The Hokkien language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes or prefixes for addressing or referring to people. Most are suffixes. Honorifics are often non-gender-neutral; some imply a feminine context (such as sió-chiá) while others imply a masculine one (such as sian-siⁿ), and still others imply both.
Common honorifics Sian-siⁿ Sian-siⁿ (), also pronounced sian-seⁿ in some Hokkien dialects, is the most commonplace male honorific and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. Sian-siⁿ is also used to refer to or address authority figures, especially teachers and doctors. The usage is also seen in other East Asian languages (see sensei).
Sió-chiá Sió-chiá (小姐) is a term for an unmarried woman.
Familial honorifics Honorifics for family members have two different forms in Hokkien.
For a younger family member to call an elder one, the prefixes a- (阿) or chó͘- (祖) is used as the honorific. The usage may also be used to mention one's own family members. For examples: Base noun Honorific English translation Pe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jīPe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jī kong 公 chó͘-kong 祖公 great grandfather má 媽 chó͘-má 祖媽 great grandmother kong 公 a-kong 阿公 grandfather má 媽 a-má 阿媽 grandmother pah 爸 a-pah 阿爸 father bú / bó 母 a-bú / a-bó 阿母 mother hiaⁿ 兄 a-hiaⁿ 阿兄 elder brother ché / chí 姊 a-ché / a-chí 阿姊 elder sister
Note that it is very impolite to say lín chó͘-má (your great grandma) in some situations; it may be regarded as a rude singular first personal pronoun for the female speakers. (See Hokkien pronouns)
For someone to mention his or her own parents to a non-family-member, the prefix lāu- (老) is sometimes used to replace the prefix a- as the honorific. Base noun Honorific English translation Pe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jīPe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jī pē 父 lāu-pē 老父 father bú / bó 母 lāu-bú / lāu-bó 老母 mother
For someone to mention his or her own elder family members to a non-family-member, the prefix án- (俺), which literally means my, is also used in some areas. For examples: Base noun Honorific English translation Pe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jīPe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jī má 媽 án-má 俺媽 grandmother niâ 娘 án-niâ 俺娘 mother ko͘ 姑 án-ko͘ 俺姑 aunt
Occupation-related honorifics Sai Similar to suffix -su and -sū mentioned later, the suffix -sai (師) is used for some people with skillful techniques; for example, kûn-thâu-sai (拳頭師) for martial artists, phah-thih-á-sai (拍鐵仔師) for blacksmiths, phah-chio̍h-sai (拍石師) for masons, thô͘-chúi-sai (塗水師) for plasterers, chóng-phò͘-sai (總舖師) for chefs and sai-kōng (師公) for a daoshi.
Su Many people with different occupations get their own honorifics with a suffix -su (師) in Hokkien. For example, i-su (醫師) for doctors, io̍h-chè-su (藥劑師) for pharmacists, kang-têng-su (工程師) for engineers, lāu-su (老師) for teachers, and lu̍t-su (律師) for lawyers.
Sū For academic degrees, the titles are suffixed with -sū (士); for examples, phok-sū (博士) for doctorate degree, se̍k-sū (碩士) for master's degree, and ha̍k-sū (學士) for bachelor's degree. In addition, some occupations have their honorifics with a suffix -sū; for example, hō͘-sū (護士) for nurses, piān-sū (辯士) for voice-overs, and chō͘-sán-sū (助產士) for midwives.
Royal and official honorifics Pē-hā (陛下) is used for sovereign royalty, similar to "Majesty" in English. Tiān-hā (殿下) is used for non-sovereign royalty, similar to "Highness" in English. Chóng-thóng (總統) means president. Chóng-lí (總理) means prime minister. Koh-hā (閣下) means "Your Excellency", and is used for heads of state (except for those addressed by Pē-hā or Tiān-hā), heads of government, ministers.
Other honorifics Pe̍h-ōe-jīHàn-jīLiteral meaningGenderUsageExamplesNoteschí / chéelder sisterfemalesuffixMary-chíThe honorific chí or ché is usually added right after one's name, and it shows a "sister-like" respect.hiaⁿelder brothermalesuffixJohn-hiaⁿThe honorific hiaⁿ is usually added right after one's name, and it shows a "brother-like" respect.iâfather, mastermalesuffixSêng-hông-iâ (城隍爺), lāu-iâ (老爺), siàu-iâ (少爺)The honorific iâ is usually used for gods, deities, or honorable people.koaⁿneutralsuffixsin-lông-koaⁿ (新郎倌) means bridegroomkùinobleneutralprefixkùi-keⁿ (貴庚) for asking for someone's age kùi-sèⁿ (貴姓) for asking for someone's surnamelányouneutralpronounLán tó-ūi beh chhōe? (Who is this on the phone?)The Hokkien pronoun lán usually means "we" (inclusive), but it is often used to ask for one's information on telephone conversation politely.lāuold, experiencedmale, sometimes femaleprefixlāu-su (老師) means teacher. lāu-sai-hū (老師傅) means experienced technician. lāu-seng (老生) means experienced elders.The prefix lāu may sometimes be impolite or even rude to call someone because the word lāu means "old"; for example, lāu-hòe-á (老歲仔) for old person or lāu-kâu (老猴), which literally means "old monkey", for old man or husband. The prefix lāu doesn't always imply respect.sòeyearneutralbān-sòe (萬歲) for addressing emperor chhian-sòe (千歲) for addressing empressthâuthe headneutralprefix or suffixthâu-lâng (頭儂) means master thâu-ke (頭家) means employer or husband kang-thâu (工頭) means foremanIn Hokkien-language, the noun thâu originally means "head", and is later extended to the "leader" or the "master".
See also Chinese honorifics Japanese honorifics Korean honorifics