个 (gaiˇ): Possession, Attribution and Nominalisation

01

Possession

Between two nouns, 个 (gaiˇkai) makes the first the owner of the second — the same order as English the band's songs, not the songs of the band.

• 𠊎係一家餐廳个廚師。

  ngai heˇ rhid gaˋ conˋ tangˋ gaiˇ chu siiˋngài he yit kâ tshôn thâng kai chhù sṳ̂

  I am a cook at a restaurant.

• 天光日个天時預報仰般？

  tienˋ gongˋ ngid gaiˇ tienˋ shi rhi+ boˇ ngiongˊ banˋthiên kông ngit kai thiên shì yi̊ po ngióng pân

  What is tomorrow's weather forecast?

• 該隻樂隊个歌仔。

  gai zhag ngogˋ chui+ gaiˇ goˋ erkài chak ngo̍k chhůi kai kô èr

  that band's songs

02

Linking a Modifier to a Noun

After a describing word or a whole phrase, 个 (gaiˇkai) fastens it to the noun that follows. Where English can set an adjective straight in front of a noun, Hakka needs this link, and the modifier may be as long as a full clause.

• 你中意仰般个面衫？

  ngi zhungˇ rhiˇ ngiongˊ banˋ gaiˇ mienˇ samˋngì chung yi ngióng pân kai mien sâm

  What kind of shirt do you like?

• 蘋果汁有大量个糖。

  linˋ goˇ zhib rhiuˋ tai+ liong+ gaiˇ tonglîn ko chip yiû thåi lio̊ng kai thòng

  Apple juice has a lot of sugar.

• 𠊎戴在一隻有當多牛个莊頭。

  ngai daiˇ diˇ rhid zhag rhiuˋ dongˋ doˋ ngiu gaiˇ zongˋ teungài tai ti yit chak yiû tông tô ngiù kai tsông thèu

  I live in a village that has a lot of cows.

03

Standing In for the Noun

个 (gaiˇkai) can close a phrase with no noun after it at all, and the phrase then works as a noun in its own right: the one that …, the one who …. English needs a whole relative clause where Hakka needs a single syllable.

• 摎𠊎剪頭那毛个都係佢。

  lauˋ ngai zienˊ teu na moˋ gaiˇ du+ heˇ gilâu ngài tsién thèu nà mô kai tů he kì

  The one who cut my hair is him.

• 你最中意个電影係麼个？

  ngi zuiˇ zhungˇ rhiˇ gaiˇ tien+ rhangˊ heˇ maˋ gaiˇngì tsui chung yi kai thie̊n yáng he mâ kai

  What is the film you like best?

• 承蒙你，毋過𠊎想愛尋兜仔無共樣个。

  shin mung ngi m goˇ ngai siongˊ oiˇ cim deuˋ er mo kiung+ rhong+ gaiˇshìn mùng ngì m̀ ko ngài sióng oi tshìm têu èr mò khiůng yo̊ng kai

  Thanks, but I'd like to look for some different ones.

04

Closing a Sentence

The same 个 (gaiˇkai) rounds off a statement or question about when, where or how something happened, giving the sense of it was … that. The question word stays in the position the answer would occupy, and 个 (gaiˇkai) closes the sentence off.

• 哪央時發生个？

  nai+ liongˋ shi fad senˋ gaiˇnåi liông shì fat sên kai

  When did it happen?

• 𠊎係八月十二號，禮拜一出世个。

  ngai heˇ bad ngiedˋ shibˋ ngi+ ho+ liˋ baiˇ rhid chud sheˇ gaiˇngài he pat ngie̍t shi̍p ngi̊ ho̊ lî pai yit chhut she kai

  I was born on Monday, the twelfth of August.

05

One Particle, Three Jobs

Possession, attribution and nominalisation are one pattern seen from three sides. Something is placed before 个 (gaiˇkai), and what comes after it — a noun, or nothing at all — decides how the whole is read.