Meanings
- IndonesiaMalaysiaSingaporeSoutheast AsiaHainanese (a linguistic variety of Coastal Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family)
- pluralplural onlythe inhabitants of the island of Hainam
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveof or relating to the linguistic variety under Coastal Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family and its speakers or people of heritage from Hainam
proper nounHainanese (a linguistic variety of Coastal Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family)
nounthe people who trace their ancestry to Hainam or the surrounding area, especially those that ancestrally speak Hainanese.
Origin
From Hainam + -ese. Doublet of Hainanese and Hailamese.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Hainamese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hainamese
“Hainamese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hainamese. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hainamese,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hainamese.
Source: Hainamese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.