徽州话

Hui Chinese

Sinitic (Hui / Huizhou)

FamilySinitic (Hui / Huizhou) Speakers~5M ScriptSimplified Chinese CountriesChina (Huizhou region: southern Anhui, NE Jiangxi, NW Zhejiang) Official inNo (regional) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3czh

Hui Chinese (徽语 Huiyu, Huizhou) is the Sinitic variety of the historical Huizhou cultural region — primarily Tunxi, Yixian, and Wuyuan in southern Anhui plus adjacent corners of Jiangxi and Zhejiang — with ~5M speakers. Its classification has been contested: it was traditionally lumped with Wu, then Mandarin, but Li Rong (1985) elevated it to a top-level Sinitic branch on the strength of its distinctive 7+ tone system and conservative preservation of features lost in surrounding Mandarin and Wu. Hui is the language of the famous Huizhou merchant tradition (Huishang, ~14th-19th c.), one of the two great pre-modern Chinese commercial diasporas, and of the architecture and vernacular gardens UNESCO-inscribed at Xidi and Hongcun (2000).

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Hui Chinese

Water

/ɕy˦˦/

Fire

/xu˦˦/

Sun

日头

/ʐɨ˨˦tʰəu/

Moon

月光

/yo˨˧kuaŋ˨˦/

Mother

/ma˧˧/

Father

/pa˦˦/

Eat

/t͡ɕʰi˨˦/

Drink

/xa˨˦/

Love

/ai˦˦/

Heart

/ɕin˧˧/

Tree

/ɕy˦˦/

House

/uʔ˨˦/

Dog

/kəu˦˦/

Cat

/mau˧˧/

Hand

/səu˦˦/

Eye

眼睛

/ŋæ˦˦tɕin/

Hello

你好

/n̩˦˦hau˦˦/

Thank you

谢谢

/ɕie˦˦ɕie/

One

/iʔ˨˦/

Good

/hau˦˦/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Hui / Huizhou) languages

Meaning Hui ChineseXiang (Hunan)Jianghuai MandarinLanyin MandarinHefei MandarinKunming MandarinXi'an Mandarin
Water /ɕy˦˦/ /ɕy˦˩/ /suei˨˩˦/ /sui˥˧/ /ʂueɪ˨˦/ /suei˥˧/ /fei˥˧/
Fire /xu˦˦/ /xo˦˩/ /xuo˨˩˦/ /xo˥˧/ /xuo˨˦/ /xo˥˧/ /xuo˥˧/
Sun 日头 /ʐɨ˨˦tʰəu/ 太阳 /tʰai˥˩ian˩˧/ 日头 /ʐəʔ˦˦tʰəu˨˦/ 日头 /ʐɨ˨˦tʰəu˨˦/ 日头 /ʐəʔ˦tʰəu˥˥/ 太阳 /tʰæ˨˩˨iaŋ˧˩/ 日头 /ʐɿ˥˥tʰou˨˦/
Moon 月光 /yo˨˧kuaŋ˨˦/ 月亮 /ye˨˦liaŋ/ 月亮 /yeʔ˥˥liaŋ˦˦/ 月亮 /yɛ˦˦ljaŋ/ 月亮 /yɛʔ˦liaŋ˥˧/ 月亮 /ye˧˩liaŋ˨˩˨/ 月亮 /ye˥˥liaŋ˨˩/
Mother /ma˧˧/ 妈妈 /ma˧ma/ /ma˧˧/ /ma˧˧/ 妈妈 /ma˨˩˨ma/ /ma˦˦/ /ma˨˩/
Father /pa˦˦/ 爸爸 /pa˥˧pa/ /pa˥˥/ /pa˥˧/ /tie˨˩˨/ /tie˦˦/ /pa˥˥/
Eat /t͡ɕʰi˨˦/ /t͡ɕʰi˨˦/ /tʂʰʅ˥˥/ /tʂʰɨ˧˧/ /tʂʰəʔ˦/ /tsʰʅ˦˦/ /tʂʰɿ˨˩/
Drink /xa˨˦/ /xo˨˦/ /xəʔ˥˥/ /xɛ˧˧/ /xəʔ˦/ /xo˦˦/ /xɤ˨˩/
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Han readings compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Hui) languages

Character Hui ChineseJixi HuiJianghuai MandarinWuhan MandarinJinhua WuNanjing MandarinShanghainese
ie⁵ /iɛʔ˥/ ie⁵ /iɛʔ˥/ yiq⁵ /iəʔ˥/ yi²¹³ /i˨˩˧/ iq⁵⁵ /iəʔ˥˥/ yiq⁵ /iʔ˥/ iq7 /ɪʔ˥˥/
n²² /n̩˨˨/ n²² /n̩˨˨/ er⁵³ /ɚ˥˧/ er³⁵ /ɚ˧˥/ nyi²¹³ /n̩˨˩˧/ er⁴⁴ /ɚ˦˦/ gni6 /ɲi˨˧/
se³³ /sɛ˧˧/ se³³ /sɛ˧˧/ san³³ /sã˧˧/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ sa³³ /sã˧˧/ san³¹ /sã˧˩/ se1 /sɛ˥˧/
si³⁵ /sɿ˧˥/ si³⁵ /sɿ˧˥/ si⁵¹ /sɿ˥˩/ si³⁵ /sɿ˧˥/ sy⁵³ /sz̩˥˧/ si⁴⁴ /sɿ˦˦/ sy5 /sɿ˧˥/
ng²¹ /ŋ̩˨˩/ ng²¹ /ŋ̩˨˩/ wu³⁵ /u˧˥/ wu⁴² /u˦˨/ ng²¹³ /ŋ˨˩˧/ wu²¹² /u˨˩˨/ ng6 /ŋ̍˨˧/
lu²¹ /lu˨˩/ lu²¹ /lu˨˩/ liuq⁵ /liuʔ˥/ nou²¹³ /nəu˨˩˧/ lieu²⁴ /liu˨˦/ loq⁵ /loʔ˥/ loq8 /loʔ˩˨/
chii⁵ /tsʰiɪʔ˥/ chii⁵ /tsʰiɪʔ˥/ ciq⁵ /tsʰiəʔ˥/ qi²¹³ /tɕʰi˨˩˧/ tshiq⁵⁵ /t͡sʰiəʔ˥˥/ ciq⁵ /tsʰiʔ˥/ chiq7 /tɕʰɪʔ˥˥/
pa⁵ /paʔ˥/ pa⁵ /paʔ˥/ baq⁵ /paʔ˥/ ba²¹³ /pa˨˩˧/ paq⁵⁵ /pɒʔ˥˥/ baq⁵ /paʔ˥/ paq7 /pɐʔ˥˥/
jiu³⁵ /tɕiu˧˥/ jiu³⁵ /tɕiu˧˥/ jiu²¹² /tɕiɤu˨˩˨/ jiu⁴² /tɕiəu˦˨/ jieu⁵³⁵ /tɕiɤɯ˥˧˥/ jiu²¹² /tɕiəu˨˩˨/ cieu5 /tɕiɤɯ˧˥/
sii²¹ /siɪʔ˨˩/ sii²¹ /siɪʔ˨˩/ sheq⁵ /ʂəʔ˥/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/ zeq²¹² /zəʔ˨˩˨/ seq⁵ /ʂəʔ˥/ zeq8 /zəʔ˩˨/
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