Cultural and Political Role
The Min Nan (or "Hokkien") language can trace its roots through the Tang Dynasty. Min Nan (Hokkien) people call themselves "Tang people," (唐人, tn̂g lâng) which is synonymous to "Chinese people". Because of the widespread influence of the Tang culture during the great Tang dynasty, we find today still many Min Nan pronunciations of words shared by the Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese language.
| English | Chinese characters | Hokkien | Korean | Vietnamese | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | 冊 | Chheh | Chaek | Cuốn Sách | |
| Bridge | 橋 | Kiô | Kyo | Cầu | |
| Dangerous | 危險 | Guî-hiám | Wiheom | Nguy hiểm | Kiken |
| Flag | 旗 | Ki | Ki | Kỳ | Ki |
| Insurance | 保險 | Pó-hiám | Boheom | Bảo hiểm | Hoken |
| News | 新聞 | Sinboon | Sinmun | Tân Văn | Shinbun |
| Student | 學生 | Hak-sing | Haksaeng | Học sinh | Gakusei |
| University | 大學 | Tua ok （Tai-hak) | Tae hak | Đại học | Daigaku |
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