Hakka in Taiwan: The Language and Its Speakers
What Hakka Chinese is, where it is spoken in Taiwan, how it differs from Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien, and where learners will actually hear it.
Hakka (客家話, kèjiāhuà) is a Chinese language spoken by the Hakka people, a large minority community in Taiwan. It is a separate language from Mandarin and also from Taiwanese Hokkien, and the Hakka Basic Act (客家基本法) names it as one of Taiwan’s national languages. Mandarin is enough for daily life in Taiwan, but you will meet Hakka in specific places, and it helps to know what you are hearing.
This page is an explainer. Zhong teaches Mandarin only, so there is no Hakka course behind it. The aim is to tell you who speaks Hakka, where you will notice it and how to find authoritative sources if you want to learn more.
What Hakka Is
Hakka belongs to the Chinese language family, in a group of its own alongside Mandarin, Yue (Cantonese), Wu and Min (the group that includes Taiwanese Hokkien). The name 客家 (Kèjiā) literally means “guest families”. Hakka communities are found across southern China, in Taiwan and in Southeast Asia, and the language has several regional varieties.
Hakka is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese or Taiwanese Hokkien. Like Cantonese and Hokkien, it keeps the final -p, -t and -k sounds that Mandarin lost. It also has its own tones and vocabulary.
Hakka is written with Traditional characters in Taiwan, and the Ministry of Education maintains a Hakka romanisation system for teaching. The MOE’s online 臺灣客語辭典 (hakkadict.moe.edu.tw) lets you search by Hakka word or by the Mandarin equivalent and choose which of the Hakka accents to display.
Where Hakka Is Spoken in Taiwan
The Hakka population is concentrated in the north-west of the island, particularly Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli. Large Hakka communities also live in the south, in Pingtung and Kaohsiung (where the 南四縣 accent is spoken), and on the east coast in Hualien and Taitung, and Hakka speakers live in cities across the island.
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The Hakka share of Taiwan’s population is a significant minority. Hakka is a living language in many families, though younger generations speak Mandarin more fluently than Hakka. Taiwan’s post-war Mandarin-only policy, strictest under martial law, contributed to that shift, and recent decades have seen efforts to revive Hakka.
The MOE’s Hakka dictionary lists six accents: 四縣腔, 海陸腔, 大埔腔, 饒平腔, 詔安腔 and 南四縣腔. The two most widespread are 四縣 (Sixian) and 海陸 (Hailu). In the Hakka Affairs Council’s 2016 national survey, 58.4% of Hakka respondents said they spoke 四縣 and 44.8% said 海陸, and respondents could name more than one accent.
Where Learners Will Hear It
Hakka is easy to miss if you do not know to listen for it. Places to start:
- Taipei Metro announcements. Station announcements are recorded in Mandarin, English, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka, with Japanese and Korean added at busy stations.
- Hakka TV (客家電視台). A television channel that broadcasts mainly in Hakka. It launched in 2003 and is operated by Taiwan Broadcasting System.
- Hakka Affairs Council (客家委員會). The government agency responsible for Hakka language and culture. Its predecessor was founded in 2001.
- Hakka-majority towns in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli. Older residents may speak Hakka among themselves in markets, temples and at family gatherings, then switch to Mandarin with you.
- School lessons. Under the 2019 Act, national language classes are part of compulsory education, and Taiwanese schools teach local languages, Hakka among them.
How Hakka Relates to Mandarin and Hokkien
Taiwan has three large Sinitic languages in daily use: Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka. Mandarin is the shared language of schools, work and national media, which is why people who speak Hakka or Hokkien at home usually speak Mandarin well too.
| Mandarin | Taiwanese Hokkien | Hakka | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group within Chinese | Mandarin | Min (Southern Min) | Hakka |
| Taiwan role | National standard, 國語 | Spoken by a large share of the population | Spoken by a significant minority, concentrated in the north-west |
| Final -p, -t, -k | No | Yes | Yes |
Hakka and Hokkien are different languages even though both are Chinese and both are national languages. The guide to 台語 for Mandarin learners covers Hokkien in more depth. The page on whether Taiwanese is a different language from Chinese explains how the terms “Taiwanese” and “Chinese” overlap.
The terminology around “dialects” is delicate, and many Hakka speakers prefer the name of the language. Is Mandarin the Same as Chinese? explains how the word is used and why the name of the language is usually the better choice.
Do You Need Hakka?
For most learners, no. Mandarin will carry you through jobs, study, housing and daily conversation anywhere in Taiwan, including Hakka-majority areas.
Hakka becomes worth learning in a few situations. You have a Hakka partner or in-laws and want to understand family conversation. You live and work in a Hakka-majority town. You care about the culture and want to engage with it directly.
If one of those applies, start with Mandarin until you can hold a conversation, then add Hakka by ear, with the family’s help. The MOE’s online dictionary is the reference to check readings against, since Hakka varieties differ and informal spellings vary.
Do not try to guess Hakka from your Mandarin. A character you know in Mandarin will usually sound quite different in Hakka, and the same word can differ between the Hakka accents, so check the dictionary and ask the speaker in front of you. Treat the language with the same respect you would give any other, and use its name rather than calling it a dialect.
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