檨仔
suāi-á
The Hokkien word for mango is 檨仔 (suāi-á).
檨仔 is a noun used to refer to the mango fruit.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is suāi-á.
Did you know?
- While the English word 'mango' comes from the Tamil word 'māṅgāi', the Hokkien 檨仔 uses a distinct Sinitic root unrelated to the Indian origin.
- The character 檨 is rarely used in modern Mandarin, as most speakers use 芒果 for 'mango', making the Hokkien term a distinct linguistic remnant.
- While 檨仔 is common in Taiwan, many Hokkien speakers in Southeast Asia may use different names for the fruit based on local Malay or Thai influences.
Example conversation
Shu-fen and Jian-hong are at a fruit market.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun建宏，你看這檨仔好無？Kian-hông, lí khuànn che mn̂g-á hó bô?Jian-hong, look, are these mangoes good?
- 建宏 Kian-hong看起來真新鮮。Khàn-khí-lâi chin sin-sián.They look very fresh.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun咱買四粒檨仔回去。Lán bé sì li̍t mn̂g-á khì-ê.Let's buy four mangoes to take home.
- 建宏 Kian-hong好，我來拿。Hó, góa lâi lâh.Okay, I will grab them.
