Possession with 的 (ê) — Taiwanese Hokkien Grammar

(êêe5) joins an owner to the thing owned, in that order: owner first, (êêe5), then the thing. It is the same little word English writes as 's — and, when the order is reversed, as of.

阮阿母的名叫做Lisa。
guán a-bú ê miâ kiò-tsò Lisagoán a-bú ê miâ kiò-chò Lisaguan2 a1-bu2 e5 mia5 kio3-tso3 Lisa1
Our mother's name is Lisa.
聽啥人的歌？
thiann siánn-lâng ê kuathiaⁿ siáⁿ-lâng ê koathiann1 siann2-lang5 e5 kua1
Whose songs are you listening to?

With Pronouns

The everyday possessives are written as single fused words — (guá-êgóa-êgua2-e5) my, (guán-êgoán-êguan2-e5) our, (in-êin-êin1-e5) their — so treat them as vocabulary rather than as something you assemble each time.

咱的老母猶閣少年。
lán ê lāu-bú iáu-koh siàu-liânlán ê lāu-bú iáu-koh siàu-liânlan2 e5 lau7-bu2 iau2-koh4 siau3-lian5
Our mother is still young.

More Than Owners

The relationship does not have to be ownership. (êêe5) links anything to the noun it belongs with — a place to its restaurant, a day to its weather, a quantity to what it measures.

我是一間餐廳的總舖師。
guá sī tsi̍t king tshan-thiann ê tsóng-phōo-saigóa sī chi̍t keng chhan-thiaⁿ ê chóng-phō͘-saigua2 si7 tsit8 king1 tshan1-thiann1 e5 tsong2-phoo7-sai1
I'm the cook at a restaurant.
明仔載的天氣預報按怎？
bîn-á-tsài ê thinn-khì ī-pò án-tsuánnbîn-á-chài ê thiⁿ-khì ī-pò án-choáⁿbin5-a2-tsai3 e5 thinn1-khi3 i7-po3 an2-tsuann2
What's tomorrow's weather forecast?
我愛全部的電影。
guá ài tsuán-pōo ê tiān-iánngóa ài choán-pō͘ ê tiān-iáⁿgua2 ai3 tsuan2-poo7 e5 tian7-iann2
I like all films.
彼个紅嬰仔的鼻仔足古錐。
hit ê âng-enn-á ê phīnn-á tsiok kóo-tsuihit ê âng-eⁿ-á ê phīⁿ-á chiok kó͘-chuihit4 e5 ang5-enn1-a2 e5 phinn7-a2 tsiok4 koo2-tsui1
That baby's nose is very cute.

Place words behave the same way, so the weather here is built exactly like my mother — (tsiachiatsia1) here, then (êêe5), then the noun.

遮的天氣比阮遐較燒烙。
tsia ê thinn-khì pí guán hia khah sio-lōchia ê thiⁿ-khì pí goán hia khah sio-lōtsia1 e5 thinn1-khi3 pi2 guan2 hia1 khah4 sio1-lo7
The weather here is warmer than where we live.

Stacking Them

More than one (êêe5) can appear in a sentence, and each simply links its own pair. Read them from the inside out and long noun phrases stop being intimidating.

阮的產品會解決你所有的問題。
guán-ê sán-phín ē kái-kuat lí sóo-ū ê būn-têgoán-ê sán-phín ē kái-koat lí só͘-ū ê būn-têguan2-e5 san2-phin2 e7 kai2-kuat4 li2 soo2-u7 e5 bun7-te5
Our product will solve all your problems.

When It Is Left Out

With close family and other tight pairings, speakers commonly drop (êêe5) altogether — (guán a-búgoán a-búguan2 a1-bu2) for my mother. Leaving it in is never wrong, so keep it while you are starting out, but expect to hear it missing.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Taiwanese Hokkien course

69 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Possession with 的 (ê)” is about in bold:

這是我的朋友Anna。伊是學生。
tse sī guá-ê pîng-iú Anna. i sī ha̍k-sing.che sī góa-ê pêng-iú Aⁿa. i sī ha̍k-seng.tse1 si7 gua2-e5 ping5-iu2 Anna1. i1 si7 hak8-sing1.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
我想欲買這種植物。囥佇我的房間內底會真好看。
guá siūnn-beh bé tsit tsióng si̍t-bu̍t. khǹg tī guá-ê pâng-king lāi-té ē tsin hó-khuànn.góa siūⁿ-beh bé chit chióng si̍t-bu̍t. khǹg tī góa-ê pâng-keng lāi-té ē chin hó-khoàⁿ.gua2 siunn7-beh4 be2 tsit4 tsiong2 sit8-but8. khng3 ti7 gua2-e5 pang5-king1 lai7-te2 e7 tsin1 ho2-khuann3.
I want to buy this plant. It will look great in my room.
Lesson 384
彼个紅嬰仔的鼻仔足古錐。
hit ê âng-enn-á ê phīnn-á tsiok kóo-tsui.hit ê âng-eⁿ-á ê phīⁿ-á chiok kó͘-chui.hit4 e5 ang5-enn1-a2 e5 phinn7-a2 tsiok4 koo2-tsui1.
That baby has a cute nose.
Lesson 389

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