by Gaijin-san January 24, 2020
Standard Chinese spelling system using Roman alphabet. Literally translates as "spell sound". In modern Chinese education, children are taught to read and write pinyin before learning hanzi (Chinese characters).
If it weren't for pinyin, there would be no way I could ever learn how to speak Chinese by reading it.
by Gaijin-san January 15, 2013
Chinese written character. One of the oldest continually used writing systems to date. Characters are ideographic, meaning that they represent the meaning of the word, as opposed to phonetic, which means you will not be able to learn how to speak Chinese just by reading it. Hanzi is used to write Chinese, Japanese, to some extent in Korean, and Vietnamese until the occupation of France.
Since one has to memorize thousands of hanzi, it is very difficult to read Chinese.
Because so many homophones exist in Chinese, due to the fact that every word only has one syllable, the Chinese cannot simply stop writing hanzi.
Because so many homophones exist in Chinese, due to the fact that every word only has one syllable, the Chinese cannot simply stop writing hanzi.
by Gaijin-san January 09, 2013
Metallic bowl-shaped pan used for cooking. The word is of Cantonese origin, since Mandarin words never end in p,t,k, whereas Cantonese words can. Used in the names of many Chinese restaurants in order to attract the attention of customers. i.e. A Wok to Remember, Wok King
by Gaijin-san January 09, 2013
Korean for "Roman alphabet/writing/letters". There are several different romanization methods used in South Korea, making it somewhat to discern how to pronounce some Korean words without any knowledge of hangeul, the Korean alphabet. South Koreans spell their names similar to common English words so that English-speakers can pronounce their names more easily.
In romaja, my can be spelled as following, Kim Lee Sung or Kim Li Seong.
Korean barbeque, spelled kimchee or kimchi in romaja, is notoriously spicy.
Korean barbeque, spelled kimchee or kimchi in romaja, is notoriously spicy.
by Gaijin-san January 09, 2013
Arabic for "God". Regardless of what their first language is, Muslims prefer this title over other names that refer to "God" because Arabic is the divine language of Islam. The Hebrew equivalent of "Allahumma" is "Elohim", since Hebrew and Arabic are very similar languages.
by Gaijin-san January 09, 2013
A derogatory term directed towards people of Middle-Eastern/Islamic background. Words spoken by terrorists in the movie "Team America: World Police."
Ah, derka derka derka.
It was nice place to hang out until all the derka derkas started showing up.
Them derka derkas sure love them hookah.
It was nice place to hang out until all the derka derkas started showing up.
Them derka derkas sure love them hookah.
by Gaijin-san January 09, 2013