Hokkien Reflection - Rayna Ng
I decided to learn Hokkien because I wanted to connect better with my grandparents. While they are able to speak and understand Mandarin, Hokkien has always been the language they are most comfortable with. Growing up, I would often hear them converse in Hokkien with my parents and their siblings, and I picked up a few phrases here and there—but I never had the confidence to properly learn it.
Honestly, I’ve always been a little afraid of picking up new languages, especially since I’ve never felt particularly strong in this area. That’s why, when I found out about this course, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally learn Hokkien in a more structured way. What really motivated me even more was thinking about how much effort my grandparents have made to speak with my generation, sometimes even speaking in English to help us understand. I felt that it was only right that I put in the same effort to meet them halfway.
Although my Hokkien is still far from fluent, I feel that I’ve made progress. I now have a better grasp of basic sentence structures and common phrases, and I can understand a little more when my grandparents speak. More importantly, I’m committed to putting in effort to improve my hokkien even after the semester ends, so that one day I’ll be able to converse with them more confidently and meaningfully in the language that’s closest to their hearts.
Through this course, I also came to appreciate certain Hokkien phrases that I’ve grown to love. One of my favourites is “na si wa u ci pa ban,” which comes from the Hokkien song Ci Pa Ban by singer Huang Yi Fei. I actually knew of the song before this semester, but now that I understand what the lyrics mean, it feels so much more fun and meaningful—especially since I used it for the song remix assignment. Another phrase I really like is “wa mmm zai,” which I’ve been using for a long time whenever my parents spoke to me in Hokkien and I didn’t understand what they were saying. It’s simple, but it reminds me of how I’ve always been surrounded by the language. Lastly, “le jiak ba bui?” is a classic to me. It’s such a warm and familiar way to start a conversation, especially in the Singaporean context, and hearing it always makes me think of home and family.
What made this course especially fun and engaging for me was how each lesson often included a song to go along with the topic. Learning a new language can feel very daunting at times, but the musical aspect made it much more enjoyable and memorable. I really appreciated how the professor would go through the song lyrics line by line with us. Not only did this help me learn new vocabulary and phrases, but it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the meaning behind Hokkien lyrics and the cultural stories they carry. Some of the songs we learned were actually familiar to me because my grandparents or uncles would sing them at karaoke sessions during family gatherings. It felt really special to finally understand the words they were singing and to be able to join in, even just a little. Overall, I really enjoyed this course, and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of picking up Hokkien :D
Honestly, I’ve always been a little afraid of picking up new languages, especially since I’ve never felt particularly strong in this area. That’s why, when I found out about this course, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally learn Hokkien in a more structured way. What really motivated me even more was thinking about how much effort my grandparents have made to speak with my generation, sometimes even speaking in English to help us understand. I felt that it was only right that I put in the same effort to meet them halfway.
Although my Hokkien is still far from fluent, I feel that I’ve made progress. I now have a better grasp of basic sentence structures and common phrases, and I can understand a little more when my grandparents speak. More importantly, I’m committed to putting in effort to improve my hokkien even after the semester ends, so that one day I’ll be able to converse with them more confidently and meaningfully in the language that’s closest to their hearts.
Through this course, I also came to appreciate certain Hokkien phrases that I’ve grown to love. One of my favourites is “na si wa u ci pa ban,” which comes from the Hokkien song Ci Pa Ban by singer Huang Yi Fei. I actually knew of the song before this semester, but now that I understand what the lyrics mean, it feels so much more fun and meaningful—especially since I used it for the song remix assignment. Another phrase I really like is “wa mmm zai,” which I’ve been using for a long time whenever my parents spoke to me in Hokkien and I didn’t understand what they were saying. It’s simple, but it reminds me of how I’ve always been surrounded by the language. Lastly, “le jiak ba bui?” is a classic to me. It’s such a warm and familiar way to start a conversation, especially in the Singaporean context, and hearing it always makes me think of home and family.
What made this course especially fun and engaging for me was how each lesson often included a song to go along with the topic. Learning a new language can feel very daunting at times, but the musical aspect made it much more enjoyable and memorable. I really appreciated how the professor would go through the song lyrics line by line with us. Not only did this help me learn new vocabulary and phrases, but it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the meaning behind Hokkien lyrics and the cultural stories they carry. Some of the songs we learned were actually familiar to me because my grandparents or uncles would sing them at karaoke sessions during family gatherings. It felt really special to finally understand the words they were singing and to be able to join in, even just a little. Overall, I really enjoyed this course, and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of picking up Hokkien :D
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