Hakka language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hakka
客家語/客家语/客家話/客家话
Hak-kâ-fa/Hak-kâ-va (Hakka/Kejia) written in Chinese characters
Native to	China, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan (due to presence of Taiwanese community in Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area), Singapore, Indonesia, Mauritius, Suriname, South Africa, India, Vietnam and other countries where Hakka Chinese-speaking migrants have settled.
Region	in China: Eastern Guangdong province; adjoining regions of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces
Ethnicity	Hakka people (Han Chinese)
Native speakers	30 million  (2007)ne2007
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Chinese Hakka
Writing system	hanzi, romanization
Official status
Official language in	none (legislative bills have been proposed for it to be one of the "national languages" in the Republic of China)
Recognised minority language in	one of the statutory languages for public transport announcements in the ROC; government sponsors Hakka-language television station to preserve language
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Hakka is a special kind of Chinese language spoken by the Hakka people. It's mostly heard in southern China, but also in many other countries. Millions of people around the world speak Hakka!

What is Hakka?

Hakka is often called a "dialect" of Chinese. Think of it like different versions of a language. Just like English has different accents and words in different places (like the US and the UK), Chinese has many varieties. Hakka is one of these unique varieties.

Who Speaks Hakka?

The Hakka language is spoken by the Hakka people. They are a group of Han Chinese who have moved around a lot throughout history. Because of this, you can find Hakka speakers in many places.

Where is Hakka Spoken?

Most Hakka speakers live in eastern Guangdong province in China. You'll also find them in nearby parts of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. But because the Hakka people have traveled so much, their language is also spoken in:

• Taiwan
• Hong Kong
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Even far-off places like Mauritius, Suriname, and South Africa!

Hakka's Special Status

In some places, Hakka is officially recognized. For example, in Taiwan, it's a very important language.

• It's used for announcements on public transport.
• The government even has a special TV station just for Hakka speakers! This helps to keep the language alive and strong for future generations.

How is Hakka Written?

Like other Chinese languages, Hakka is usually written using Chinese characters. These are the ancient symbols that represent words or ideas. Sometimes, it can also be written using romanization, which means using the letters of the English alphabet to spell out the sounds.

Images for kids

• 

  𠊎講客。客語友善環境。 (Ngài gong Hak。Hak-ngî yû-san fàn-kín) (I speak Hakka. Hakka-language-friendly environment.)

• 

  Hakka Chinese Hanzi

• 

  Tsai Ing-wen, a Taiwanese Hakka descent, President of Republic of China (Taiwan), attended the "Lecturer Hakka Language Radio Broadcasting", to give a speech.

See also

In Spanish: Chino hakka para niños