Tai Yu versus Penang Hokkien

I like watching Taiwanese soap opera as the 'Tai Yu' (Hokkien dialect spoken in Taiwan) is very much the same as the Penang Hokkien I speak at home. There are certain expressions which differ between the two dialects. In this post, I will talk about some of these differences.

1 Tai Yu: Sa Kang [to help]
Penang Hokkien: Tau Kha Chew [to help]
e.g. Tai Yu: Gua ka li tau sa kang. [I will help you.]
Penang Hokkien: Gua ka lu tau kha chew. [I will help you.]
[note that you is lu in Penang Hokkien and li in Tai Yu]

2 Tai Yu: Tahu Khak Phai Khi [mad]
Penang Hokkien: Siau [mad]
e.g Tai Yu: Li thau khak phai khi. [You are mad.]
Penang Hokkien: Lu Siau khi. [You are mad.]

3 Tai Yu: Obasang [old woman]
Penang Hokken: Lau Ah Poh [old woman]
e.g. Hee Lay Obasang chin thi khi. [The old woman is very stubborn.]
Hee Lay lau ah poh chin kneah thi khi. [the old woman is very stubborn.]

So much for some examples of Tai Yu and Penang Hokkien.