What is "hokkien"

Hokkien is a dialect of Southern Min Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian, Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere.

Hokkien (a local word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian") may also refer to:

• Min Chinese, the main branch of Chinese in Fujian Province
• Fujian or Fukien, a province of China
• Hoklo people, a group originating from Fujian province

Hokkien (from ) is a group of mutually intelligible Min Nan Chinese dialects spoken throughout Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and by many other overseas Chinese. Hokkien originated from a dialect in southern Fujian. It is closely related to Teochew, though mutual comprehension is difficult, and is somewhat more distantly related to Hainanese. Besides Hokkien, there are also other Min and Hakka dialects in Fujian province, most of which are not mutually intelligible with Hokkien.

Hokkien historically served as the lingua franca amongst overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, and remains today as the most spoken variety of Chinese in the region (including in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, peninsular Malaysia, and most of Indochina.