Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Min dialect

Min dialect

9.9
A group of Chinese languages spoken mainly in Fujian province and nearby parts of southeast China
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : dialecto Min
  • The Min dialect has several distinct subgroups, including Hokkien and Teochew.

Examples

  • Many immigrants from Fujian speak the Min dialect at home.

  • Linguists study the Min dialect to trace ancient features of the Chinese language.

  • The Min dialect is spoken by millions of people.

  • Many students are learning the Min dialect at university.

  • Linguists study the Min dialect to trace ancient features of the Chinese language.

  • Many immigrants from Fujian speak the Min dialect at home.

  • The Min dialect has several distinct subgroups, including Hokkien and Teochew.

Synonyms

Min
vsMin dialect
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of Chinese dialects spoken in Fujian and southeast China

refers to each individual local variety within that group
Min language
vsMin dialect
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of Chinese dialects spoken mainly in Fujian, like Hokkien and Teochew

focuses on individual regional varieties rather than the wider group

Surface Forms

Min dialect singular
Min dialects plural

Morphology

Min + dialect

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Min' names a group of Sinitic languages and 'dialect' means a regional variety, so together they denote a regional variety of the Min languages. This follows a straightforward noun + noun/determiner pattern found across languages and is immediately inferable by a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Min dialect comes from the name Min, an old name for the river and region in Fujian province in China. So Min dialect 'means' the local kinds of Chinese spoken in that area.