Happy Valentine’s Day!

This holiday is not one much celebrated in my family, but I thought it’s worth a post no less. In Chinese, Valentine’s Day is (perhaps more appropriately) called 情人節 or “Sweethearts’ Day.” So how to wish a happy Valentine’s Day in Taishanese? You might want to try…

情人節快樂！
tën ngën dīt fai lòk

That’s according to the pronunciation in the Kaiping dictionary. My best guess is that, according to the accent in the Basic Course, you’d likely say: tïng ngïn dīt fai lòk.

If you know of other “traditional” Valentine’s Day greetings in Taishanese, please feel free to drop a comment below! May your day be filled with love and joy!

Happy New Year!

It’s Chinese New Year—or Lunar New Year, as my Vietnamese friends continue to remind me—and so you might want to spread around the warmth of New Year greetings. How do you say it in Taishanese? Here are two common greetings:

新年快樂	恭喜發財
lhen nïn fai lòk	gung hēi fat töi

If you need help with reading the transcription, see my notes on consonants, vowels and tones. I’m not exactly sure how to pronounce these according to the accent of the Basic Course, but I’d wager one would say lhin nïan fai lòk and gung hī fat töi, respectively.

What other New Year greetings do you know in Taishanese?