建瓯话

Min Bei

Sinitic (Min Bei / Northern Min)

FamilySinitic (Min Bei / Northern Min) Speakers~10M ScriptHan characters CountriesChina (NW Fujian, Wuyi mountains) Official inNo (regional) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3mnp

Min Bei (Northern Min, 闽北语) is a Min Sinitic variety with ~10M speakers, centered on Jian'ou in northwestern Fujian and the Wuyi mountains. It is one of the founding branches in the standard 5-way (later 7-way) Min classification proposed by Jerry Norman, and is exceptionally conservative — preserving several Old Chinese phonological features lost everywhere else in Sinitic, including a class of "softened initials" (软声) that point to Old Chinese voiced/voiceless contrasts otherwise visible only via reconstruction. The variety has 6 contrastive tones and complex sandhi, and the Wuyi region's tea-trade history gave Min Bei vocabulary its lexical exports (e.g. "bohea" tea ← Min Bei reading of 武夷).

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Min Bei

Water

/sui˧˧/

Fire

/xui˧˧/

Sun

日头

/ni˥˥tʰau˨˨/

Moon

月光

/ŋye˦˦kɔŋ˥˦/

Star

/saŋ˥/

Mother

/ma˧˧/

Father

/tia˥˦/

I

/ŋuɛ˩/

You

/ny˧/

Name

/miaŋ˧/

Eye

目睭

/mu˦˦tʃiu˥˦/

Hand

/siu˧˧/

Heart

/siŋ˥˦/

Love

/ai˨˩/

Tree

/tʃʰy˨˩/

House

/tsʰu˨˩/

Dog

/kɛu˧˧/

Cat

/miau˥˦/

Eat

/sie˦˦/

Drink

/tʃʰœ˦˦/

One

/i˦˦/

Two

/ni˥/

Hello

你好

/ny˧˧hau˧˧/

Thank you

多谢

/to˥˦sia˨˨/

Good

/hau˧˧/

Cuckoo

布谷

/piɔ˧˧ku˨˦/

Computer

电脑

/tiŋ˥˥nau˨˩/

Sushi

寿司

/siu˥˥si˥˦/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Min Bei / Northern Min) languages

Meaning Min BeiEastern MinPenang HokkienTeochewTaiwaneseXiamen HokkienTaishanese
Water /sui˧˧/ /tsui˧˩/ /tsui˥˧/ /tsui˥˧/ /tsui˥˧/ /tsui˥˧/ /ɬui˧˧/
Fire /xui˧˧/ /huoi˧˩/ /hue˥˧/ /hue˥˧/ /hue˥˧/ /hue˥˧/ /fɔ˥˥/
Sun 日头 /ni˥˥tʰau˨˨/ 日头 /niʔ˧˧tʰau˧˧/ 日頭 /lit˥˥tʰau˨˨/ 日头 /ʒik˥˥tʰau˥˥/ 日頭 /lit˦tʰau˧˥/ 日頭 /dzit̚˦tʰau˨˦/ 日头 /ɲit˨˨heu˧˧/
Moon 月光 /ŋye˦˦kɔŋ˥˦/ 月光 /ŋuoʔ˨˦kuoŋ˥˥/ 月娘 /ɡueʔ˥˥niũ˨˦/ 月娘 /ɡueʔ˥˥niũ˥˥/ 月娘 /ɡueʔ˦niũ˧˥/ 月娘 /ɡueʔ̚˦ niũ˨˦/ 月光 /ɲut˧˧kwɔŋ˨˨/
Star /saŋ˥/ /saŋ˥/ /tsʰẽ˥/ /tsʰẽ˧/ /tsʰĩ˥/ /tsʰĩ˥/ /ɬaŋ˧/
Mother /ma˧˧/ 依妈 /i˥˥ma˧˧/ 阿媽 /a˧˧ma˧˧/ /ma˧˧/ 媽媽 /ma˥ma/ 老母 /lau˨˨bu˥˧/ 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/
Father /tia˥˦/ 依爸 /i˥˥pa˥˥/ 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/ /pa˧˧/ 爸爸 /pa˥pa/ 老爸 /lau˨˨pe˨˨/ 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/
I /ŋuɛ˩/ /ŋuɑi˧/ /ɡua˥˧/ /ua˥˨/ /ɡua˥˩/ /ɡua˥˧/ /ŋɔi˧/
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Han readings compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Min) languages

Character Min BeiMin Zhong (Yong'an)Pu-Xian MinEastern MinGuibei Pinghua (Guilin)PinghuaShao-Jiang Min
白讀ì /i˧˧/文讀ĭ /i˨˦/ 白讀i /i˦˨/文讀ieʔ /iɛʔ˥/ 白讀cik /tɬiʔ˥/文讀ik /iʔ˥/ 白讀sĭk /siɪʔ˥/文讀ék /ʔɛiʔ˥/ it⁵ /it̚˥/ it⁵ /it̚˥/ it /it˨/
白讀lâng /laŋ˧˧/文讀 /ni˨˦/ 文讀ni /ni˨˨/白讀laŋ /laŋ˨˨/ 白讀nō͘ /nɔ˧˩/文讀ñî /ɲi˧˩/ 白讀lâng /laŋ˨˦˨/文讀nê̤i /nei˨˦˨/ ni²² /ni˨˨/ ni²² /ni˨˨/ ngi /ŋi˧˥/
sáng /saŋ˥˦/ saŋ /saŋ˥˦/ 白讀 /sã˥˧/文讀sang /saŋ˥˧/ săng /saŋ˦˦/ sam⁵⁴ /saːm˥˦/ sam⁵⁴ /saːm˥˦/ sang /saŋ˦/
/si˧˧/ si /si˧˥/ lhì /ɬi˦˨/ /sei˨˩˧/ si²² /si˨˨/ si²² /si˨˨/ si /si˥/
白讀ngǚ /ŋy˨˦/文讀ngǔ /ŋu˨˦/ ŋu /ŋu˨˨/ 白讀ngô͘ /ŋɔ˧˩/文讀ngū /ŋu˧˧/ 白讀ngô /ŋou˨˦˨/文讀ngū /ŋu˧˧/ ng²¹ /ŋ̍˨˩/ ng²¹ /ŋ̍˨˩/ ng /ŋ̍˧/
白讀lü̆ /ly˨˦/文讀liŭ /liu˨˦/ lu /lu˦˨/ 白讀la̍k /laʔ˨˦/文讀lo̍k /lɔʔ˨˦/ 白讀lĕ̤k /løyʔ˨˦/文讀liŏk /liɔuʔ˨˦/ lok²² /lok̚˨˨/ lok²² /lok̚˨˨/ liuk /liuk˥/
chĭ /tsʰi˨˦/ tsʰi /tsʰi˦˨/ cheh⁵ /tsʰiʔ˥/ chék /tsʰeiʔ˨˦/ chat⁵ /tsʰɐt̚˥/ chat⁵ /tsʰɐt̚˥/ chit /tsʰit˨/
păi /paiʔ˨˦/ pai /pai˦˨/ 白讀poeh /pɔeʔ˥/文讀pat /pat̚˥/ báik /paiʔ˨˦/ pat⁵ /pat̚˥/ pat⁵ /pat̚˥/ pat /pat˨/
giǔ /kiu˧˩/ kiu /kiu˧˩/ 白讀kâu /kau˧˩/文讀kiû /kiu˧˩/ 白讀gāu /kau˧˩/文讀giū /kiu˧˩/ kau³⁵ /kɐu˧˥/ kau³⁵ /kɐu˧˥/ kiu /kiu˧˩/
sĭp /siʔ˨˦/ si /si˦˨/ 白讀sa̍p /saʔ˨˦/文讀si̍p /siʔ˨˦/ 白讀sĕk /seiʔ˨˦/文讀sĭk /siʔ˥/ sap²² /sɐp̚˨˨/ sap²² /sɐp̚˨˨/ sip /sip˥/
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