Haqniqdoq
Hani
Sino-Tibetan
Hani is a major Loloish Tibeto-Burman language of the Yunnan-Vietnam-Laos border region, with ~1.5 million speakers across the three countries. The Hani people are world-famous for their UNESCO World Heritage Site (2013) Honghe Hani Rice Terraces — a 1,300-year-old terraced rice cultivation system on the slopes of the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan, considered one of the most spectacular agricultural landscapes in the world. Linguistically, Hani has classical Loloish features: tonal (3 tones), classifier-noun constructions, and a rich vocabulary for terraced rice agriculture and mountain ecology. The Hani Pinyin orthography (1957) provides standardized literacy.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Hani
Water
lol
/lo˥˥/
Fire
miq
/mi˧˩/
Sun
mol
/mo˥˥/
Moon
hhal
/xa˥˥/
Mother
amal
/ama˥˥/
Father
adal
/ada˥˥/
Eat
za
/za/
Drink
dol
/do˥˥/
Love
gaq
/ɡa˧˩/
Heart
miqsiq
/mi˧˩si˧˩/
Tree
siq
/si˧˩/
House
nyul
/ɲu˥˥/
Dog
kheel
/kʰe˥˥/
Cat
mil
/mi˥˥/
Hand
leyu
/leju/
Eye
ne
/ne/
Hello
niahuq mahuq
/niaxuq maxuq/
Thank you
gaq sai
/ɡa˧˩ sai/
One
tiul
/tiu˥˥/
Good
xa
/xa/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Sino-Tibetan languages
| Meaning | Hani | Azhe | Tangut | Taishanese | Tujia | Dongguan Yue | Gaozhou Yue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | lol /lo˥˥/ | ʑɿ /ʑɿ˧˧/ | 𗀚 /tjɨ˧/ | 水 /ɬui˧˧/ | zi /t͡sɨ˥˧/ | 水 /sui˧˥/ | 水 /sɵi˧˥/ |
| Fire | miq /mi˧˩/ | mi /mi˧˧/ | 𘎩 /me˧/ | 火 /fɔ˥˥/ | mi /mi˥˧/ | 火 /fɔ˧˥/ | 火 /fɔ˧˥/ |
| Sun | mol /mo˥˥/ | ŋni /ŋnʲi˧˧/ | 𘂴 /pjij˧˥/ | 日头 /ɲit˨˨hau˧˧/ | ni /ni˧˥/ | 日头 /jɐt˨˨tʰɐu˨˩/ | 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˧˧/ |
| Moon | hhal /xa˥˥/ | ɬɛ /ɬɛ˧˧/ | 𗏯 /lja˧˥/ | 月光 /ɲut˧˧kwɔŋ˨˨/ | nie /nie˧˥/ | 月光 /jyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/ | 月光 /jyt˨kwɔŋ˥˥/ |
| Mother | amal /ama˥˥/ | amo /amo˧˧/ | 𘎒 /ma˧˥/ | 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/ | a-mie /a˧mie˧/ | 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/ | 妈妈 /maː˥˥maː˥˥/ |
| Father | adal /ada˥˥/ | ada /ada˧˧/ | 𗥃 /pa˧/ | 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/ | a-pa /a˧pa˧/ | 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/ | 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˨˩/ |
| Eat | za /za/ | dza /dza˧˧/ | 𗅋 /dzjij˧˥/ | 食 /ɬik˧˧/ | za /t͡sa˨˩/ | 食 /sɪk˨/ | 食 /sɪk˨˨/ |
| Drink | dol /do˥˥/ | du /du˧˧/ | 𘉞 /tʰjij˧˥/ | 饮 /ɲim˧˧/ | da /ta˧/ | 饮 /jɐm˧˥/ | 饮 /jɐm˧˥/ |
| Love | gaq /ɡa˧˩/ | ŋa /ŋa˧˧/ | 𗙊 /lhjij˧˥/ | 爱 /ɔi˧˧/ | aci /a˧˥t͡si˥/ | 爱 /ɔi˧˧/ | 爱 /ɔi˧˧/ |
| Heart | miqsiq /mi˧˩si˧˩/ | si /si˧˧/ | 𘃠 /njij˧˥/ | 心 /ɬim˨˨/ | xin /ɕin˧/ | 心 /sɐm˥˥/ | 心 /sɐm˥˥/ |
| Tree | siq /si˧˩/ | sɿ /sɿ˧˧/ | 𘀇 /sji˧/ | 树 /ɬi˧˨/ | si /sɨ˧˥/ | 树 /syː˨/ | 树 /sy˨˨/ |
| House | nyul /ɲu˥˥/ | ɣɯ /ɣɯ˧˧/ | 𗩴 /kʰjwa˧˥/ | 屋 /uk˥˥/ | li /li˧˥/ | 屋 /ʊk˥/ | 屋 /ʊk˥˥/ |
| Dog | kheel /kʰe˥˥/ | kʰɯ /kʰɯ˧˧/ | 𗋒 /kʰwjɨ˧/ | 狗 /kau˧˧/ | kvʼ /kʰə˨˩/ | 狗 /kɐu˧˥/ | 狗 /kɐu˧˥/ |
| Cat | mil /mi˥˥/ | vi /vi˧˧/ | 𗦷 /mji˧˥/ | 猫 /miau˨˨/ | mau /mau˧/ | 猫 /maːu˥˥/ | 猫 /maːu˥˥/ |
| Hand | leyu /leju/ | la /la˧˧/ | 𘀔 /lje˧/ | 手 /ɬau˧˧/ | lo /lo˨˩/ | 手 /sɐu˧˥/ | 手 /sɐu˧˥/ |
| Eye | ne /ne/ | ȵi /ȵi˧˧/ | 𗞴 /mjij˧/ | 眼 /ŋaːn˧˧/ | mie /mie˨˩/ | 眼 /ŋaːn˩˧/ | 眼 /ŋaːn˩˧/ |
| Hello | niahuq mahuq /niaxuq maxuq/ | mosu /mosu˧˧/ | — /—/ | 你好 /nei˧˧hau˧˧/ | shu shu /ʃu˧ʃu˧/ | 你好 /nei˩˧hou˧˥/ | 你好 /nei˩˧hou˧˥/ |
| Thank you | gaq sai /ɡa˧˩ sai/ | katɕʰɿ /katɕʰɿ˧˧/ | — /—/ | 多谢 /tɔ˨˨ɬɛ˧˨/ | angzai /aŋ˧˥t͡sai˥/ | 多谢 /tɔː˥˥tsɛː˨/ | 多谢 /tɔ˥˥tsɛ˨˨/ |
| One | tiul /tiu˥˥/ | tsʰɿ /tsʰɿ˧˧/ | 𘈩 /lew˧˥/ | 一 /it˥˥/ | lao /lao˧˥/ | 一 /jɐt˥/ | 一 /jɐt˥˥/ |
| Good | xa /xa/ | mu /mu˧˧/ | 𗏁 /tsji˧/ | 好 /hau˧˧/ | ngaq /ŋaʔ˧˥/ | 好 /hou˧˥/ | 好 /hou˧˥/ |
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