熊
hîm
The Hokkien word for 'bear' is 熊 (hîm).
熊 is used to refer to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is hîm.
Did you know?
- If you call a child 熊 in a Hokkien-speaking household, you aren't calling them an animal, but rather labeling them as a 'little rascal' or 'naughty'.
- While English uses 'bear' for both the animal and the act of enduring, Hokkien uses entirely different words for these two meanings.
- The pronunciation of 熊 in Hokkien is quite distinct from the Mandarin 'xióng', which can make it difficult for Mandarin speakers to recognize the animal when hearing Hokkien spoken quickly.
Examples in context
- 彼隻熊真大。hit tsiah hiung chin tuai.That bear is very large.
- 我驚見著熊。guá kiaⁿ kiàn-tio̍h hiung.I am afraid of seeing a bear.
Example conversation
Guoqiang and Shufen are looking at a picture book about animals.
- 國強 Kok-kiang你看到這隻熊了嗎？li khan-kau che chia siung liao-mo?Did you see this bear?
- 淑芬 Siok-fun看到了，它看起來好可愛。khan-kau liao, ta khan-khí-lai hó khó-ài.I saw it, it looks so cute.
- 國強 Kok-kiang但熊其實很危險。tàn siung chiah-siat hěn uî-hiám.But bears are actually very dangerous.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun對，所以不能靠近。tùi, su sī put-eng kàn-chin.Right, that's why you can't get close.
