text:
Mindo

Mindo is a small town in the Andean foothills of Ecuador. Set in beautiful cloud-forest, it attracts birdwatchers first and foremost, but also has attractions for other tourists.

Understand
Mindo is located to the north west of Quito. This town was founded in 1861 and the current population is around 3000 inhabitants. Mindo is surrounded by the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest; the forest is home to hundreds of species of birds many of them are in danger of extinction.

By bus
There are bus services from Santo Domingo and Quito. The bus is $3.10 each way from Quito and it is not possible to buy a roundtrip ticket in Quito, just a one-way.

Flor de Valle/Cayambe buses depart from Terminal Terrestre Norte, La Ofelia (look for the Terminal Microregional sign). It no longer departs from Mariscal. It is about a 30- to 40-minute taxi ride from Mariscal to the bus station which is in the north of Quito, or you can take the "Metrobus" bus rapid transit.

Flor de Valle (leaving from La Ofelia) bus timetable (March 2016) for buses from Quito to Mindo:
 * M-F: 08:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 16:00
 * Sa: 07:40, 08:20, 09:20, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 16:00
 * Su: 07:40, 08:20, 09:20, 14:00

You can purchase tickets from Quito to Mindo in advance through a local travel agency such as Andesconexion for a $10 fee and pay by credit card for about the cost of a $10 round-trip taxi ride from the Mariscal/new town in Quito to Ofelia. Seats on the right hand side of the bus to Mindo are more scenic. If you are going for a day trip, you should buy your return bus ticket immediately upon arrival in Mindo or you are at risk of not being able to return that day. If you are staying more than a day, buy your return trip at least one day in advance or first thing in the morning.

There are many more direct buses to and from Quito at weekends than during the week. As well as direct services, buses go fairly regularly from the Flor del Valle station to Los Bancos. Other bus lines are Kennedy, Aloag, and San Pedrito. These do not go into Mindo, but they pull over at the edge of the main road running along the top of the valley. From here it is usually easy to hop in a truck for $0.50-$3 depending on the number of passengers and go downhill into town. Similarly, you can return to Quito by getting a truck to take you up to the main road and catching a bus back. Just ask around in town.

If there are no seats left on the returning buses, it is possible to rent a car and a driver from the transportation company across the street and up the block for $40-50.

Another way for those travelers is to hire a private professional Tour Guide on a 4WD to and from Quito $100-120, 9 hours service. The tour has different stops on the way from Quito to Mindo: the first stop in Pululahua crater view, Pahuma orchid Reserve, hummingbirds balcony (chance for photos), butterfly farm in Mindo, tarabita (cable car) and optional zip line in Mindo, lunch and possible short stop at the Equator Line on the way back to Quito.

See
See the birds of Mindo. Mindo is home to over 450 species of birds, a great variety of butterflies, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, making Mindo a paradise for eco-tourism. There are ziplines to fly over the ravines, you can go tubing in the river, and hike in the rainforest with nature guides.

Do

 * El Escampadero Cultural space with restaurant based on vegetarian and local food. Don´t miss the local art, literature, handcrafts and music events.
 * Birdwatching Tours In Mindo, birding tours of the local surrounding and interior cloud forest are available.
 * Bird of Paradise Tours offers birding tours to see the Andean Cock of the Rock, the Long Wattle Umbrella Bird and others. You can also do the Lloa-Mindo trek, Rappelling, Canopy and more. tourmindo@gmail.com, +593 2 2 170 045
 * At Reserva Ecologica Pachijal, an Eco & Bird Lodge, they offer birding guided tours inside the reserve and excursions to Yanacocha Reserve, Tandayapa Pass & Bellavista Reserve, Birds Sanctuaries of Milpe and Rio Silanche.
 * Tours de Fotografia day and night photography tours for professionals or those who are interested in birds and nature.
 * Visit one of the orchid farms.
 * Visit the cascadas (waterfalls): it's a 7-km uphill walk to the entrance or a $1/person ride each way. You get in via a $5 aerial tram (terabita).  There are trails to several waterfalls, some closer and some farther, and it would take about 5 hours to see all of them. Be sure to take some drinking water with you, and check with a guide at the resort before using the water-slide or (for the adventurous, but only when the river is at the right height) going over the fall.
 * Try to entice tropical butterflies to eat banana from your hands at the Mindogarden butterfly farm. Don't try walking here from Mindo town as it is very far
 * Travel downriver in an inner tube. This is called a regata and can be arranged in almost any shop. You can do a short trip (20 min or so) down the river near Mindo or you can go to Rio Blanco, which is a much longer (2 hr) and altogether faster and more furious experience! Ask around for prices, you may be able to bargain as well.
 * Hire a local guide to take you birdwatching. On a budget? There are many roads leading out of town that offer splendid birding for free. Walk down the main road to the top of the hill as if to leave town. Follow the signs to Cunuco - you will have 5-6 km of surefire lifers before the roads ends at a hostel. You can also take the Rio Mindo (7 km) or San Lorenzo (2 km) roads - leading out towards the waterfalls.
 * Drink artisan beer made in Mindo. Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer for the first time in Mindo. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate made from the bean at El Quetzal.
 * Drink artisan beer made in Mindo. Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer for the first time in Mindo. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate made from the bean at El Quetzal.
 * Drink artisan beer made in Mindo. Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer for the first time in Mindo. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate made from the bean at El Quetzal.

Buy
freshly roasted coffee can also be purchased at the Quetzal restaurant, they feature coffee from the region. El Quetzal has their own collection of fine Ecuadorian crafts some made in Mindo. There is a T-shirt shop called Hyla which sells tourist t-shirts and postcards.

Street sellers sell some interesting jewelry most days, but more on weekends.

A Mindo chocolate bar.

Eat

 * El Chef is rather unusual in being essentially a steakhouse. Slightly expensive by local standards, but worth it.
 * Fuera de Babylonia is a secluded restaurant/bar/hostel near the center of town with excellent rustic atmosphere, reggae and other good tunes, healthy and delicious food, including a decent vegetarian selection. A bit pricey but worth the relaxing atmosphere. The locale was designed by the owner and his son and reportedly uses over 100 different types of wood from the surrounding area and Amazon region.
 * El Chef is rather unusual in being essentially a steakhouse. Slightly expensive by local standards, but worth it.
 * Fuera de Babylonia is a secluded restaurant/bar/hostel near the center of town with excellent rustic atmosphere, reggae and other good tunes, healthy and delicious food, including a decent vegetarian selection. A bit pricey but worth the relaxing atmosphere. The locale was designed by the owner and his son and reportedly uses over 100 different types of wood from the surrounding area and Amazon region.

Drink
There are a few nice bars in Mindo, but these only really get busy at the weekends.
 * Out of Babylon/Fuera de Babylonia is a nice place to have a pint or two. If you would like to sip cocktails and have a little dance.
 * Drink Artisan Beer made in Mindo. Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate at El Quetzal.

Sleep
There is a wide choice of accommodation in Mindo, in fact there are probably more hotel/hostel beds than actual residents in the town. Many of these are close to the main strip. There is a stadium in the village, and most locals don't mind if you plant your tent in there. Of course, you have to leave early in the morning to avoid disturbing their daily activities.

 * El Quetzal de Mindo, Mindo chocolate factory, is located just up the hill from El Parque Central de Mindo across from Amigos de La Naturaleza. Quiet, yet only 1 block from the center of town. Beautiful large rooms, comfortable king and queen size beds, each with its own private bath. Beautiful views overlooking Mindo. Each room has its own unlimited supply of filtered water (reverse osmosis) from the tap.This is one of the few hotels that you will find in Ecuador that uses a hot water heater with a large tank for an uninterrupted supply of luscious hot water. Restaurant on site with organic foods harvested and served daily. $22 per person per night and includes a delicious breakfast and chocolate tour. Chocolate making tour from bean to chocolate bar includes chocolate samples. Contact info@elquetzaldemindo.com, Telephone +593 862-63805
 * CasKaffeSu, at Sixto Bailen a/n and Av. Quito, a half block from the bus terminal, is the newest guesthouse and has a nice restaurant and can make arrangements for a birdwatching guide, hiking, rafting, etc.. info@casfaffesu, caskaffesu@yahoo.com, www.caskaffesu.com, +593 2 3900 400.
 * Mindo Biohostal , 200 m from the central park, has a restaurant, cafe, bar, and 10 spacious rooms. Each room has a private bathroom and comfortable beds. There are plenty of social areas (and enough space on the first floor to hold a conference), hammocks, a small area upstairs for reading and relaxing, a public computer with internet access, and free wireless internet. Bedrooms are well-lit, well decorated, spacious, and very clean, and have new furniture including beds, tables and a desk. It's off the main road, away from the traffic of the village, but just a couple minutes' walk from the bus station and town park. Right next to a butterfly farm and they can arrange trips or advise on birdwatching, hikes, waterfall visits, etc. Price (usually $15, can be more or less depending on season) includes excellent hearty breakfast plus free coffee, tea and bottled water all day. English, Spanish and German spoken. Parking available. Email biohostalmindo@hotmail.com or call +593 9 936 0801 or +593 2 223 2783. From the bus station, walk toward the park, turn right at the first street (with central park on the left) and walk about 200 m.
 * Cabañas Armonia Stay with the lovely Toapanta family in a beautiful orchid garden surrounded by hummingbirds and tranquility. +593 2 390043, cabanasarmonia@hotmail.com
 * Cabañas Armonia Stay with the lovely Toapanta family in a beautiful orchid garden surrounded by hummingbirds and tranquility. +593 2 390043, cabanasarmonia@hotmail.com

Go next
Flor de Valle's bus station is right on the main road. Bus times are displayed and tickets can be bought. It is also possible to get buses to Los Bancos and Santo Domingo from the main square. Flor de Valle bus timetable (March 2016) for buses from Mindo to Quito:
 * M-F: 06:30, 11:00, 13:45, 15:00, 17:00
 * Sa: 06:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00
 * Su: 06:30, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00

Mindo is one of the most frequently visited rainforest destinations in Ecuador. It's fantastic birdwatching and high biodiversity, coupled with its close location to Quito means that it's a very popular destination. Alternative rainforest destinations in Ecuador include the Amazon region, the Esmeraldas region and San Luis de Pambil

Hitchhiking to Quito is very easy from the main road, and may be quicker than taking the bus.

title: Mindo


text:
Fuzhou dialect phrasebook

Fuzhou (福州话 Hók-ciŭ-uâ; Fuzhou speech) is a dialect of Chinese native to the Fuzhou region and its surrounding areas, as well as on the Taiwan-controlled island of Matsu. It is part of the Mindong (闽东话 Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄; Eastern Min) branch of the Min family of Chinese languages, which are also spoken throughout the East Fujian region. It is one of the official languages of Taiwan. Mutual intelligibility between Mindong dialects varies: while someone from Fuzhou can understand the Fuqing dialect with some effort, they will not be able to understand the dialect spoken in Fu'an.

It is also spoken by some Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia; where in Indonesia it is known as Hokcia or Hokciu, meanwhile in Singapore and Malaysia it is known as either Fuchou or Foochow (sometimes also Hokchew). In Indonesia the speakers of Fuzhou can be found in Surabaya city and its adjecent regions, meanwhile in Malaysia it can be found in Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, Yong Peng and Sitiawan. In USA, Fuzhou also spoken by a significant minority of New York City's Chinese community.

There are also some speakers of Fuzhounese around the world. Fujian province has always been outward-looking, involved in trade and a source of emigrants.

The Fuzhou dialect is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese or any other Chinese dialects, not even other Min dialects like Minnan and Puxian and even certain dialects within Eastern Min branch.

Most Fuzhou dialect speakers in China and Taiwan are also able to speak Mandarin, so learning the language is not necessary to communicate, and foreigners living in the area usually opt to learn Mandarin instead which result in the language being in decline. That said, learning to speak Fuzhou dialect will almost certainly impress the locals.

All Chinese languages, in general, use the same set of characters in reading and writing in formal settings which is called Han Zi in Standard Mandarin, Hang Zi in Fuzhounese. This means that a Fuzhou dialect speaker and a Mandarin speaker cannot talk to each other, but either can generally read what the other writes. However, Fuzhou dialect written in a colloquial form has significant lexical differences from standard Mandarin, meaning that a Mandarin speaker will not be able to make everything out. Use the Chinese phrasebook for reading most writing in Fuzhou dialect-speaking areas.

Pronunciation guide
Like other varieties of Chinese, Fuzhou dialect is written using Chinese characters but employs its own unique pronunciation.

In this guide, we will be using the Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC, 平話字/平话字) Romanization system, which was developed by Christian missionaries in the 19th century. While useful for foreigners trying to learn the language, it is virtually never learnt by native speakers, so stick to Chinese characters for written communication.

Finals
Vowels in Fuzhou dialect usually have two pronunciations, classified as open (松) and closed (紧) rimes. Whether or not a vowel is pronounced with the open or closed rime depends on the tone of the syllable.

 * a: （open） （closed）
 * ia: （open） （closed）
 * ua: （open） （closed）
 * a̤: （open） （closed）
 * ie: （open） （closed）
 * o̤: （open） （closed）
 * io: （open） （closed）
 * uo: （open） （closed）
 * e̤、ae̤: （open） （closed）
 * au: （open） （closed）
 * eu、aiu: （open） （closed）
 * ieu: （open） （closed）
 * iu、eu: （open） （closed）
 * oi、o̤i: （open） （closed）
 * ai: （open） （closed）
 * uai: （open） （closed）
 * uoi: （open） （closed）
 * ui、oi/: （open） （closed）
 * i、e: （open） （closed）
 * u、o/: （open） （closed）
 * ṳ、e̤ṳ: （open） （closed）

 * ah: （open） （closed）
 * iah: （open） （closed）
 * uah: （open） （closed）
 * a̤h: （open） （closed）
 * ieh: （open） （closed）
 * o̤h: （open） （closed）
 * ioh: （open） （closed）
 * uoh: （open） （closed）
 * e̤h: （open） （closed）

 * ang: （open） （closed）
 * iang: （open） （closed）
 * uang: （open） （closed）
 * ieng: （open） （closed）
 * iong: （open） （closed）
 * uong: （open） （closed）
 * ing、eng: （open） （closed）
 * ung、ong: （open） （closed）
 * ṳng、e̤ṳng: （open） （closed）
 * eng、aing: （open） （closed）
 * ong、aung: （open） （closed）
 * e̤ng、ae̤ng: （open） （closed）

Tones
Mindong has seven different tones, as seen in the table below.

Tone sandhi
As with other Min languages, Mindong has a complex tone sandhi system, which makes it a little harder to learn than Mandarin. In general, tone sandhi applies to syllables other than the last syllable of a word, and depends on the tone of the next syllable.

The table shows Mindong's tone sandhi system (pink (rows)representing the preceding syllable, and light blue (columns) representing the following syllable：

In Mindong, tone sandhi also sometimes results in the pronunciation of the vowel changing between open and close rimes. For instance, in the place name 福州 (Hók-ciŭ), 福 on its own is pronounced, while 州 on its own is pronounced. However, due to tone sandhi, the tone of 福 changes from Ĭng-ĭk (陰入/阴入) to Ĭng-ké̤ṳ (陰去/阴去), and the pronunciation of the vowel also changes from the open rime of Ĭng-ĭk to the closed rime  of Ĭng-ké̤ṳ, so the resulting pronunciation of 福州 is.

Initials
Like Mandarin, Mindong distinguishes between aspirated and unaspirated consonants, not voiced and unvoiced as in English. Mindong also lacks the "tongue rolling" consosants (pinyin zh, ch, sh, r) that Mandarin has.

 * b:, like b in ball but not voiced; pinyin b
 * p:, like p in park; pinyin p
 * m:, like m in moon; pinyin m
 * d:, like d in dog but not voiced; pinyin d
 * t:, like t in tell; pinyin t
 * n:, like n in neat; pinyin n
 * l:, like l in leap; pinyin l
 * g:, like g in good but not voiced; pinyin g
 * k:, like k in kite; pinyin k
 * ng:, like ng in sing; pinyin ng
 * h:, like h in hat; pinyin h
 * c:, no equivalent in English, similar to zz in pizza; pinyin z
 * ch:, like ts in bits; pinyin c
 * s:, like s in sign; pinyin s

Initial assimilation
One unique feature of Mindong is that when preceded by another syllable in multi-syllable word, the pronunciation of the consonant often changes depending on the final consonant of the preceding syllable as seen in the table below.

Basics

 * Hello. : 汝好.  (Nṳ̄ hō̤)
 * How are you? : 食𡅏未？/食咯未？ (Siĕh lō̤ muôi?) lit. "Have you eaten?"
 * Fine, thank you. : 食𡅏了. /食咯了. (Siĕh lō̤ lāu) lit. "I've already eaten.
 * What is your name? : 汝號甚乇名字？ (Nṳ̄ hô̤ sié-nó̤h miàng-cê?) / 汝告甚乇名字？ (Nṳ̄ gó̤ sié-nó̤h miàng-cê?)
 * My name is ______ . :  我是______.  (Nguāi sê _____.) / 我其名字號𡅏______.  (Nguāi gì miàng-cê hô̤ lā̤ _____.)
 * Nice to meet you. : 野歡喜看見汝.  (Ia huang-hi kang-gieng nṳ.)
 * Please.
 * chian,ai

 * Thank you. : 謝定. (Siâ diâng.)
 * You're welcome. : 無客氣.  (Mò̤ káik-ké.) / 無細膩. (Mò̤ sa̤-na̤.)
 * Excuse me. (getting attention) : . ( )
 * Excuse me. (begging pardon) : . ( )
 * I'm sorry. : 對𣍐住.  (Dó̤i mâ̤ cê̤ṳ.) / 豈重.  (Kī-dâe̤ng.)
 * Goodbye : 再見 (Cái-giéng)
 * Goodbye (informal) : 先走噢了. (Sĕng giàng o̤ lāu.)
 * I can't speak Fuzhou dialect. : 我𣍐仈講福州话. (Nguāi mâ̤ báik gōng Hók-ciŭ-uâ)
 * Do you speak English? : ? ( ?)
 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : ? ( ?)
 * Help! : ! ( !)
 * Look out! : 注意！ (Cé̤ṳ-é!)
 * Good morning. : 早. (Cā.)
 * Good evening. : . ( )
 * Good night. : . ( )
 * Good night (to sleep) : . ( )
 * I don't understand. : 我𣍐會意. (Nguāi mâ̤ huôi-é.)
 * Where is the toilet? : 底呢有廁所？ (Diē-nè̤ ô cháik-sū?)

Problems

 * Leave me alone. : . ( .)
 * Don't touch me! : ! ( !)
 * I'll call the police. : 我卜報警噢了. (Nguāi buóh bó̤ gīng o̤ lāu.)
 * Police! : 警察！ (Gīng-chák!)
 * Stop! Thief! : ! ! ( ! !)
 * I need your help. : 我需要汝其幫忙. (Nguāi sṳ̆-iéu nṳ̄ gì bŏng-mòng.)
 * It's an emergency. : 嚽是緊急情況. (Cuòi sê gīng-gék cìng-huóng.)
 * I'm lost. : 我行拍逿墿噢. (Nguāi giàng páh-dâung-duô o̤.)
 * I lost my bag. : 我其包包拍無噢. (Nguāi gì bău-bău páh-mò̤ o̤.)
 * I lost my wallet. : 我其錢包拍逿噢. (Nguāi gì cièng-bău páh-dâung o̤.)
 * I'm sick. : . ( .)
 * I've been injured. : 我受傷噢. (Nguāi sêu-siŏng o̤.)
 * I need a doctor. : 我需要醫生. (Nguāi sṳ̆-iéu ĭ-sĕng.)
 * Can I use your phone? : 會使撮汝其電話拍蜀拍𣍐？ (Â̤ sāi chŏk nṳ̄ gì diêng-uâ páh siŏh páh mâ̤?)

Numbers

 * 0 : 零 (lìng) / 環 (kuàng)
 * 1 : 一 (ék) / 蜀 (siŏh) — Both can be used when counting, but only 蜀 is used with counter words
 * 2 : 二 (nê) / 兩（lâng）— Both can be used when counting, but only 兩 is used with counter words
 * 3 : 三 (săng)
 * 4 : 四 (sé)
 * 5 : 五 (ngô)
 * 6 : 六 (lĕ̤k)
 * 7 : 七 (chék)
 * 8 : 八 (báik)
 * 9 : 九 (gāu)
 * 10 : 十 (sék)
 * 11 : 十一 (sék-ék)
 * 12 : 十二 (sék-nê)
 * 13 : ( )
 * 14 : ( )
 * 15 : ( )
 * 16 : ( )
 * 17 : ( )
 * 18 : ( )
 * 19 : ( )
 * 20 : 二十 (nê-sék) / 廿 (niék) — 二十 is usually used when counting, but 廿 is used with counter words
 * 21 : 廿一 (niék-ék)
 * 22 : 廿二 (niék-nê)
 * 23 : ( )
 * 30 : ( )
 * 40 : ( )
 * 50 : ( )
 * 60 : ( )
 * 70 : ( )
 * 80 : ( )
 * 90 : ( )
 * 100 : 蜀百 (siŏh-báik)
 * 200 : 兩百 (lâng-báik)
 * 300 : ( )
 * 1,000 : 蜀千 (siŏh-chiĕng)
 * 2,000 : 兩千 (lâng-chiĕng)
 * 10,000 : 蜀萬 (siŏh-uâng)
 * 1,000,000 : ( )
 * 100,000,000 : 蜀億 (siŏh-é)
 * 1,000,000,000 : ( )
 * 1,000,000,000,000 : ( )
 * number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : ( )
 * half : 蜀半 (siŏh-buáng)
 * less : ( )
 * more : ( )

Time

 * now : ( )
 * later : ( )
 * before : ( )
 * morning : ( )
 * afternoon : ( )
 * evening : ( )
 * night : ( )

Clock time

 * one o'clock AM : ( )
 * two o'clock AM : ( )
 * noon : ( )
 * one o'clock PM : ( )
 * two o'clock PM : ( )
 * midnight : ( )

Duration

 * _____ minute(s) : ( )
 * _____ hour(s) : ( )
 * _____ day(s) : ( )
 * _____ week(s) : ( )
 * _____ month(s) : ( )
 * _____ year(s) : ( )

Days

 * today
 * 今旦 (gǐng-dáng)
 * yesterday
 * 昨暝 (sŏ̤h-màng)
 * tomorrow
 * 明旦 (mìng-dáng)
 * this week : ( )
 * last week : ( )
 * next week : ( )

 * Sunday : ( )
 * Monday : ( )
 * Tuesday : ( )
 * Wednesday : ( )
 * Thursday : ( )
 * Friday : ( )
 * Saturday : ( )

Months

 * January : ( )
 * February : ( )
 * March : ( )
 * April : ( )
 * May : ( )
 * June : ( )
 * July : ( )
 * August : ( )
 * September : ( )
 * October : ( )
 * November : ( )
 * December : ( )

Colors

 * black : ( )
 * white : ( )
 * gray : ( )
 * red : ( )
 * blue : ( )
 * yellow : ( )
 * green : ( )
 * orange : ( )
 * purple : ( )
 * brown : ( )

Bus and train

 * How much is a ticket to _____? : ( )
 * One ticket to _____, please. : ( )
 * Where does this train/bus go? : ( )
 * Where is the train/bus to _____? : ( )
 * Does this train/bus stop in _____? : ( )
 * When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : ( )
 * When will this train/bus arrive in _____? : ( )

Directions

 * How do I get to _____ ? : ( )
 * ...the train station? : ( )
 * ...the bus station? : ( )
 * ...the airport? : ( )
 * ...downtown? : ( )
 * ...the youth hostel? : ( )
 * ...the _____ hotel? : ( )
 * ...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? : ( )
 * Where are there a lot of... : ( )
 * ...hotels? : ( )
 * ...restaurants? : ( )
 * ...bars? : ( )
 * ...sites to see? : ( )
 * Can you show me on the map? : ( )
 * street : ( )
 * Turn left. : ( )
 * Turn right. : ( )
 * left : ( )
 * right : ( )
 * straight ahead : ( )
 * towards the _____ : ( )
 * past the _____ : ( )
 * before the _____ : ( )
 * Watch for the _____. : ( )
 * intersection : ( )
 * north : ( )
 * south : ( )
 * east : ( )
 * west : ( )
 * uphill : ( )
 * downhill : ( )

Taxi

 * Taxi! : ( )
 * Take me to _____, please. : ( )
 * How much does it cost to get to _____? : ( )
 * Take me there, please. : ( )

Lodging

 * Do you have any rooms available? : ( )
 * How much is a room for one person/two people? : ( )
 * Does the room come with... : ( )
 * ...bedsheets? : ( )
 * ...a bathroom? : ( )
 * ...a telephone? : ( )
 * ...a TV? : ( )
 * May I see the room first? : ( )
 * Do you have anything quieter? : ( )
 * ...bigger? : ( )
 * ...cleaner? : ( )
 * ...cheaper? : ( )
 * OK, I'll take it. : ( )
 * I will stay for _____ night(s). : ( )
 * Can you suggest another hotel? : ( )
 * Do you have a safe? : ( )
 * ...lockers? : ( )
 * Is breakfast/supper included? : ( )
 * What time is breakfast/supper? : ( )
 * Please clean my room. : ( )
 * Can you wake me at _____? : ( )
 * I want to check out. : ( )

Money

 * Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? : ( )
 * Do you accept British pounds? : ( )
 * Do you accept euros? : ( )
 * Do you accept credit cards? : ( )
 * Can you change money for me? : ( )
 * Where can I get money changed? : ( )
 * Can you change a traveler's check for me? : ( )
 * Where can I get a traveler's check changed? : ( )
 * What is the exchange rate? : ( )
 * Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? : ( )

Eating

 * A table for one person/two people, please. : ( )
 * Can I look at the menu, please? : ( )
 * Can I look in the kitchen? : ( )
 * Is there a house specialty? : ( )
 * Is there a local specialty? : ( )
 * I'm a vegetarian. : ( )
 * I don't eat pork. : ( )
 * I don't eat beef. : ( )
 * I only eat kosher food. : ( )
 * Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) : ( )
 * fixed-price meal : ( )
 * a la carte : ( )
 * breakfast : ( )
 * lunch : ( )
 * tea (meal) : ( )
 * supper : ( )
 * I want _____. : ( )
 * I want a dish containing _____. : ( )
 * chicken : ( )
 * beef : ( )
 * fish : ( )
 * ham : ( )
 * sausage : ( )
 * cheese : ( )
 * eggs : ( )
 * salad : ( )
 * (fresh) vegetables :  ( )
 * (fresh) fruit : ( )
 * bread : ( )
 * toast : ( )
 * noodles : ( )
 * rice : ( )
 * beans : ( )
 * May I have a glass of _____? : ( )
 * May I have a cup of _____? : ( )
 * May I have a bottle of _____? : ( )
 * coffee : ( )
 * tea (drink) : ( )
 * juice : ( )
 * (bubbly) water : ( )
 * (still) water : ( )
 * beer : ( )
 * red/white wine : ( )
 * May I have some _____? : ( )
 * salt : ( )
 * black pepper : ( )
 * butter : ( )
 * Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): ( )
 * I'm finished. : ( )
 * It was delicious. : ( )
 * Please clear the plates. : ( )
 * The check, please. : ( )

Bars

 * Do you serve alcohol? : ( )
 * Is there table service? : ( )
 * A beer/two beers, please. : ( )
 * A glass of red/white wine, please. : ( )
 * A pint, please. : ( )
 * A bottle, please. : ( )
 * _____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. : ( )
 * whiskey : ( )
 * vodka : ( )
 * rum : ( )
 * water : ( )
 * club soda : ( )
 * tonic water : ( )
 * orange juice : ( )
 * Coke (soda) : ( )
 * Do you have any bar snacks? : ( )
 * One more, please. : ( )
 * Another round, please. : ( )
 * When is closing time? : ( )
 * Cheers! : ( )

Shopping

 * Do you have this in my size? : ( )
 * How much is this? : ( )
 * That's too expensive. : ( )
 * Would you take _____? : ( )
 * expensive : ( )
 * cheap : ( )
 * I can't afford it. : ( )
 * I don't want it. : 我不要 (mori)
 * You're cheating me. : ( )
 * I'm not interested. : (..)
 * OK, I'll take it. : ( )
 * Can I have a bag? : ( )
 * Do you ship (overseas)? : ( )
 * I need... : ( )
 * ...toothpaste. : ( )
 * ...a toothbrush. : ( )
 * ...tampons. : . ( )
 * ...soap. : ( )
 * ...shampoo. : ( )
 * ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) : ( )
 * ...cold medicine. : ( )
 * ...stomach medicine. : ... ( )
 * ...a razor. : ( )
 * ...an umbrella. : ( )
 * ...sunblock lotion. : ( )
 * ...a postcard. : ( )
 * ...postage stamps. : ( )
 * ...batteries. : ( )
 * ...writing paper. : ( )
 * ...a pen. : ( )
 * ...English-language books. : ( )
 * ...English-language magazines. : ( )
 * ...an English-language newspaper. : ( )
 * ...an English-English dictionary. : ( )

Driving

 * I want to rent a car. : ( )
 * Can I get insurance? : ( )
 * stop (on a street sign) : ( )
 * one way : ( )
 * yield : ( )
 * no parking : ( )
 * speed limit : ( )
 * gas (petrol) station : ( )
 * petrol : ( )
 * diesel : ( )

Authority

 * I haven't done anything wrong. : ( )
 * It was a misunderstanding. : ( )
 * Where are you taking me? : ( )
 * Am I under arrest? : ( )
 * I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : ( )
 * I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. : ( )
 * I want to talk to a lawyer. : ( )
 * Can I just pay a fine now? : ( )

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Fuzhou dialect phrasebook


text:
Mindoro

Mindoro Island is an unspoiled island that's within easy reach from Manila. The town of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro province is a popular tourist destination with many beach and entertainment facilities.

Towns

 * - Wild west style backpacker destination famous mainly for two things — excellent diving and many girly bars — both of which are concentrated in Sabang. The city itself has some hotels, dive companies and other tourist facilities, but most visitors stay in one of two suburbs:
 * Sabang, lively but somewhat sleazy; it sometimes feels as if half of the population is working girls. Sabang is also the dive center of northern Mindoro.
 * White Beach, exactly what its name suggests, with excellent swimming, and somewhat less wild than Sabang.
 * There are ferries from Batangas City to Puerto Galera.

 * - Next to Baco, the other town along the (scenic) route from Calapan to Puerto Galera. San Teodoro is known for its waterfalls, but otherwise, there is nothing to do in this town either.
 * - This is one of the two towns along the road from Calapan (the administrative capital) to Puerto Galera. Baco proper houses about 500 people and a series of shops and schools. Despite what Google maps tells you, Baco is on the Western Nautical Highway and not at the beach. Baco is a nice and friendly town, and a good place to buy some groceries but it has nothing of interest to tourists.
 * - The capital with all disadvantages that come with that. The town has a cosy centre, but since nobody does anything about any form of pollution, the air smells always of exhaust fumes and the river and its banks are essentially of plastic bags. The center of town is formed by The City Plaza that holds a stage, a playing field, and the obligatory statue for Rizal, and the public market and city market just at the other side of the San Augustin Aguinaldo bridge. Most restaurants (albeit all of the Jollibee, Inasal, and Chow King style; nothing of western quality) are at the west side of the city market. Calapan has absolutely nothing that is of any interest for tourists. There are ferries from Batangas City to Calapan.
 * - San Jose is an economic hub of Mindoro's western half despite not being the provincial capital, a distinction of the town of Mamburao. San Jose is a hub town; its airport is served by Cebu Pacific five times weekly.
 * a stopover town on your way to San Jose town, it has ferries to Romblon and to Caticlan on Panay Island.

Other destinations

 * group of islands - Off to the northwest of Mindoro, and included in Mindoro Occidental province. These are relatively isolated — one Japanese soldier held out in the jungle of Lubang from the end of the Pacific War in 1945 until 1974 — but have some fine beaches and dive sites and are now seeing some tourism and development.

Understand
Mindoro has two administrative halves. The north-east part is called Oriental Mindoro; the south-west part is called Occidental Mindoro. The boundary of the two provinces roughly follows the mountain range that bisects the island from southeast to northwest.

All towns of any significance are at or near the coast. On Oriental Mindoro you find, driving from the far north-west to the deep south-east, the following towns: Puerto Galera; San Teodoro; Baco; Calapan; Naujan; Victoria; Socorro (of the road: Pola); Pinamalayan; Roxas; Mansalay; Bulalacao. After Bulalacao the road continues to Occidental Mindoro where San Jose is the main town.

The original inhabitants of Mindoro were the people now known as Mangyan. They once held the whole island and were quite populous and prosperous, but today there are only a few hundred thousand left, mostly as isolated highland tribes. Locals are called Mindoreños (or Mindoreñas), and are mostly of Batangas heritage.

Talk
Mindoro is a Tagalog-speaking area, with the varieties spoken here generally the same as in the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, and Marinduque, but the most commonly encountered variety spoken throughout the island is the Batangas dialect.

There are also indigenous languages spoken in the island, many endangered to near extinct; some of those are Hanuno'o, with 14,000 native speakers, and Iraya (not to be confused with the Visayan language Karay-a), with 10,000.

Get in
To go to Puerto Galera, you will need to receive a digital travel permit before taking the ferry or water taxi. This can be done by first reserving a hotel or accommodation. Then download Puerto Galera Tourist Registration App to generate the one-time tourist QR code. Often, you will need to show this QR code to purchase ferry tickets. Then you need to download and register on the StaySafePH App, which is a COVID-19 tracing app mandated by the government.

The island of Mindoro is accessed by ship from Batangas City to Calapan and Puerto Galera or from Caticlan (Aklan) to Roxas (Oriental Mindoro). Fares in 2016 range from about. The shipping service from Batangas is Ro-Ro (about 3 hours) or fast ferry (about 1.5 hours) with at least one service departing hourly, all day. From Caticlan, there is only a Ro-Ro service to Roxas. The bus from Manila to Batangas takes about 2 hours with a fare in 2016 being about.

There is also an irregular shipping service between San Jose (Occidental Mindoro) and the northern islands of Palawan.

There are also regular flights from Manila to San Jose (Occidental Mindoro) with Cebu Pacific.

Get around
There is a coastal highway that rings the island and connects all the main towns. Most of it is a good road by the standards of provincial areas of the Philippines, well-paved and with good signs for both routes and hazards. By the standards of more developed places it is not great, narrow and often quite hilly and winding. Passing is quite dangerous on much of it and there are quite a few slow vehicles.

There are jeepney and bus services between most of the main towns; the jeepneys are usually cheaper and the buses more comfortable.

Go next
The easiest place to reach is Batangas City, accessible by ferry from either Puerto Galera or Calapan. From there, anywhere on Luzon can be reached by road. Both Batangas and Calapan also have ferries to other places; see the city articles for details.

title: Mindoro


text:
Mine

 * See also Mining tourism.

Mine (美祢市 Mine-shi, pron. mee-neh not like English "mine") is a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It has about 26,000 residents (as of 2016).

Understand
The name literally means "beautiful ancestral shrine", although the name may also have come from the city being surrounded by mountain peaks, or mine (峰) in Japanese. It's probably a coincidence that there was mining at the nearby Yamato Mine (previously called Ofuku Mine) during the 20th century.

Akiyoshi is made of limestone, which is believed to have developed from coral reefs back in the Paleozoic era. Trees said to have appeared in the area for the first time 500,000 years ago. Many fossils from ancient Japanese rhinoceroses, tigers, and elephants have been excavated from the plateau, giving scientists some idea of what sorts of creatures first inhabited the region. Because the area is made of limestone, Akiyoshi Cave, the largest cave in Japan, formed over a span of 300,000 years. Today the cave is estimated to be 420,000 m³.

Akiyoshidai is largely covered with grass. Its grassland is the second largest in Japan and is kept by burning off dead grass in February. You can see thousands of limestone rocks all around Akiyoshidai, as is characteristic of karst.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

Go next

 * Hagi
 * Yamaguchi
 * Nagato
 * Ube
 * Sanyoonoda
 * Shimonoseki
 * Hofu
 * Shunan

title: Mine


text:
Mineral Bluff

Mineral Bluff is a city in Georgia's Northeast High Country.

Get around
From the intersection of Highway 515 and Highway 60 in Fannin County, Georgia, go north to the town of Mineral Bluff.

Do
Horseback riding in Mineral Bluff is a popular attraction. Call 706-632-4448 ext. 1 for reservations.

title: Mineral Bluff


text:
Mineralnye Vody

Mineralnye Vody (Russian Cyrillic: Минеральные Воды) is a town in Stavropol Krai famous for its literary history and its health spas/sanatoria. Indeed, the town's name means Mineral Waters.

By plane
It is easy to get to Mineralnye Vody by flying directly from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or certain other large Russian airports.

By bus: shuttle bus #10, 11 goes to the Mineralnye Vody railway station (travel time 20-25 min). Shuttle bus #11 goes to the central bus station (every 30-40 min, 06:00 - 19:30, travel time 10 min, "Ruslan Market" bus stop). Taxi:
 * Getting there:
 * Getting there:

Get around
There are lots of buses and taxis in Mineralnye Vody.

Stay safe
If you break the law the police may seek bribes, otherwise they should give no difficulties.

Go next
MinVody is a primary gateway to the Russian Caucasus, especially for mountaineers headed towards Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria.

title: Mineralnye Vody


text:
Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells is a city in the Cross Timbers region of Texas.

title: Mineral Wells


text:
Minerva

Minerva is a village in Stark County, Carroll County, and Columbiana County, Ohio.

By Car

 * U.S. Route 30. Route 30 also runs through Minerva.  It heads to Canton in the west and Pittsburgh in the east.
 * State Route 183 begins in East Sparta and ends near Edinburg. SR 183 runs North and South through Minerva.

title: Minerva


text:
Minervino Murge

Minervino Murge is a town of 8,400 people (2021) in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani (BA) in the Italian region of Apulia (Puglia), on the western flank of the Murgia Barese mountain chain. It lies largely within the borders of the Alta Murgia National Park.

Understand
The town's economy is based mainly on agriculture and herding. The karstic geology of the area has conditioned its main crops: grapes, olives, wheat, and almonds.

Get in

 * Provincial road 3 Minervino-Spinazzola (SP 3) is a two-lane artery in each direction.

See

 * Borgo Antico "Scesciola" — the old town. The word "Scesciola" comes from ancient Arabic and means "labyrinth". It is so named for the intersection of narrow streets and flights of stairs that give it the characteristics of the labyrinth.
 * Baroque church of the Immacolata Concezione
 * 15th century tower
 * Votive lighthouse of the municipal villa. Built in the Fascist era and inaugurated in 1932, it was designed to commemorate the fallen Fascists. After the Second World War and the capitulation of the fascist regime, many opponents of the regime wanted to tear it down, but then they opted for another solution, the elimination and abrasion of fascist writings and symbols, thus becoming the no longer commemorative monumen. of the "Fascist martyrs of Puglia", but of the "martyrs of Puglia" (as can be seen in the inscription on the pediment). The structure is 32 m high, measures 14 m at the base.
 * 15th century tower
 * Votive lighthouse of the municipal villa. Built in the Fascist era and inaugurated in 1932, it was designed to commemorate the fallen Fascists. After the Second World War and the capitulation of the fascist regime, many opponents of the regime wanted to tear it down, but then they opted for another solution, the elimination and abrasion of fascist writings and symbols, thus becoming the no longer commemorative monumen. of the "Fascist martyrs of Puglia", but of the "martyrs of Puglia" (as can be seen in the inscription on the pediment). The structure is 32 m high, measures 14 m at the base.

title: Minervino Murge


text:
Minho

Minho is a province of Northern Portugal. On the northernmost Atlantic tip of the country, Minho borders the Spanish region of Galicia, sharing with it many affinities in geography, tradition, people and language. There are however two Minhos, the Alto Minho and the Baixo Minho, being the first one characterised by the folk dance and vivid green.

Cities

 * — the main city and the country's religious capital city, one of the most important cities in Portugal, sprawling along the Cávado valley, with a
 * — historically important town whose motto is "where Portugal was made"
 * — medieval city whose rooster figurines have become a symbol for the whole country
 * — a town on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago that is a popular summer resort
 * — the founding place of the nation, an historic city, a
 * — the oldest village in Portugal, in the heart of the Vinho Verde region
 * — riverside border city with Roman and medieval sights
 * — it draws visitors for the Pilgrimage of Nossa Senhora da Agonia and the amazing views of the Lima River
 * — the south entrance of the Minho province, and one of the main cultural, commercial and industrial centres of the country

Other destinations

 * — Portugal's only national park, set in the mountains of Peneda, Larouco, and Geres

Understand

Although 20% of the Portuguese territory is under some type of ecological protection reserve, the Minho (MEE-nyoo, /ˈmi.ɲu/) features the country's only national park, Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, covering some.

Get in
The major cities are reachable by train or bus and also served by modern highways. From there it is possible to explore the smaller towns using the local transportation system (bus) or by renting a car.

Get around
Train (linha do Minho: Porto-Valença); Ramal de Braga.

See
The annual fair at Viana do Castelo, in the third week of August — Nossa Senhora da Agonia — renowned for the impressive display of folk art and traditional clothes.

Itineraries
Braga/Guimaraes Braga/Barcelos/Esposende/Viana do Castelo/Caminha Braga/Terras de Bouro/Parque nacional da Peneda-Gerez.

Do

 * Braga: cathedral, sanctuaries of Bom Jesus and Sameiro.

Eat
The region's gastronomical treasures are some of the most representative of the country.

Drink

 * Vinho verde — Renowned for its uniqueness, "green wine" is only produced in the Minho region.

Stay safe
Because Minho is not a destination for mass tourism, the chances of you being robbed are low. But of course, one should always pay attention.

Go next

 * Amarante —
 * Chaves —
 * Douro Litoral —
 * Lamego —
 * Porto —
 * Vila Real —

title: Minho


text:
Minlaton

Minlaton is a town in the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia with a population of 800 in 2016.

Understand
Minlaton is a beautiful town with wide main street featuring grass and tree studded median strip. The town is perfect for a casual stroll to peruse the many and varied shops. Visit Minlaton on your way to and from "the bottom end" of the Yorke Penisnsula.

Minlaton was the hometown of Harry Butler, a World War I flying ace. His Bristol M1C monoplane has been restored and is preserved in pride of place in a building the centre of the town. When he flew an air mail run from Adelaide across Gulf St Vincent to Minlaton in 1919, it was the first over-water flight in the Southern Hemisphere.

Climate
Minlaton, like most of the Yorke Peninsula, has a dry Mediterranean Climate bordering on Semi-Arid. Annual rainfall is around 360mm, most of which falls in the winter months.

Get in
By far, as of 2021, the only way to get to is via car. From the state's capital of Radelaide, it's 202km. The first part of the drive which include North South Motorway, and  Port Wakefield Highway are mostly a divided dual carriageway. Once you've passed Port Wakefield, you've another one hour to go, and use the, but then turn onto the Yorke Highway and go on for about 100km until.

title: Minlaton


text:
Minnan phrasebook

Minnan (閩南話/闽南话 Bân-lâm-ōe) is the main language of Southern Fujian and has spread from there to other areas. It is known by several different names: in mainland China, it is Minnan hua (South Fujian speech), in Taiwan, Taiwanese (臺語 or 台語 Tâi-gí), in most of Southeast Asia, Hokkien or Hokkian (福建話 or 福建话 Hok-kiàn-ōe, used widely in Indonesia) from the Minnan word for Fuijan, and in the Philippines, the overseas Chinese call it "Our People's Language" (咱儂話/咱侬话 Lán-lâng-ōe). Manila, Medan and Penang are examples of Southeast Asian cities with large and influential Hokkien-speaking communities, such that most ethnic Chinese (and a good number of non-Chinese) can converse in Hokkien regardless of their native language/dialect. It is one of the official languages of Taiwan.

Each of the major cities of Fujian's Minnan-speaking areas — Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou — as well as each part of Taiwan and each overseas region where the language is spoken has its own slightly different variant. The overseas variants are influenced by other local languages; Taiwanese has some Japanese loanwords, Hokkien has some from Indonesian and Javanese, Teochew and Cantonese, and so on. All these variants, however, are mutually intelligible to a great extent. The prestige dialect of Minnan is the Xiamen dialect in mainland China, and the Tainan dialect in Taiwan.

Minnan is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese or other Chinese "dialects", not even with the other Min (Fujian) languages such as Mindong (Fuzhou Hua), Minbei and Puxian. Languages classified as closely related to Minnan are Teochew, which has only partial mutual intelligibility with Minnan, and Hainanese which has almost none.

All Chinese languages, in general, use the same set of characters in reading and writing in formal settings, based on standard Mandarin. This means that a Minnan speaker and a Mandarin speaker cannot talk to each other, but either can generally read what the other writes. However, when writing Minnan in a more colloquial form, there are significant lexical differences from standard Mandarin, sometimes necessitating the use to extra non-standard characters, meaning that a Mandarin speaker will not be able to make everything out. Use the Chinese phrasebook for reading most writing in Minnan-speaking areas.

Mandarin is an official language in China, Taiwan and Singapore, and widely used in education and media. Today, most Minnan speakers in mainland China and Taiwan also speak Mandarin, and most foreign residents of those areas choose to learn Mandarin rather than Minnan.

Minnan is written with simplified Chinese characters in mainland China, and with traditional Chinese characters in Taiwan. In this phrasebook, where differences exist, traditional characters are written before the slash (/), and simplified characters after the slash.

Pronunciation
Like all other Chinese languages and their dialects, Minnan uses Chinese characters but employs its own 'unique' pronunciation. However, similar to Japanese kanji, most characters have two or more pronunciations in Minnan, which means that many characters would be pronounced differently depending on context, even if their Mandarin pronunciation remains the same in both instances. The two different pronunciations of characters are often called the literary reading (文讀/文读 bûn tha̍k), which is based on the pronunciation of Tang Dynasty Chinese, and the colloquial reading (白讀/白读 pe̍h tha̍k), which is based on the pronunciation of Han Dynasty Chinese.

But while different pronunciations for characters are a minor phenomenon in Mandarin or Cantonese, colloquial and literary pronunciations are a prevalent feature of Minnan. Most characters have at least two pronunciations, and some have more:

“一”： 白 [chi̍t] vs. 文 [it]

“大”： 白 [tōa] vs. 文 [tāi]

“學/学”： 白 [o̍h] vs. 文 [ha̍k]

An example with 3 readings : “石頭/石头” [chio̍h thâu]，“石榴” [sia̍h liû]，“藥石/药石” [io̍k se̍k]. That is, “石” can be read “chio̍h”, “sia̍h” or “se̍k”.

For example, the words ài and beh both roughly mean 'want', so they are usually written with the character 要 (although they are also written with 愛 and 欲 respectively). Consequently, the pronunciation of the character 要 can change between ài, beh and iàu depending on context.

The ordinary word for person, lâng, is usually written with the character 人, which also has the reading jı̂n or lîn. The character 生 is pronounced seⁿ or siⁿ as a verb used alone, but the word 人生 is pronounced lı̂n-seng.

Words written with the same Chinese characters often employ different pronunciations to convey different meanings; for instance, in Xiamen (but not in Taiwan, which only uses the latter reading), 大學/大学 is pronounced tōa-o̍h to mean "university", but pronounced tāi-ha̍k to refer to one of the Four Books of Confucianism.

Also, note how the words m̄ (is not, does not) and bē/bōe (cannot) are all often written with 不, so while 不要 might be read as m̄-ài or m̄-beh, 不能 or 不可 can be read as bē-sái or bōe-sái.

For referring to oneself, 我 góa is used in more informal contexts while 阮 gún is more formal and 恁爸 lı́n-pē (male) / 恁母 lı́n-bú (female) is very derogatory but used very commonly. (No cognates exist in Mandarin or Cantonese although phrases with the same meaning do.) Unlike in Mandarin, there are two equivalents of the English word "we", with 咱 lán used when the subject includes the listener(s), and 阮 goán used when the subject excludes the listener(s).

Pronunciation varies from region to region (e.g. 你 (you) can be either lı́, lú or lír). This can make comprehension slightly difficult sometimes even between 'native' speakers from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. It should also be kept in mind that most speakers of the dialect often mix Mandarin phrases into their speech due to the influence of Standard Mandarin.

Pronunciations in this guide will make use of the Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ) Romanization system, which was developed by Christian missionaries working in Xiamen, Tainan and overseas Chinese communities in the 19th century. While learning POJ is useful for foreigners trying to learn Minnan, it is virtually never learned by native speakers, so stick to Chinese characters for written communication.

Tones
Like other varieties of Chinese, Minnan is tonal; tones must be correct in order to convey the correct meaning. Like other Min dialects, Minnan has a complex tone sandhi system, which makes it harder to learn than Mandarin. In general, all syllables other than the final syllable of a word undergo tone sandhi in Minnan.

The following table shows the values of the different tones in some places, and does not show the pronunciation of the tones or tone sandhi of many areas, but may give an idea of the approximate values.

Consonants
While Mandarin only distinguishes between aspirated and unaspirated (unvoiced) consonants, and English only distinguishes between voiced and unvoiced consonants meaning-wise, Minnan makes a distinction in both cases. This means that aspirated unvoiced (pʰ, tʰ, kʰ, tsʰ), unaspirated unvoiced (p, t, k, ts), and unaspirated voiced (b, g, dz) are all separate phonemic consonants in Minnan. This means that pronouncing everything correctly is going to be a challenge for native English or Mandarin speakers. However, unlike in Mandarin, there is no "tongue rolling" (pinyin zh, ch, sh, r) initial consonant.

To highlight the distinction, the words for "open" (開/开) and "close" (關/关), in some pronunciations (khui and kuiⁿ respectively) sound almost identical to a native English speaker, the difference being that "open" uses an aspirated initial consonant, and "close" uses an unaspirated initial consonant with a nasalised vowel.

Like Cantonese but unlike Mandarin, Minnan retains all the final consonants (m, n, ŋ, p, t, and k) of Middle Chinese. In POJ, the nasal consonants m, n and ng are pronounced the same as English, but the others are different.

The stop consonants p, t and k are unreleased. This means that the mouth moves into the position of making the consonant, but no burst of air is released.

Furthermore, an h at the end of a syllable in POJ represents a glottal stop (ʔ); this is the sound in the middle of the English word 'uh-oh'.

Vowels
The vowels a, e, i, o, u are pronounced as they are in many languages, such as Spanish and Italian. Minnan also has the vowel [ɔ] written as o͘ (with a dot) or oo.

Vowels in Minnan can be nasalized, and in POJ this is indicated with a superscript n 'ⁿ' after the vowel. It can also be indicated with a capital n (N) or a double n (nn). IPA notes this with a tilde (~) above the last vowel.

Common diphthongs
There are many diphthongs in Minnan, and their pronunciations from the POJ spellings are generally fairly obvious. However, note that oe is "ui/uei" and oai is "uai".

Phrase list
Basics

 * Hello. : 汝好. lı́ hó (General Taiwanese and Xiamen)/ lú hó(Zhangzhou and Penang)?(Li huh, loo ho)
 * How are you? : 汝好無？/汝好无？ lı́ hó bô? Lú hó bô?
 * How are you? : 食飽未？/食饱未？ chia̍h-pá-bē / chia̍h-pá-bōe / chia̍k-pá-bōe ("have you eaten?")
 * Not bad : 袂歹 bōe-phái/bē-phái (buay pai)
 * Fine, thank you. : 好，多謝. /好，多谢. hó，to͘-siā (Taiwan) / 好，感謝. /好，感谢.  hó，kám-siā. (Xiamen, Indonesia, and Singapore)
 * Thank you: 感谢/感謝 kám-siā (Xiamen, Indonesia, and Singapore) / 多谢/多謝 to͘-siā (Taiwan)
 * What is your name? : 汝叫什物名？ lı́ kiò sím-mi̍h miâ? (Xiamen, Singapore) / 汝叫啥物名？ lı́ kiò siáⁿ-mı̍h miâ? （Taiwan) /lír kiò sím-mi̍h miâ? (Klang, Singapore) Lú kiò hà-mi̍h miâ? (Northern Malaysia or northern Sumatra, Indonesia)
 * My name is ... . : 我的名是... góa ê miâ sı̄... Óa ê miâ sī...: 我叫. . . Góa kiò... óa kiò...
 * Nice to meet you. :
 * Please... (before a request): 請.../请... chhiáⁿ...
 * Please. : 拜託/拜托 Pài-thok (Bai-toh) or 好心ㄟ(hó-sim ē) Or 多嚨 （to-lông）in northern Malaysia.
 * You're welcome : 免客氣/免客气 bián kheh-khı̀ ("don't be polite")
 * Excuse me. (getting attention) : 勞駕/劳驾 lô-kà
 * Excuse me. (begging pardon) : 歹勢/歹势 phái-sè (pai say)
 * I'm sorry. (informal) : 歹勢/歹势 phái-sè (pai-say)
 * I'm sorry. (formal): 失禮. /失礼. sit lé. (shit-leh)
 * Goodbye : 再見/再见 chài-kiàn (tsai gian).
 * I can't speak Minnan. : 我袂曉講閩南話. /我袂晓讲闽南话. góa bōe-hiáu kóng Bân-lâm-ōe. Óa bē-hiáu kóng Hok-kiàn-ōa.
 * I don't know how to speak English : 我袂曉講英語. /我袂晓讲英语. góa bōe-hiáu kóng Eng-gú (Wah mbay hyow gong eng-gu) 我袂曉講紅毛 Óa bē-hiáu kóng âng-mô͘
 * Do you speak English? : 請問汝會曉講英語袂？/请问汝会晓讲英语袂？ chhiáⁿ-mn̄g lı́ ē-hiáu kóng Eng-gú bōe? (Li gah-ay-hyow gong eng-yee). Lú 會曉講紅毛無？
 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : 請問有人會曉講英語無？/请问有人会晓讲英語无？ chhiáⁿ-mn̄g ū lâng ē hiáu kóng Eng-gú bô? (Jiah gam ou lung eh hiao gong eng gyi?) 這pêng有hà-mi̍h-lâng／hà-mang 會曉講紅毛？
 * Help! : 救命！ kiù-miā!
 * Look out! : 小心！ sió sim!
 * Good morning. : 賢早. gâu-chá.
 * Good evening. : 好暗暝.  hó-àm-mî (Amoy Hokkien)
 * Good night. :
 * Good night (to sleep) : 好睏. hó khùn (sleep well)
 * I don't understand. : 我聽無. /我听无. góa thiaⁿ bô. (when listening); 我看無. /我看无. góa khòaⁿ bô. (when reading)
 * Where's the bathroom? : 廁所佇佗落？/厕所佇佗落？ chheh-só͘ tī tó-lo̍h? (in Xiamen)/ 便所佇佗位 piān-só͘ tī tó-ūi? (in Taiwan)／染蠻蹛佗落？Jiám-bân tòa tá-lo̍k?
 * You are beautiful : 汝真媠 lı́ chin suí／lú chin suí

Problems

 * Go away : 走 cháu/chó͘ (tzow/zao) 閃 siám
 * Don't touch me! : 莫摸我 mài mo góa (mai mo1 wa) / (Mai gah-wah mbong)
 * I'll call the police. (Informal): 我叫警察 (Wah kah gien tsah.) 我叫mà-tá （óa kiò mà-tá）
 * I'll call the police (Formal): (Wah ay kah hoh gien tsah.)
 * Police! : 警察 kéng-chhat (gien tsah) / mà-tá (from Malay)
 * Stop! : 擋 tòng (dohng) / 停 thêng (tng2)
 * I need your help. : 我需要你的幫忙 góa su-iàu lı́-ê pang-bâng (Wah soo-yow *dee-ay bahm-mahng) or 我需要你替我斗相共 óa su-iàu lı́ tek góa tau saⁿ kang
 * I'm lost. : (Wah mbo-key)
 * I lost my purse/wallet. : 我不見[?]我的皮包 Wah pahng-key wah-ay pay-bow
 * I'm sick. : 我破病了 góa phòa-pīⁿ liáu (Wah pwah pee liao) or Wah gahng koh
 * I've been injured. : 我著傷 (Wah dyuh shohng)
 * I need a doctor. : 我[?]醫生 (Wah dah-ai ee-sheng)/我愛看盧君（wah ai kuã loh-coon)
 * Can I use your phone? : 我甘可用你的電話[?] (Wah gah-ay sai yen * li-ay dyeng-way) 我會用汝的電話無？(wah A éng loo A dee-an wah bo)
 * Don't lie to me! : 勿假！ mài ké!

Numbers
Note: "it" is used in the ones and tens place (except the number 1 itself) and for ordinal numbers, whereas "chi̍t" is used for multiples of numbers 100 and greater, as well as before counter words. Note: 二 jī is used in the ones and tens place (except the number 2 itself) and for ordinal numbers, whereas 兩/两 nn̄g is used for multiples of numbers 100 and greater, as well as before counter words. Like Mandarin, Minnan groups numbers starting from 10,000 into units of four digits starting with 萬/万 bān. "One million" would therefore be "one hundred ten-thousands" (一百萬/一百万) and "one billion" would be "ten hundred-millions" (十億/十亿).
 * 0: 空 khòng (kong)
 * 1 : 一 chi̍t (chjit) / it (it)
 * 2 : 兩/两 nn̄g (nng) nō͘ / 二 jī (jee)
 * 3 : 三 saⁿ (sa)
 * 4 : 四 sì (si)
 * 5 : 五 gō͘ (gaw)
 * 6 : 六 la̍k (lak)
 * 7 : 七 chhit (chit)
 * 8 : 八 poeh / peh (bpui)
 * 9 : 九 káu (kau)
 * 10 : 十 cha̍p (tzhap)
 * 11 : 十一 cha̍p-it (tzhap-it)
 * 12 : 十二 cha̍p-jī (tzhap-li)
 * 13 : 十三 cha̍p-saⁿ (tzhap-sa)
 * 14 : 十四 cha̍p-sì (tzhap-si)
 * 15 : 十五 cha̍p-gō͘ (tzhap-gaw)
 * 16 : 十六 cha̍p-la̍k (tzhap-lak)
 * 17 : 十七 cha̍p-chhit (tzhap-chit)
 * 18 : 十八 cha̍p-poeh (tzhap-bpui)
 * 19 : 十九 cha̍p-káu (tzhap-kau)
 * 20 : 二十 jī-cha̍p (li-tzhap)
 * 21 : 二十一 jī-cha̍p-it (li-tzhap-it)
 * 22 : 二十二 jī-cha̍p-jī (li-tzhap-li)
 * 100 : 一百 chi̍t-pah (chit-pah)
 * 200 : 兩百/两百 nn̄g-pah (nng-pah)
 * 222: 兩百二十二/两百二十二 nn̄g-pah-jī-cha̍p-jī (nng-pah-li-chap-li)
 * 1000 : 一千 chi̍t-chheng (chit-cheng)
 * 2000 : 兩千/两千 nn̄g-chheng
 * 10,000 : 一萬/一万 chi̍t-bān
 * 20,000 : 兩萬/两万 nn̄g-bān
 * 100,000 : 十萬/十万 cha̍p-bān
 * 1,000,000 : 一百萬/一百万 chi̍t-pah bān
 * 10,000,000 : 一千萬/一千万 chi̍t-chheng bān
 * 100,000,000 : 一億/一亿 chi̍t-ik
 * 1,000,000,000 : 十億/十亿 cha̍p-ik
 * 10,000,000,000 : 一百億/一百亿 chi̍t-pah ik
 * 100,000,000,000 : 一千億/一千亿 chi̍t-chheng ik
 * 1,000,000,000,000 : 一兆 chi̍t-tiāu

 * number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : _____號 hō
 * half : 半 pòaⁿ
 * less : 少 chió
 * more : 濟 chōe chē

Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers in Chinese are expressed by prepending the number with '第', pronounced tē in Minnan. Note that there is also an alternative form for "first".

 * First : 第一 tē-it (day-it) / 頭一/头一 thâu-chi̍t
 * Second : 第二 tē-jı̄ (day-ji)
 * Third : 第三 tē-saⁿ (day-sa)
 * Fourth : 第四 tē-sı̀ (day-si)
 * Fifth : 第五 tē-gō͘ (day-go)

And so on, for any number:

 * Twentieth : 第二十 tē-jı̄-cha̍p (day ji-tzap)
 * Hundredth : 第一百 tē-chı̍t-pah (day chit-pah)
 * Thousandth : 第一千 tē-chı̍t-chheng (day chit-cheng)

Time

 * what time is it? : 幾點 kúi tiám (kwee tiam)?
 * now : 這馬 chit-má (jeemah) / 這陣 chit-tsūn (jeetzoon)／峇lú bālú
 * later : kah dahng-ay or shuh dahng
 * before : ee jun
 * early : 早 chá (dtsah)
 * earlier : 較早 kah chá (kah dtsah)
 * morning : 早起 chá-khí
 * afternoon : 下晡 ē-po͘
 * evening : 暗晡 àm-po͘ (around 5-6 pm) / 暗頭仔 àm-thâu-á （around 6-7 pm)
 * night : 暗暝 àm-mı̂ / 暗時仔/暗时仔 àm-sî-á
 * tonight : 今暝 kim-mı̂
 * noon : 中晝 tiong-tàu (dyong dow)
 * midnight : 半暝 puàⁿ-mî (bpua mi)

Clock time

 * 1:00 : 一点/一點 i̍t-tiám
 * 2:00 : 二点/二點 jī-tiám
 * 2:30 : 二点半/二點半 jī-tiám-pòaⁿ / 二点三十分/二點三十分 jī-tiám saⁿ-cha̍p-hun
 * 3:00 : 三点/三點 saⁿ-tiám

Duration

 * _____ minute(s) : _____ 分鐘/_____ 分钟 hun-cheng
 * _____ hour(s) : _____ 點鐘/_____ 点钟 tiám-cheng
 * _____ day(s) : _____ 日 ji̍t / _____ 工 kang
 * _____ week(s) : _____ 禮拜/_____ 礼拜 lé-pài
 * _____ month(s) : _____ 月 goe̍h
 * _____ year(s) : _____ 年 nî

Days

 * today : 今仔日 kin-á-jit/kin-á-lit
 * yesterday : 昨日 chah-jit/chah-lit 昨昏 cha̍h-hūiⁿ
 * tomorrow : 明仔載/明仔载 miâ-á-chài / 明仔日 miâ-á-ji̍t/miâ-á-li̍t
 * the day after tomorrow : 後日/后日 āu-ji̍t/āu-li̍t
 * this week : 這禮拜/这礼拜 chit lé-pài
 * last week : 頂禮拜/顶礼拜 téng-lé-pài
 * next week : 下禮拜/下礼拜 ē-lé-pài
 * Sunday : 禮拜日 lé-pài-jı̍t / 禮拜 lé-pài
 * Monday : 拜一 pài-it
 * Tuesday : 拜二 pài-jı̄
 * Wednesday : 拜三 pài-saⁿ
 * Thursday : 拜四 pài-sı̀
 * Friday : 拜五 pài-gō͘
 * Saturday : 拜六 pài-la̍k

Months

 * January : 一月 it-go̍eh
 * February : 二月 jı̄-go̍eh
 * March : 三月 saⁿ-go̍eh
 * April : 四月 sı̀-go̍eh
 * May : 五月 gō͘-go̍eh
 * June : 六月 la̍k-go̍eh
 * July : 七月 chhit-go̍eh
 * August : 八月 poeh-go̍eh
 * September : 九月 káu-go̍eh
 * October : 十月 cha̍p-go̍eh
 * November : 十一月 cha̍p-it-go̍eh
 * December : 十二月 cha̍p-jı̄-go̍eh

Colors

 * color : 色 sek
 * black : 乌色/烏色 o·-sek
 * white : 白色 pe̍h-sek
 * grey : 灰色 hoe-sek
 * red : 红色/紅色 âng-sek
 * blue : 蓝色/藍色 nâ-sek/lâm-sek
 * yellow : 黄色/黃色 n̂g-sek
 * green : 青色 chhiⁿ-sek
 * orange : 柑仔色 kam-á-sek : ("mandarin orange color")
 * purple : 茄色 kiô-sek : ("eggplant color")
 * brown : 涂色/塗色 thó·-sek (Taiwan) / 棕色 chang-sek (mainland China)

Bus and train

 * Ticket : [?]票 phiò (dyu pyuh)
 * One ticket : 一票 chit phiò (jeet-pyuh)
 * How much is one ticket? : 一票是幾箍？ chit phiò sī kuí khoo (Jeet-pyuh shee gwee-koh?)
 * bus : 公車 / 客運 (kay-wun)
 * train : 火車 hóe-chhia (whey-chiah)
 * Where does this bus go? : chit-ê (Dze-day kay-wun kee-dah?)
 * Does this train go to ____? : (Dze-day whey-chiah gah-oo kee ____?)
 * What time does this train leave? : (Dze-day whey-chiah gwee diam tsooh-whaht?)
 * What time will this bus arrive? : (Dze-day kay-wun gwee diam ay gow-wee?)
 * Please stop! : 拜託，擋！ pài thok，tòng (Pbai-toh, dong!)

Directions

 * How do I get to ____? : 請問汝按怎去____啊？/请问汝按怎去____啊？ chhiáⁿ-mn̄g lí án-chóaⁿ khì ____ ah?
 * ...the train station? : 火車站/火车站 hué-chhia-chām
 * ...the bus station? : (kay-wun dyoo?)
 * ...the airport? : 飛機場/飞机场 hui-ki-tiûⁿ
 * ...downtown? : 市區/市区 chhī-khu
 * ...the hotel? : 旅館/旅馆 lú-kuán
 * ...the restaurant? : 飯店/饭店 pn̄g-tiàm
 * Where are there a lot of ____? : 佗落有真濟____啊？/佗落有真济____啊？ tó-lo̍h ū chin chōe ____ ah?
 * Do you have a map? : (*lee gah-oo day-doh?)
 * street/road : 路 lō͘/lo̍h
 * left : 倒 tò
 * right : 正 chiàⁿ
 * in front of the _____ : _____頭前/_____头前 _____ thâu-chêng
 * behind the _____ : _____後尾/_____后尾 _____āu-bóe
 * turn left : 斡倒手 oat-tò-chhiú
 * turn right: 斡正手 oat-chiàⁿ-chhiú
 * straight ahead : 直直去 tı̍t-tı̍t khı̀ / 直直行 ti̍t-ti̍t kiâⁿ / 行直 kiâⁿ ti̍t
 * inside : 內面/内面 lāi-bīn
 * outside : 外口 gōa-kháu

Taxi

 * Taxi : 的士 tek-sî (mainland China) / 計程車/计程车 kè-thêng-chhia (Taiwan)
 * Drive me to ____ : 載我去____ . /载我去____ . chài góa khì ____.
 * How much to go ____ : 欲去____幾箍？/欲去____几箍？ beh khì ____ kúi kho͘? 愛去＿＿幾箍／鐳？

Lodging

 * Do you have any rooms available? : 有房間無？/有房间无？ ū pâng-king bô?
 * How much for one room? : 一間[?]? (Jeet gyun, wah-tsay gyee?)
 * One person : 一個人/一个人 chı̍t-ê-lâng
 * Two persons : 兩個人/两个人 n̄ng-ê-lâng
 * Does it have ____? : 敢有____？ kám-ū ____ ? (Gah oo ____ ?) 有____無？
 * a bathroom : 便所 piān-só͘? (Taiwan) / 廁所/厕所 chheh-só͘ (mainland China)／染蠻 (northern Malaysia) jiám-bân
 * a telephone : 電話/电话 tiān-ōe (dyung way?)tiān-ōa
 * a TV : 電視機/电视机 tiān-sī-ki 電視
 * May I see it first? : [?]先看？(Gah-ay-dahng shung kwah?)
 * Do you have something more ____? : 敢有較____？ kám-ū khah (Gah oo kah)有較____个無？
 * big : 大的 tōa-ê (dwah-ay)
 * cheap : 俗的 sio̍k-ê (siok-ay) (China and Taiwan) / 偏的 phiⁿ-ê (Singapore)便宜
 * OK, I'll sleep here for ____ nights. : 好，[?]暗 Huh, mbay-kuhng ____ ahm.
 * Is there another hotel? : [?]有[?] 旅館 (Gah oo bahg-ay *lee-guang?)
 * What time is breakfast? : 早頓幾點？/早顿几点？ chá-tǹg kúi-tiám?
 * Please clean my room : 拜託 我的 房間 (Pbai toh kyeng wah-ay bahn-gyun)
 * Can you wake me at ... ? : ，好無？... gah-way gyuh kiah, huhbuh?

Money

 * Credit card : 刷卡 (swah kah)
 * Where can I exchange money? : (Dway ay-dahng wah gjee?)Tuì ē-tàng ōaⁿ chîⁿ/Nā ai ōaⁿ lui ē khì tá-lo̍h ōaⁿ? (nah aye wah lui eh key tah lawk wah?)
 * Do you accept US Dollars/pounds/Euros? (Ē ēng Bí-kim/Eng-pōng/euro hú /hêng lui bô?)

Eating
Unpleasant tastes
 * I'm a vegetarian. : 我食齋. /我食斋. góa chia̍h che. / 我食素.  góa chia̍h sò͘.
 * drink tea : 啉茶 lim tê
 * brew tea : 泡茶 phàu tê
 * breakfast : 早頓/早顿 chá-tǹg (dzah-dun)tsa2-tuiⁿ3
 * lunch : 中頓/中顿 tiong-tǹg tiong3-tuiⁿ3
 * dinner : 暗頓/暗顿 àm-tǹg am3-tuiⁿ3
 * snack : 點心/点心 tiám-sim
 * I want... : 我欲 góa beh (gwah beh) 我愛 （ua2-ai) (wah aye)
 * tea : 茶 tê (teh)
 * coffee : 咖啡 ka-pi (in Taiwan) / ko-pi (in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia)
 * chicken : 雞/鸡 ke / koe
 * duck : 鴨/鸭 ah
 * beef: 牛肉 gû-bah
 * pork: 豬肉/豬肉 ti-bah / tu-bah / tir-bah
 * mutton: 羊肉 iûⁿ-bah / iôⁿ-bah／iaûⁿ-bah
 * eggs : 雞卵/鸡卵 ke-nn̄g / koe-nn̄g / ke-nūi / 卵 nn̄g / nūi (the former specifically refers to chicken eggs, the later can be used generally for any type of egg)
 * fresh : 鮮/鲜 chhiⁿ
 * fruit : 果子 kóe-chí / ké-chí
 * vegetable : 菜 chhài
 * fish : 魚仔/鱼仔 hî-á (hee-ah) / 魚/鱼 hî / hû (hhu2/hhw2; sounds like a long 'huh' without the vowel)
 * bread : 麵包/面包 mī-pau (mee-bao) / pahng (in Taiwan, from Japanese) / lō-ti (in Singapore and Malaysia, from Malay)
 * noodles : 麵/面 mı̄ (mee)
 * rice (uncooked) : 米 bı́ (bee)
 * rice (cooked) : 飯/饭 pn̄g/ puīⁿ (buhng/puĩ)
 * congee / rice porridge : 糜 môi bê/môi
 * milk : 牛奶 gû-ni / gû-leng (in Penang) or 奶 ni (the former refers specifically to cow's milk, while the latter can be used for milk in general)
 * water : 水 chúi
 * beer : 啤酒 pi-chiú (bee chiu)
 * salt : 鹽/盐 iâm (yahm)
 * pepper : 胡椒粉 hô͘-chio-hún (hhoh chjio hun)
 * sugar : 糖 thn̂g
 * soy sauce : 豆油 tāu-iû
 * butter : 牛油 gû-iû
 * done eating : 食飽了/食饱了 chia̍h-pá-liáu (jyah pah lyow)
 * delicious (eating) : 好食 hó-chia̍h (huh jyah)
 * delicious (drinking) : 好啉 hó-lim (huh lim)
 * The check, please. : 結數/结数 kiat-siàu

Bitter

Spicy 辣/薟 lua̍h／hiam

sour 酸 suinn/sng

Shopping

 * How much? : 幾錢？/ 几钱？(gwee chee)幾鐳 kúi-lui
 * How many dollars/yuan? : 幾箍？/几箍？ kúi kho͘
 * Too much : 傷濟/伤济 siong chōe／siaunn chē
 * Don't want : 莫 mài
 * I need... : (Wah dah-ai...)
 * ...toothbrush : 齒抿/齿抿 khí-bín
 * ...toothpaste : 齒膏/齿膏 khí-ko
 * ...soap : 茶箍 tê-kho͘ (Taiwan) / 雪文 sap-bûn (mainland China)／sa-bûn (Malaysia, Singapore)
 * ...shampoo : 洗頭毛 sóe thâu-mn̂g (suay tow-mun) (literally "wash hair") sé thâu-mô͘
 * ...paper : 紙/纸 chóa
 * ...pen : 筆/笔 pit
 * ...books : 冊/册 chheh
 * ...an umbrella. : 雨傘/雨伞 hō͘-sòaⁿ

Driving

 * I want to rent a car. : 我欲稅車. / 我欲税车. (góa beh sè chhia) 我愛稅車（óa ai suè chhia)
 * Can I get insurance? : 遮會使買保險袂？/ 遮会使买保险袂？ (chiâ ē-sái bóe pó-hiám bōe)

Authority

 * I haven't done anything wrong. : 我無做歹代誌. (góa bô chò phái tāi-chì.): 我無做嗄啦（oá bô chò sà-láh）

title: Minnan phrasebook