Question Words — Taiwanese Hokkien Grammar

The single most useful fact about Taiwanese questions: the question word stays exactly where the answer would go. Nothing is moved to the front, and the word order of the sentence is not disturbed at all.

你叫啥物名？
lí kiò siánn-mih miâlí kiò siáⁿ-mih miâli2 kio3 siann2-mih4 mia5
What's your name?
你感覺按怎？
lí kám-kak án-tsuánnlí kám-kak án-choáⁿli2 kam2-kak4 an2-tsuann2
How do you feel?

The Main Words

(siánn-mihsiáⁿ-mihsiann2-mih4) what, (tó-uītó-ūito2-ui7) where, (siánn-lângsiáⁿ-lângsiann2-lang5) who, (án-tsuánnán-choáⁿan2-tsuann2) how, and (uī-siánn-mihūi-siáⁿ-mihui7-siann2-mih4) why. (siánn-mihsiáⁿ-mihsiann2-mih4) also works as a determiner in front of a noun — what colour, what job.

你欲啥物色的鞋？
lí beh siánn-mih sik ê êlí beh siáⁿ-mih sek ê êli2 beh4 siann2-mih4 sik4 e5 e5
What colour shoes do you want?
你佇咧食啥物頭路？
lí tī-leh tsia̍h siánn-mih thâu-lōolí tī-leh chia̍h siáⁿ-mih thâu-lō͘li2 ti7-leh4 tsiah8 siann2-mih4 thau5-loo7
What do you do for a living?
佇佗位發生的？
tī tó-uī huat-sing --êtī tó-ūi hoat-seng --êti7 to2-ui7 huat4-sing1 --e5
Where did it happen?

Amounts

(kuíkúikui2) asks how many and takes a classifier after it. (guāgōagua7) asks how with an adjective, measuring degree rather than counting.

這領T恤有偌大？
tsit niá t-sut ū guā tuāchit niá t-sut ū gōa tōatsit4 nia2 t4-sut4 u7 gua7 tua7
How big is this T-shirt?
這領褲有偌長？
tsit niá khòo ū guā tn̂gchit niá khò͘ ū gōa tn̂gtsit4 nia2 khoo3 u7 gua7 tng5
How long are these trousers?
伊幾歲矣？
i kuí huè --ahi kúi hòe --ahi1 kui2 hue3 --ah4
How old is she?

Outside a question the same word means a few, several — an unspecified small number rather than a request for one.

無，只有幾个。
bô tsí-ū kuí êbô chí-ū kúi êbo5 tsi2-u7 kui2 e5
No, only a few.

Who and Why

(siánn-lângsiáⁿ-lângsiann2-lang5) asks about a person and behaves like any other noun — it can be the subject, or take (êêe5) to ask whose. (uī-siánn-mihūi-siáⁿ-mihui7-siann2-mih4) stands at the front of its clause, and can be a whole question on its own.

啥人佇辦公室代替你？
siánn-lâng tī pān-kong-sik tāi-thè lísiáⁿ-lâng tī pān-kong-sek tāi-thè lísiann2-lang5 ti7 pan7-kong1-sik4 tai7-the3 li2
Who's covering for you at the office?
聽啥人的歌？
thiann siánn-lâng ê kuathiaⁿ siáⁿ-lâng ê koathiann1 siann2-lang5 e5 kua1
Whose songs are you listening to?
為啥物？
uī-siánn-mihūi-siáⁿ-mihui7-siann2-mih4
Why?

No Question Particle

A sentence with a question word needs nothing else to mark it as a question. Adding (kámkámkam2) or a final (--bô--bô--bo5) would be wrong — those two build yes/no questions only, and the two systems do not combine.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Taiwanese Hokkien course

53 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “Question Words” is about in bold:

你感覺按怎？好抑是毋好？
lí kám-kak án-tsuánn? hó ia̍h-sī m̄-hó?lí kám-kak án-choáⁿ? hó ia̍h-sī m̄-hó?li2 kam2-kak4 an2-tsuann2? ho2 iah8-si7 m7-ho2?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
查某囝佇佗位？ - 伊佇學校。
tsa-bóo-kiánn tī tó-uī? - i tī ha̍k-hāu.cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ tī tó-ūi? - i tī ha̍k-hāu.tsa1-boo2-kiann2 ti7 to2-ui7? - i1 ti7 hak8-hau7.
Where is our daughter? - She's at school.
Lesson 242
你有兩个誠媠的囡仔。𪜶幾歲矣？
lí ū nn̄g ê tsiânn suí ê gín-á. in kuí huè --ah?lí ū nn̄g ê chiâⁿ súi ê gín-á. in kúi hòe --ah?li2 u7 nng7 e5 tsiann5 sui2 e5 gin2-a2. in1 kui2 hue3 --ah4?
You have two very beautiful children. How old are they?
Lesson 264

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