Shopping and Buying Things
Buying a Book at a Store§
Customer: Ngai siong mai jit pun su
(I want to buy a book)
Seller: Oi mai ma'ai su?
(What book do you want to buy?)
Customer: Jit pun siau sot
(A novel)
Seller: Li kian su tiam an thai, mak kai tu jiu
(This bookstore is very big, everything is available)
Customer: Ho…ten jit ha ngai chim pun nyi.. nyi to, nyi to
(Okay, wait a minute I'll search for you… I found it, I found it)
Seller: Thang kong li pun su an jiu ji si
(People say this book is very interesting)
Customer: He wa nyi siong oi mai mo?
(Yes, do you want to buy it?)
Buyer: Ngai oi mai wa, jit to lui?
(I want it, how much?)
Seller: Pak nyi ng chien (125k)
Buyer: Ho ngai oi, lia ngai phoi nyi pak nyi ng chien
(Yes I want it, here I give you 125k)
Seller: Kamsia (Thank you)Shopping Vocabulary§
Basic Shopping Terms§
| English | Hakka |
|---|---|
| Buy | mai |
| Want to buy | siong mai |
| Store/shop | tiam |
| Book | su |
| A book | jit pun su |
| Novel | siau sot |
| How much? | jit to lui? |
| Money | lui |
| Pay/give money | phoi |
| Here | lia |
| Thank you | kamsia |
Describing Items and Stores§
| English | Hakka |
|---|---|
| This | li kian |
| Bookstore | su tiam |
| Very big | an thai |
| Everything | mak kai |
| Available | tu jiu |
| Very interesting | an jiu ji si |
| People say | thang kong |
Shopping Actions§
| English | Hakka |
|---|---|
| Wait a minute | ten jit ha |
| Search/look for | chim |
| I found it! | nyi to! |
| I’ll search for you | ngai chim pun nyi |
| I give you | ngai phoi nyi |
| I’ll buy for you | ngai boi mai pun nyi |
Key Phrases§
Expressing Want/Need§
- Ngai siong mai… = I want to buy…
- Oi mai ma’ai? = What do you want to buy?
- Ngai oi mai wa = I want to buy (it)
- Nyi siong oi mai mo? = Do you want to buy (it)?
Asking About Price§
- Jit to lui? = How much is it?
- Pak nyi ng chien = 125 thousand (125,000)
Completing Purchase§
- Lia ngai phoi nyi… = Here, I give you…
- Ho ngai oi = Yes, I want it
- Kamsia = Thank you
Numbers for Shopping§
Common price expressions:
- Jit chien = 1,000
- Nyi sip chien = 20,000
- Pak chien = 100,000
- Pak nyi ng chien = 125,000
Other Shopping Contexts§
General Buying§
- Mai = buy
- Bon = pay (for services)
- Tiam = store/shop
Locations§
- Su tiam = bookstore
- Lusun = roadside (market)
Example Sentences§
-
Ngai siong mai jit pun su
- I want to buy a book
-
Li kian su tiam an thai
- This bookstore is very big
-
Jit to lui?
- How much is it?
-
Ngai phoi nyi pak nyi ng chien
- I give you 125,000
Notes§
- Siong can mean “think,” “want,” or “remember” depending on context
- Tiam can mean “store,” “time,” or “quiet” - context is key
- Pun nyi = for you (when doing something for someone)
—The Gardener