暗安
àm-an
暗安 (àm-an) is the Hokkien way to say "good evening".
暗安 is used as a greeting during the evening hours. Among friends and close acquaintances, you may also use the phrase 晚餐食飽未？ (bān-tshn tsia̍h-pá buē?) to mean "Have you eaten dinner?" as an interchangeable way to greet someone in the evening.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
暗安 is a compound of the characters 暗, meaning "dark" or "night" and 安, meaning "peace" or "safe".
How do you pronounce it?
àm-an
Did you know?
- The character 安 used in 暗安 is a pictograph showing a woman 女 under a roof 宀, symbolizing that a home is 'safe' or 'peaceful' when a woman is present.
- In many Hokkien-speaking communities, asking if someone has eaten is a far more common evening greeting than wishing them a 'good evening'.
- The word 暗 (dark) in 暗安 can also be used in Hokkien to describe something hidden or secretive, creating a linguistic link between the night and secrecy.
Examples in context
- 暗安，各位。àm-an, kòe-ūi.Good evening, everyone.
- 暗安，大家平安。àm-an, tōa-ke pîng-an.Good evening, I wish everyone peace.
- 暗安，先生。àm-an, siann-sén.Good evening, sir.
Example conversation
Two neighbors meet in the hallway of their apartment building at night.
- 佳怡 Chia-yi國強，暗安！Kók-kiông, àm-án!Guoqiang, good evening!
- 國強 Kok-kiang佳怡，暗安！妳欲去佗位？Ka-í, àm-án! Lí beh khì tó-uī?Jiayi, good evening! Where are you going?
- 佳怡 Chia-yi我欲去買物件。Góa beh khì bé mǐ-kiàn.I'm going to buy some things.
- 國強 Kok-kiang好，慢行。Hó, mān-kiàng.Okay, take care.
