

Clown fish 尪公鱼 Ang[71] Kong[71] Popular ornamental fishes

Hur[5] of the genus Amphiprion.
Literally ‘doll/puppet fish’.

KL

Clown loach 三孔鼠 Sˈa[71] Khang[71] Chromobotia

Cur[2] macracanthus, a popular
ornamental fish from
Indonesia. Literally ‘three-
hole mouse’. THH

Cobia 海鲡 Hai[52] Lueh[7] Literally ‘sea snakehead’.

Hai[52] Leh[7]
THH

Corydoras 鸟鼠鱼 Niau[52] Cur[52] Popular ornamental

Hur[5] catfishes native to Latin
America. Literally ‘mouse
fish’.
THH

Perch, crescent ‘鸡珑’蛆 Keh[7] Long[7] Literally translates as

Cur[1] ‘kelong (Malay for fishing
platform) aquatic insect
Kueh[7] Long[7] larva’. THH
Cur[1]

Eel 鳗鱼 Mua[35] Hur[5]

Eel, conger or 金鳗 Kim Mua[5] Refers to members of the

pike family Muraenesocidae. KL
Literally ‘gold eel’.

31
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Eel, snake 蛇鳗 Zua Mua[5] Refers to members of the

family Ophichthidae.
Literally ‘snake eel’.
KL

Eel, swamp 鳝鱼 Sien[37] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

genus Monopterus.

THH

Fighting fish 相拍鱼 Sioh[71] Pha[84] Refers to Betta splendens.

Hur[5] Literally ‘fighting fish’.

THH

Filefish, large 拔皮鱼 Pak[84] Peh[35] Applies to larger edible

Hur[5] members of the family
Monacanthidae which are
Pak[84] Per[35]
usually sold with their skin
Hur[5] KL
removed. Literally ‘pull
4 5
Pak[8 ] Pueh[3 ] skin fish’.
Hur[5]

拆皮鱼 Thia[24] Peh[35] Applies to larger edible members of the family

Hur[5] Monacanthidae which are usually sold with their
skin removed. Literally translates as ‘skinned
Thia[24] Per[35]
fish’.
Hur[5]
Thia[24] Pueh[35]
Hur[5]

Filefish, small 竹囝 Tek[84] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘bamboo child’.

THH

Flatfish 扁鱼 Pˈi[52] Hur[5] Refers generally to

members of the order
Pleuronectiformes.
Literally ‘flat fish’.

‘铁布’ Thi[2] Por[2] Applies to members of the

order Pleuronectiformes.
Thi[2] Por[3]
TCH

32
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Flying fish 飞鱼 Peh[71] Hur[5] Refers to members of the family Exocoetidae.

Literally ‘flying fish’.
Per[71] Hur[5]
Pueh[71] Hur[5]

Goldfish 金鱼 Kim[71] Hur[5] Literally ‘gold fish’.

Goldfish, 狮头 Sai[71] Thau[5] Literally ‘lion head’.

lionhead

KL

Gourami ‘三板’ Sam[71] Pan[2] Refers to members of the

genus Trichopodus.
Probably after the Malay
name ‘sepat’.
THH

Grouper 猴鱼 Kau[35] Hur[5] Literally ‘monkey fish’.

石斑 Zioh[38] Pan[1] Literally ‘rock spot or THH

speckle’. Possibly a direct
translation from its
Mandarin name.

Grouper, black 乌猴 Or[71] Kau[5] Literally ‘black monkey’. Refers to dark coloured
or blackish groupers.

Grouper, giant 猴[盾] Kau[35] Tun[2] Refers to exceptionally large groupers, usually
Epinephelus lanceolatus.

Grouper, 秫米猴 Zut[38] Bi[52] Specifically Cromileptes

humpback Kau[5] altivelis, a highly esteemed
food fish. Literally
‘glutinous rice monkey’. THH

Grouper, red 红猴 Ang[35] Kau[5] Literally ‘red monkey’. Refers to red coloured
groupers.

Grunter 石鲈 Zioh[38] Lor[5] Refers to members of the

genus Pomadasys. Literally
‘stone bass’.

THH

33
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Gudgeon, ‘巡福’ Sun[5] Hok[4] Refers to Oxyeleotris

marbled (笋壳) marmorata, an esteemed
Sun[3] Hok[4] food fish. After its Yue (粤 THH
[Cantonese]) name 笋壳,
literally ‘bamboo-shoot
shell’.

Halfbeak 尖嘴鱼 Ziam[71] Cui[23] Literally ‘pointed-mouthed

Hur[5] fish’. Also refers to THH
needlefish.

Harlequin fish ‘Stamp’鱼 ‘Stem’[7] Hur[5] Literally a combination of

an English word ‘stamp’
and Minnan ’fish’. Refers
to Trigonostigma
THH
heteromorpha.

This popular ornamental fish, also a Singapore

native, has been illustrated in a series of
Singapore postage stamps.

Kissing fish 相[唚]鱼 Sioh[71] Zim[71] Specifically Helostoma

(also called Hur[5] teminckii. Literally ‘kissing
kissing fish’.
gourami)
THH

Lionfish or 虎鱼 Hor[52] Hur[5] Literally ‘tiger fish’. Also

scorpion fish used for stonefish.

THH

Livebearer 生囝鱼 Sˈi[71] Kˈia[52] Refers to various

(see also drain Hur[5] livebearers (e.g., guppy,
fish under molly, mosquitofish).
General) Sˈeh[71] Kˈia[52] Literally translates as ‘fish THH
Hur[5] that gives birth to babies’.

大肚鱼 Tua[37] Tor[52] Refers generally to guppy

THH
Hur[5] and mosquitofish. Literally
‘big belly fish’.

34
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Live bearer, ‘美国’ 鱼 Bi[5] Kok[8] Refers specifically to

guppy Hur[5] guppy (Poecilia reticulata).
A corruption of its common
English trade name
peacock fish. THH

Mackerel, ‘麻冬’ Ba[3] Tang[1] Refers to Scomberomorus

barred Spanish commerson. After its Malay
name ‘tenggiri batang’.
THH

Mackerel, ‘甘望’ Kam[7] Bong[7] Refers to Rastrelliger kanagurta. After the Malay
Indian name ‘kembong’.

Mackerel, ‘麻拄’ Ba[3] Tu[2] Refers to Rastrelliger brachysoma. After its Thai
short-bodied name ‘pla tu’.

Mackerel, 马鲛 Beh[52] Ka[1] Refers to Scomberomorus

spotted guttatus.
Spanish THH

Mudskipper 涂[冲?] Thor[35] Ceng[3] Literally ‘mud

spurt/splash’.
THH

Mullet 乌鱼 Or[71] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

family Mugilidae. Literally
‘black fish’. THH

Needlefish 竹‘琅桑’ Tek[8] Long[7] Refers to members of the

Song[1] family Belonidae. THH

Tek[8] Long[7]
Song[2]
THH

尖嘴鱼 Ziam[71] Cui[23] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] family Belonidae. Literally
‘pointed-mouth fish’. Also
refers to halfbeaks.

‘刀六’ Toh[7] Lak[8] Refers to members of the family Belonidae. After

the Malay name ‘todak’.

35
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Parrotfish 鹦哥鱼 Eng[71] Koh[71] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] family Scaridae. Literally
‘parrot fish’. Also refers to
tuskfishes.
THH

Pipefish 海龙 Hai[52] Leng[5] Literally ‘sea dragon’.

THH

Piranha 食人鱼 Zia[38] Lang[35] Literally translates as ‘man-

Hur[5] eating fish’.

KL

Pomfret 鲳鱼 Cˈiu[71] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

1 genera Pampus,
Cˈior[7 ] Hur[5] Trachinotus and
Parastromateus. Also
THH
refers to angelfishes.

Pomfret, black 黑鲳 Or[71] Cˈiu[1] Refers to Parastromateus

niger.
Or[71] Cˈior[1]

THH

Pomfret, 斗鲳 Tau[52] Cˈiu[1] Specifically Pampus

Chinese chinensis. Sometimes
Tau[52] Cˈior[1] mispronounced as Tau[3]
Cˈiu[1].

Pomfret, white 白鲳 Peh[38] Cˈiu[1] Refers to Pampus

argenteus.
Peh[38] Cˈior[1]

THH

Ponyfish ‘格格’ Keh[3] Kehq[8] Refers to fishes of the

family Leiognathidae. After
the Malay name ‘kekek’.

THH

36
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Puffer fish ‘乖’鱼 Kuai[7] Hur[5]

THH

Queenfish 三保公鱼 Sam[71] Poh[52] Refers to members of the

Kong[71] Hur[5] genus Scomberoides.
Named after the renowned
Chinese mariner, Admiral THH
Zheng He (Cheng Ho) who,
according to Southeast
Asian Chinese folklore, had
left his fingerprints on the
side of the fish.

Rabbitfish 白肚鱼 Peh[38] Tor[52] Specifically Siganus

Hur[5] canaliculatus that is a
highly esteemed food fish
during the Chinese New THH
Year period. Literally
‘white-bellied fish’.

Ray, guitar; 犁盆 Lueh[35] Phun[5] Literally ‘ploughshare’.

shovelnose
犁头鲨 Lueh[35] Thau[35] Literally ‘plough head
Sua [1] shark’.

THH

Red drum 台湾午 Tai[35] Uan[35] Refers to Sciaenops

Ngor[2] ocellatus, a food fish native
to America, but imported THH
from Taiwan. Literally
‘Taiwan threadfin’.

Redbelly 蕃薯鱼 Han[71] Zur[35] Refers to Caesio cuning, a

fusilier Hur[5] common food fish.
Literally ‘sweet-potato
fish’. THH

Ribbonfish 白带 Peh[38] Tua[3] Refers to members of the

family Trichiuridae.
Literally ‘white belt’. THH

37
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Sand whiting 沙尖 Sua[71] Ziam[1] Refers to members of the

genus Sillago. Literally
‘sand point’. THH

Sardine ‘沙任’魚 Sa[7] Lin[3] Hur[5] Refers specifically to canned sardines. Literally a
combination of the English ‘sardine’ and Minnan
‘fish’.

Sardinella ‘淡万’ Tam[5] Ban[5] After the Malay name

‘tamban’.
Tam[7] Ban[7] THH

Scad ‘色拉’ Sek[8] La[1] Refers to members of the genus Selar. After the
Malay name ‘selar’.

Scad, bigeye 大目 Tua[37] Bak[8] Specifically Selar crumenophthalmus. Literally

‘big eye’.

Scad, torpedo 硬尾 Ngeh[37] Bueh[2] Specifically Megalaspis

cordyla. Literally ‘stiff
Ngeh[37] Ber[2] tail’. THH

Scad, yellow- ‘君冷’ Kun[7] Leng[2] Specifically Selaroides

striped leptolepis. After its Malay
Kun[7] Leng[1] name ‘kuning’.
THH

Seahorse 海马 Hai[52] Beh[2] Literally ‘sea horse’.

THH

Shark 鲨鱼 Sua[71] Hur[5]

KL

38
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Sicklefish 草扇 Cau[52] Sˈi[3] Refers to members of the

genus Drepane. Literally
‘grass fan’.

THH

Silver dollar 银[盾] Gun[35] Tun[2] Refers to members of the

genus Metynnis, popular
aquarium fish native to
South America. Literally
‘silver coin’.
THH

Snakehead 鲡鱼 Lueh[37] Hur[5] Refers to members of the

family Channidae.
THH

Snakehead, 暹鲡 Siam[37] Lueh[7] Specifically Channa

giant micropeltes. Literally
‘Siamese snakehead’
TSK

Snapper 痣鱼 Ki[23] Hur[5] Refers to members of the genus Lutjanus with

stripes or blotches. Literally ‘mole [mark on skin]
fish’.

红槽痣 Ang[35] Zoh[35] Refers to members of the

Ki[3] genus Lutjanus with
distinct markings, such as
stripes and especially
referring to a dark blotch
on the side hence the ‘Ki’ THH
which means mole [mark
on skin].

Snapper, 狮头红鸡 Sai[71] Thau[35] Specifically Lutjanus

emperor red Ang[35] Kueh[1] sebae. Literally ‘lion-
headed red chicken’.
THH

Snapper, 红哥鲤 Ang[35] Koh[71] Refers to fishes of the genus Pristipomoides. This
Pristipomoides Li[2] name is also used for threadfin bream.

39
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Snapper, red 红槽 Ang[35] Zoh[5] Refers to reddish members

of the genus Lutjanus.
Usually refers to Lutjanus
argentimaculatus THH
(mangrove jack), a popular
food and game fish.

红鸡 Ang[35] Kueh[1] Refers to reddish members

of the genus Lutjanus.
Literally ‘red chicken’.

THH

3
Sole, tongue 牛舌 [53]] Ziq[8]
Gu[5 Refers to members of the
See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015 family Cynoglossidae.
Literally ‘ox tongue’.

龙舌 Leng[35] Ziq[8] Refers to members of the

family Cynoglossidae. THH
Literally ‘dragon tongue’.

Spotted scat 金鼓 Kim[71] Kor[2] Specifically Scatophagus

argus. Literally ‘gold
drum’.

THH

Stingray 魟(鲂)鱼 Hang[71] Hur[5]

THH

Stonefish 石头鱼 Zioh[38] Thau[35] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] genus Synanceja. Literally
‘stone fish’.
THH
虎鱼 Hor[52] Hur[5] Literally ‘tiger fish’. This
name is also used for
lionfish.

40
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Sweetlips ‘家指’ Ka[1] Zi[2] Refers to members of the

genera Diagramma and
Ka[5] Zi[2] Plectorhinchus with
distinct markings. After the THH
Malay name ‘kaci’.

Swordtail 红鱼 Ang[35] Hur[5] Refers to Xiphophorus

helleri, a common
ornamental fish. Literally
‘red fish’.

Tarpon 海鲢 Hai[52] Lien[5] Refers to Megalops

cyprinoides. Literally ‘sea
silver-carp’. THH

Threadfin 午鱼 Ngor[52] Hur[5] Applies to large members

of the family Polynemidae
that are highly esteemed
THH
food fish.

Tilapia 日本鱼 Lit[38] Pun[52] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] genus Oreochromis.
Literally ‘Japanese fish’,
Jit[38] Pun[52] despite its African origin. THH
Hur[5] Said to have been
introduced by the Japanese
during World War II.

Trevally or ‘照明’ Zioh[2] Beng[5] Refers to members of the

threadfin genus Alectis. After the
Zioh[2] Meng[5] Malay name ‘chermin’.

THH

Tuskfish 鹦哥鱼 Eng[71] Koh[71] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] genus Choerodon. Literally
‘parrot fish’. Also refers to
parrotfish. THH

Wolf herring 西刀鱼 Sai[71] Toh[71] Refers to members of the

Hur[5] genus Chirocentrus.
Literally ‘western knife THH

fish’.

41
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES

Abalone 鲍鱼 Pau[3] Hur[5]

TSK

Barnacle [?] Cip[4]

Cit[4]
TSK

Clam 蚶 Ham[1] General term for clams, but

usually refers to Tegillarca
granosa.

‘死’蚶 Si[5] Ham[1] Refers specifically to

(蛳蚶) Tegillarca granosa. After
its Yue (粤 [Cantonese]) TSK

name ‘蛳蚶’, originally

pronounced as ‘Si[1]
Ham[1]’.

蜊蜊 La[3] La[2] Refers to various edible

clams (usually of the family
La[3] La[5] Veneridae).

沙蜊 Sua[71] La[5] Refers to various sand

1 dwelling edible clams
Sua[7 ] Lai[5] (usually of the family
Veneridae). TSK

Clam, 大头 Tua[37] Thau[5] Refers specifically to clams

glauconomya of the genus Glauconome,
but also used by some to
refer to green mussel.
Literally ‘big head’. TCH

Clam, green ‘彩峦’ Cai[5] Luan[5] Refers specifically to Perna

mussel viridis.

TCH

42
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Clam, razor or [?] Than[1] Refers to edible clams with

sunset elongate and thin shells
(e.g., members of the
families Psammobiidae and
Solenidae).
TCH

Conch ‘戆戆’ Gong[3] Gong[7] Refers usually to

Laevistrombus turturella,
but also used for other
species of the family
Strombidae that are eaten.
After the Malay name
‘siput gonggong’.
TSK

Crab 蟳 Zim[5] General term for all crabs,

but often used specifically
on edible crabs of the genus
Scylla.
THH

Crab, blue or [?] Ciq[8] Refers usually to Portunus

flower pelagicus, but also used for
other swimming crabs of
the family Portunidae less
commonly seen in markets. THH

Crab, stone 雷公蟳 Lui[35] Kong[71] Refers specifically to

Zim[5] Myomenippe hardwickii.
Literally ‘thunder crab’.
According to local folklore,
only a clap of thunder will
make the crab release its
TCH
grip once it pinches a
person.

Cuttlefish 墨斗 Bak[38] Tau[2] Literally ‘ink pot’. Also

used by some to refer to
bigfin reef squid.

墨贼 Bak[38] Zat[8] Literally ‘ink thief’.

TCH

花枝 Hueh[71] Ki[1] Literally ‘flower twig’.

43
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Horseshoe 鲎 Hau[7] Curiously regarded as

crab unlucky animals by some
fishermen, perhaps because
of their tendency to
entangle in nets, but
regarded as lucky by
TSK
others. Also a symbol of
marital fidelity.

Jellyfish 水母 Zui[52] Bu[2] Literally ‘water mother’.

THH

Lobster, 虾婆 Heh[35] Poh[5] Literally ‘prawn granny’.

slipper

TSK

Lobster, spiny 龙虾 Leng[35] Heh[5] Literally ‘dragon prawn’.

Liong[35] Heh[5]

KL

Oyster 蠔 (蚵) Oh[5]

TSK

Peanut worm 涂笋 Thor[35] Sun[2] Literally ‘mud bamboo

shoot’.

TSK

44
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Prawn (see 虾 Heh[5] Name also used for shrimp.

shrimp) Shelled dried shrimp are
called Heh[35] Bi[2]
(虾米), literally ‘prawn
rice’. KL

Prawn, banana 红脚虾 Ang[35] Kha[71] Refers to Penaeus indicus and Penaeus
Heh[5] merguiensis. Literally ‘red-legged prawn’.

白虾 Peh[38] Heh[5] Refers to Penaeus indicus and Penaeus

merguiensis. Literally ‘white prawn’.

Prawn, giant 九节虾 Kau[52] Zat[84] Generally used only for very large tiger prawns,
tiger Heh[5] usually Penaeus monodon. Literally ‘nine-
sectioned prawn’.

Prawn, 沙卢 Sua[71] Lor[5] Refers to members of the genus Metapenaeus

greasyback with red antennae and legs.

Prawn, tiger 虎虾 Hor[52] Heh[5] Refers to prawns with

distinct striped markings
(e.g., Penaeus monodon,
Penaeus japonicus).
Literally ‘tiger prawn’. THH

Sea anemone 海奶 [552]] Ni[1]

Hai[2 Literally translates as ‘sea
mammary gland’.

See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015

TCH

Sea cucumber 海参 [552]] Sim[1]

Hai[2
[552]] Song[1]
Hai[2
[552]] Som[1]
Hai[2
KL

Sea slater or 海虼蚻 [552]] Ka[7]

Hai[2 Literally ‘sea cockroach’.
sea louse Zuaq[8]

KL

Sea snail 螺 Ler[5] See also ‘seashell’.

Leh[5]

45
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Sea snail, horn ‘卒卒’ Zut[8] Zut[8] Refers specifically to

snail members of the genus
Cerithidea that are eaten.
Onomatopoeia for sounds
made during consumption,
which involves sucking to
extract flesh from the shell.

‘峇厘洞’ Ba[7] Li[5] After the Malay name

Tong[7] ‘siput belitung’. TSK

Sea snail, mud 铁钉螺 Thi[24] Tan[71] Literally ‘iron nail snail’.
creeper Ler[5] Refers to members of the
families Batillariidae and
Potamididae that are
present in large numbers on
on mud or sand flats during
low tide. Also used for
other similarly elongate
high spired shells. TSK

Sea snail, 棺柴钉 Kˈua[71] Ca[35] Specifically Telescopium

telescope Teng[1] telescopium. Literally
‘coffin nail’.
TSK

Sea urchin 海胆 [525]] Tˈa[2]

Hai[2 Literally ‘sea gallbladder’.
See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015

KL

Seashell 贝壳 Pueh[3] Khak[4]

Seashell, snail 螺壳 Ler[35] Khak[4] Literally ‘snail shell’.

5
Leh[3 ] Khak[4]

Seashell, clam 蚶壳 Ham[71] Khak[4] Literally ‘clam shell’.

TSK

Shrimp (see 虾 Heh[5] Name also used for prawn. Dried shrimp is called
prawn) Heh[35] Bi[2], literally ‘prawn rice’.

Shrimp, small 虾囝 Heh[35] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘prawn child’.

46
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Shrimp, mantis 虾蛄 Heh[35] Kor[1]

TSK

Shrimp, 虾苗 Heh[35] Biau[5] Refers specifically to members of the genus

sergestid 5 Acetes. Literally ‘prawn fry’. Also called Heh[3]
Heh[3 ] Bioh[5]
Pi[1], but which should only be used for the dried
shrimp.

虾卑 Heh[35] Pi[1] Refers specifically to dried sergestid shrimp.

Sponge 海绵 Hai[52] Mi[5] Literally ‘sea floss’.

TCH

Squid 鱿鱼 Jiu[35] Hur[5] Usually used only on

bigger squids. Often
Liu[35] Hur[5]
mistaken to mean cuttlefish
in Singapore because of
common English
mistranslation.
TCH
‘苏东’ Soh[7] Tong[1] After the Malay name
‘sotong’.

Squid, bigfin 青目 Cˈeh[71] Bak[8] Specifically Sepioteuthis

reef 1 lessoniana. Literally ‘green
Cˈi[7 ] Bak[8]
eye’.

软丝 Nˈng[52] Si[1] Specifically Sepioteuthis

lessoniana. Literally ‘soft
TCH
strand’, probably referring
to the soft squid pen despite
the cuttlefish-like
appearance.

Starfish 海星 Hai[52] Cˈi[1] Literally ‘sea star’.

Hai[52] Seng[1]

KL

47
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

TERRESTRIAL AND FRESHWATER INVERTEBRATES

Ant 狗蚁 Kau[52] Hia[7] Literally ‘dog ant’.

TSK

Ant , alate or 狗蚁蠓 Kau[52] Hia[37] Literally ‘ant mosquito’.

winged form Bang[2] Name also used for termite
(see termite) alates.

TSK

Ant, red 红狗蚁 Ang[35] Kau[52] Literally ‘red dog ant’.

Hia[7]

KL

Ant, stinging 火蚁 Heh[52] Hia[7] Literally ‘fire ant’.

Her[52] Hia[7]

Bee 蜜蜂 Bi[3] Phang[1]

Bit[38] Phang[1]

蜂 Phang[1]

TCH

Beetle 龟 Ku[1] Name also used for

tortoise/turtle.

TSK

Beetle, click [触]头龟 Tak[84] Thau[35] Refers to beetles of the

Ku[1] family Elateridae. Literally
‘strike head beetle’.
Tok[84] Thau[35]
Ku[1]
KL

48
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Beetle, scarab 牛屎龟 Gu[35] Sai[52] Literally ‘cow dung beetle’.

Ku[1]

Beetle, 犀角龟 Sai[71] Kak[84] Literally ‘rhinoceros horn

rhinoceros Ku[1] beetle’.

TCH

Beetle, tortoise 玻璃龟 Poh[71] Leh[35] Literally ‘glass beetle’,

Ku[1] probably in allusion to the
rather transparent edges of
the thorax and elytra.

TCH

Beetle [shiny 金龟 Kim[71] Ku[1] Literally ‘shiny beetle’.

metallic] Refers usually to green
chafer beetle, Anomala
albopilosa, but also used
for various beetles that look
shiny, glossy or metallic. TCH

Beetle, rice 米龟 Bi[52] Ku[1] Literally ‘rice beetle’.

beetle or
weevil 米虫 Bi[52] Thang[5] Literally ‘rice worm’. Also used as an insult to
mean a worthless person.

Beetle larva, ‘谢鹅’虫 Sia[3] Goh[3] Literally a combination of Malay or Tamil ‘sagu’
sago worm Thang[5] and Minnan ‘worm’. Refers specifically to edible
larva of the palm weevil that thrives in sago palm.

Bloodworm 红虫 Ang[35] Thang[5] Usually referring to

chironomid larva. Literally
‘red worm’.
KL

Bug, bed bug 木虱 Bak[38] Sat[4] Literally ‘wood louse’.

Butterfly 尾蝶 Ber[52] Iaq[8] Also refers to moth.

Beh[52] Iaq[8]

蝴蝶 Hor[35] Tiap[8] Also used to refer to

5 hinges.
Or[3 ] Tiap[8]

KL

49
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Caterpillar 毛虫 Mor[35] Thang[5] Literally ‘hairy worm’.

狗毛虫 Kau[52] Mˈng[35] Literally ‘dog hair worm’.

Thang[5]
KL

Centipede 蜈蚣 Gia[35] Kang[1]

Ia[35] Kang[1]
Geh[35] Kang[1]
KL

Cicada 蝉 Sien[5]

KL

Cockroach 虼蚻 Ka[7] Zuaq[8]

KL

Crab, coconut 椰蟳 Ia[35] Zim[5] Refers specifically to

or robber Birgus latro. Literally
‘coconut crab’.

TSK

Crab, edible 山蟳 S'ua[71] Zim[5] Refers to large edible

land terrestrial crabs (e.g.,
species of the genera
Discoplax or
Gercarcoidea). Literally
‘mountain/hill crab’. TSK

Cranefly 长脚蠓 Tˈng[35] Kha[71] Literally ‘long-legged

Bang[2] mosquito’. Also often used
to designate tall people
with long legs.

KL

50
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Cricket 蟋蟀 Si[2] Sut[4]

Si[2] Suai[2]

KL

Dragonfly 田婴 Can[35] Ni[1] Literally ‘paddy baby’.

Can[35] ˈI[1]

KL

Firefly 火萤 Her[52] ˈIa[5]

Heh[52] ˈIa[5]

火金姑 Hueh[52] Kim[71] Literally ‘fire glow aunt’.

Kor[1]
THH
2 1
Heh[5 ] Kim[7 ]
Kor[1]

Flea 虼蚤 Ka[7] Zau[2]

Fly, blowfly 金胡蝇 Kim[71] Hor[35] Literally translates as

Sin[5] ‘shiny fly’.

TSK

Fly, fruit fly [蚊] Bun[1]

Fly, housefly 胡蝇 Hor[35] Sin[5]

Or[35] Sin[5]

KL

51
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Grasshopper 草蜢 Cau[52] Mi[2]

and Locust
Cau[52] Mˈeh[2]

草蜢公 Cau[52] Mi[2] Generally refers to the

Kong[1] larger grasshoppers.
Literally ‘grasshopper
Cau[52] Mˈeh[2] grandfather/lord’.
Kong[1]
TSK

Hornet 虎头蜂 Hor[52] Thau[35] Literally ‘tiger head bee’.

Phang[1]

Louse (see 虱 Sat[4] Name also used for tick.

tick)

Louse, bird 鸟虱 Ziau[52] Sat[4] Literally ‘bird louse’.

Louse, head 虱母 Sat[84] Bu[2] Literally ‘louse mother’.

louse

Mealworm 鸟虫 Ziau[52] Thang[5] Literally ‘bird worm’.

KL

‘啰呧’虫 Loh[3] Ti[71] Literally a combination of a Sanskrit (also Tamil

Thang[5] and Malay) word for ‘bread’ and Minnan ‘worm’.
Probably because mealworms are usually fed
bread skin by pet owners.

Millipede 火车虫 Heh[52] Cia[71] Literally ‘train worm’.

Thang[5]

Her[52] Cia[71] KL
Thang[5]

Hueh[52] Cia[71]
Thang[5]

Mole-cricket 涂猴 Thor[35] Kau[5] Literally ‘mud monkey’.

Tor[35] Kau[5]

52
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Mosquito 蠓 Bang[2]

Mosquito larva 蛆 Cur[1]

水蛆 [552]] Cur[1]
Zui[2 Literally ‘water aquatic-
See corrigenda 25 Nov.2015 insect-larva’.

[?]蛆 Cˈia [7] Cur[1] TCH

Mosquito pupa 大头蛆 Tua[37] Thau[35] Literally ‘big-headed

Cur[1] aquatic-insect-larva’.

Moth 尾蝶 Ber[52] Iaq[8] Also refers to butterfly.

Beh[52] Iaq[8]

KL

Prawn or 汫水虾 Zˈia[52] Zui[52] Literally ‘freshwater

shrimp, Heh[5] prawn’. Generally used for
freshwater any freshwater prawn and
shrimps.
KL

Prawn or 虾囝 Heh[35] Kˈia[2] Literally ‘prawn child’.

shrimp, small
and freshwater

Prawn, giant 大头虾 Tua[37] Thau[35] Refers specifically to large edible freshwater
river Heh[5] prawns of the genus Macrobrachium. Literally
‘big head prawn’.

泰国虾 Thai[23] Kok[84] Literally ‘Thailand prawn’.

Heh[5]

Praying mantis 草猴 Cau[52] Kau[5] Literally ‘grass monkey’.

树猫 Ciu[37] Niau[1] Literally ‘tree cat’.

KL

53
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Scorpion 蝎 Giet[4]

KL

Snail 螺 Leh[5] Also refers to the empty

shell. See also seashell.
Ler[5]

Snail, [露]螺 Lor[37] Leh[5] KL

terrestrial
Lor[37] Ler[5]

Snail, edible 田螺 Can[35] Leh[5] Literally ‘paddy snail’.

and freshwater Refers to members of the
Can[35] Ler[5] families Ampullariidae and
Viviparidae.

KL

Snail, giant [癞][哥]螺 Thai[5] Koh[7] Refers specifically to

African Ler[5] Achatina fulica. Literally
‘disfigured or dirty snail’.
Thai[5] Koh[7]
Leh[5]
KL

Spider 蜘蛛 Ti[7] Tu[1]

KL

Spider, large 蟧蜈 La[3] Gia[5] Refers to huntsman (family

Sparassidae), and other
similar large long-legged
spiders.

KL

54
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Stick insect 柴麒麟 Ca[35] Ki[35] Literally ‘wood kirin’.

Lin[5]
Ca[35] Ki[35]
KL
Lim[5]

Stink bug 臭龟 Cau[23] Ku[1] Literally ‘smelly beetle’.

臭腥龟 Cau[23] Cˈi[71] Literally ‘smelly beetle’.

Ku[1]
KL

Termite 白蚁 Peh[38] Hia[7] Literally ‘white ant’.

Termite, alate 水蠓 Zui[52] Bang[2] Literally ‘water mosquito’.

or winged
form TSK
狗蚁蠓 Kau[52] Hia[37] Literally ‘ant mosquito’.
Bang[2] Name also used for ant
alates.

Tick 虱 Sat[4] Name also used for louse.

Tick, dog 狗虱 Kau[52] Sat[4] Literally ‘dog louse’.

Wasp 鸳鸯蜂 Uan[71] ˈIu[71] Literally ‘Mandarin duck

Phang[1] bee’.

TCH

Water flea [蚊?] Bun[1]

(crustacean)
红[蚊?] Ang[35] Bun[1]

红[?] Ang[35] Tai[5]

Worm, 杜蚓 Tor[37] Un[2] Name also refers to tubifex

earthworm worm.

猴蚓 Kau[35] Un[2] Name also refers to tubifex

worm. KL

55
 S. K. Tan & K. P. Lim

Phonetic
English Han Script Transcription
Remarks/ Figures
Nomenclature (simplified) (with tones in
brackets)

Worm, tape 蝒虫 Bun[37] Thang[5]

Bin[37] Thang[5]

Worm, tubifex 猴蚓 Kau[35] Un[2] Name also refers to

earthworm.

杜蚓 Tor[37] Un[2] Name also refers to

earthworm.
KL

MYTHICAL CREATURES

Dragon 龙 Leng[5]

Liong[5]
KL

Heavenly dog 天狗 Thien[71] Kau[2] Literally ‘sky dog’ or translates as ‘heavenly

dog’. Solar and lunar eclipses were believed to be
the act of a heavenly dog devouring the sun and
moon respectively.

Phoenix 凤 Hong[7]

凤凰 Hong[37] Hong[5]

Pixiu 貔貅 Pi[35] Hiu[1]

TSK

Qilin (also 麒麟 Ki[3] Lim[5]

called kirin or
kylin) Ki[3] Lin[5]

56
 Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names

LITERATURE CITED

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226–240.
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2–6.
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2011, SIL International. 37 pp.
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Norman, J., 1988. Chinese. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. xi + 340 pp.
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USEFUL ONLINE RESOURCES FOR THE MINNAN LANGUAGE

Maryknoll Language Service Center: Taiwanese Dictionaries: http://www.taiwanesedictionary.org/

闽南语词典: http://kaifangcidian.com/han/minnan
當代泉州音字彙: http://alt.reasoning.cs.ucla.edu/jinbo/dzl/
教育部台湾闽南语常用词辞典: http://twblg.dict.edu.tw/holodict_new/index.html

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Chen Mingshi, Chew Chin Fong, Chua Keng Soon, Marcus Chua, Iffah
Iesa, Lee Bee Yan, Lee Guan Poo, Lemon Lee, Leong Weng Thye, Lim Zi Yun, Martyn Low,
Ng Boon Hong, Ng Lye Choon, Sofina Ng, Ng Swee Ui, Kate Pocklington, Tan Heok Hui, Tan
Kai-xin, Tan Seng Huat, Tommy Tan, and Jeremy Yeo for their help in various ways such as
testing the user-friendliness of this directory, discussions, and useful suggestions to improve its
contents. Many photographs illustrating this work were kindly provided by several friends.

Photo credits go to the following: Nick Baker (NB), Marcus Chua (MC), Kelvin Lim (KL),
Sophia Sak (SS); Tan Heok Hui (THH), Tan Siong Kiat (TSK), Toh Chay Hoon (TCH), Darren
Yeo (DY), and Jeremy Yeo (JY).

CITATION OF THIS BOOK

Tan, S. K. & K. P. Lim, 2015. Minnan (Hokkien) Animal Names Used in Singapore. Lee Kong
Chian Natural History Museum, National University Singapore, Singapore. 58 pp. Uploaded
4 Jun.2015. http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/nus/images/pdfs/lkcnhm_ebooks/singapore_minnan_
animal_names.pdf.

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