Hello World!

Welcome to Chin-Dictionary.com!

58 Responses to “Hello World!”

  1. Gloristine Garrett

    I am learning Chin language, Hakha these phrases are so very helpful. Ka lawn, thank you.

    Reply
    • pwennerlind

      Please study the simple sentences in the Verbs section which are also very helpful. There are basic questions and answers.

      Reply
    • Marcia Floyd

      I am so very happy to be learning Chin words. I wanted so much to learn your language. I love the Chin people so much.

      Reply
  2. Roza Rem

    Hello! Mah nan tuah mi hi a ttha tuk. kei zong tampi ka chap ve, cun nan laica zong a tliang tuk ii a fing tuk fawn. Mah a zohmi caah tthat hnem santlai tuk a si. nan cung ah lunglawhnak tampi ka ngei, a nung kan biakmi Pathian nih tthatnak nan tuahmi cungah thlachah tampi in pe ko han seh.ka lawm

    Reply
    • Mike Pyrtle

      I’m the Chief Human Resources Officer for Northwest Health Services. We provide primary care to the underserved in the areas of medical, dental, and behavioral health. My organization is preparing to reach out to the Burmese Chin community in St. Joseph, MO.

      How can I find a document with common phrases that our access reps can use to greet and check in our Chin patients?

      Thanks.

      Mike

      Reply
      • pwennerlind

        I do not have such a document. Note the phrases left in prior comment on this thread by Roxanne. I suggest you contact the public health and hospital services in Indianapolis, IN since they have had a large concentration of Chin the longest and have dealt with these communication problems. God bless your efforts. Ms. Peggy

        Reply
      • Peng Hlei Thang

        Hi Mike,

        Reach out to Kelly Berkson from Indiana University Linguistics Department.

        Reply
  3. Adrianna

    Hello! I stumbled across this site while looking for a way to learn basic Chin language and phrases. I am a teacher and this year I have a student from Chin. It has been a semester and I have still not heard her voice. Her parents can not speak or read English. I can tell she is learning quickly because her written exams are almost perfect, yet she has not made a sound all year. She can write when I tell her each word and knows all the letters and sounds but will not write to explain her thinking or needs. I would like to be able to speak with her in a way that makes her comfortable, but I am unsure how to pronounce the words correctly. Do you have a source where I can hear how the words should sound in Chin? Or is this site simply for those learning English?

    Thank you so much,

    Adrianna

    Reply
    • pwennerlind

      We do not have any helps for pronouncing any of the many Chin languages. It takes time for students to overcome their insecurities about English. Often in is those who are perfectionists who are the slowest to speak because they want to do it perfectly or not at all. I suggest duet reading. Either together or in a very small group, read sentences slowly together. Clap out the syllables and rhythm of English together. Repeat several sentences until they can read them on their own. Sing the ABC song. “Sing” a sentence. Sing, clap, tap, and read/speak in unison. http://www.tongdot.com has additional Chin languages. It also has links to mobile apps.
      God bless.
      Peggy

      Reply
    • Roxanne

      Hi Adriana!

      Na dam maw? (How are you?)

      I’m 20, living in Melbourne, Australia. I’ve made friends with Hakha Chin and Falam Chin people and have been introduced to their culture and way of life through spending a lot of time with my friends attending festivals, church and community events around Melbourne.

      I’m excited to hear you’re trying to make an effort to communicate with your student! If she’s one of a few, or the only Chin student in your class, I imagine she would be hesitant to reach out to others. I find that many youth from this culture are shy to use English in casual conversation, but! If you can speak with her in her language – even basic phrases – she’ll feel more comfortable to trust you. (Same way I did to engage with my friends!)

      If you’d like to hear the words pronounced, you can contact me via Skype: iamsohilar
      or Viber: +6439310714

      So, the Hakha Chin language is generally easy to read and pronounce.. here are some basic phrases:

      1) Na dam maw? = How are you? / Are you okay?
      “Na” (rhymes with ‘pa’) “dam” (sounds like ‘dumb’) “maw?” (rhymes with ‘paw’)
      1a) Ka dam = I’m good / I’m okay
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “dam” (sounds like ‘dumb’)
      1b) Ka dam lo = I’m not good / I’m not okay
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “dam” (sounds like ‘dumb’) “lo” (sounds like ‘low’)

      2) Na duh maw? = Do you like it? / Do you want it?
      “Na” (rhymes with ‘pa’) “duh” (sounds like ‘do’) “maw?” (rhymes with ‘paw’)
      2a) Ka duh = I like it / I want it
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “duh” (sounds like ‘do’)
      2b) Ka duh lo = I don’t like it / I don’t want it
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “duh” (sounds like ‘do’) “lo” (sounds like ‘low’)

      3) A tha ma? = Is it good?
      “A” (sounds like ‘ah’) “tha” (sounds like ‘taa’ – silent h) “ma?” (rhymes with ‘pa’)
      3a) A tha tuk = It’s really good
      “A” (sounds like ‘ah’) “tha” (sounds like ‘taa’ – silent h) “tuk” (sounds like ‘took’)
      3b) A tha lo = It’s not good
      “A” (sounds like ‘ah’) “tha” sounds like ‘taa’ – silent h) “lo” (sounds like ‘low’)

      4) Na ba ma? = Are you tired?
      “Na” (rhymes with ‘pa’) “ba” (sounds like ‘baa’) “ma?” (rhymes with ‘pa’)
      4a) Ka ba tuk = I’m very tired
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “ba” (sounds like ‘baa’) “tuk” (sounds like ‘took’)
      4b) Ka ba lo = I’m not tired
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “ba” (sounds like ‘baa’) “lo” (sounds like ‘low’)

      5) A poi lo = Don’t worry
      “A” (sounds like ‘ah’) “poi” (rhymes with ‘toy’) “lo” (sounds like ‘low’)

      6) Ka lawm tuk = Thank you very much
      “Ka” (sounds like ‘gah’) “lawm” (rhymes with ‘dorm’) “tuk” (sounds like ‘took’)

      7) Rak ra = Come here
      “Rak” (sounds like ‘duck’ – roll the R) “ra” (rhymes with ‘pa’ – roll the r)

      🙂

      Reply
    • MILLIE

      I STUDY BIBLE WITH CHIN PEOPLE. IS SHE HAKHA, TEDIM OR ZOTUNG. READING IS FAIRLY SIMPLE WITH A FEW TWISTS. SAY NA DAM MA FOR HELLO AND KA LOOM FOR THANK YOU, IF SHE IS HAKHA.

      Reply
    • pwennerlind

      You are so welcome. We are so glad we can help the Chin people learn English and have a better life. Ms. Peggy

      Reply
  4. Donna Switzer

    I am leading a group of volunteers giving esl classes to Falam speakers. I have printed out the dictionary and we are trying to use it to come up with a frequently used word dictionary (about 2000 words) for the group. This is a daunting task. Has anyone else done this?

    Donna

    Reply
    • pwennerlind

      http://zodictionary.com/ has the fast search of Hakha, Falam, Tedim words. There is also an iOS and Android free app for this. We are thinking (and thinking some more) about how best to handle this very large Falam dictionary to make it more searchable and user friendly. Because we are volunteers also, the solution will not be quick. Besides the English/Chin Falam Bible at http://www.myanmarbible.com (site tends to come and go), this Falam dictionary is the only document I have ever seen in English/Chin Falam. If your group of volunteers decides to make such a document, we would consider putting it on line for others’ benefit. Over 55% of the 15,600 visits in the past month were on mobile and tablet devices. Apparently the young Chin students in the U.S. are using the latest technology.
      Peggy

      Reply
      • Donna Switzer

        Thanks, Peggy. We will carry on with abridging the dictionary. Perhaps it will get easier as we come to know our students better and they can help us with it. Our lack of Falam makes it difficult.
        Donna

        Reply
  5. pwennerlind

    http://www.chin-dictionary.com now has an English to Falam Dictionary in a large PDF file. We hope this Chin Falam Dictionary helps the Falam learn English, get a better education, and better employment. We hope this helps their English teachers too. Happy learning and teaching to all of you!
    Blessings,
    Ms. Peggy

    Reply
  6. pwennerlind

    January 2014 the Chin-Dictionary was updated with corrections and improvements. One improvement is the addition of most irregular verbs. The original paper Van Bik dictionary was inconsistent in the entry of these irregular verbs, due to the limitations of proof reading and production 30 years ago. Another improvement is utilizing the example sentences for more words. For instance, the word OVERWHELM had an example sentence using the word GRIEF. The word GRIEF now includes this example sentence also. I feel that this helps English language acquisition without distorting the original work of Dr. Van Bik. As I have time I will continue to make these improvements.

    Blessings and happy learning to the Chin around the world!

    Ms. Peggy

    Reply
  7. Lisa

    Hi,

    I’m helping a Myanmar Refugee School in Malaysia and they are in need of the English-Chin dictionary. I try to find around KL but couldn’t can you plse suggest to me where can I get it or the website recommended?

    Reply
    • pwennerlind

      You can download the PDFs of this dictionary to your computer and use it on your computer even when you do not have Internet access. Click on the Dictionary Desktop App for Windows under Recent Posts for the searchable desktop dictionary. You can also download the English to Chin PDF and then print out the 326 pages for a paper dictionary. You can download and print out 407 pages of the Chin to English PDF. Make sure you have a good printer, lots of paper and ink when you print these. Many Chin also use the Burmese language dictionary, especially the Chin who are not Chin Hakha.

      There is this site for downloading this Chin Hakha Dictionary and an English Burmese dictionary for Android devices. It works great on my Samsung tablet.
      http://laitechforu.blogspot.com/p/mobile-phone-dictionary.html

      God bless your efforts.

      Reply
  8. elaine

    Im malaysia girl. I wanna ask whats the meaning of “kan pa” ?

    Reply
    • pwennerlind

      Note the Chin Dictionary option above. For speaking, make a Chin friend. You teach them English and they can teach you Hakha.

      Reply
  9. R. Crist

    I can not hear the translations to Chin because my system does not support some HTML add on. How can I correct this?

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Chris Baldelomar

      Hi R. Crist,

      Thank you for your feedback. My first guess is that your are probably using an old browser. The audio is using an HTML5 element which will only work on modern browsers. I would suggest using the latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox. You will then be able to hear the audio as well as have a better and safer browser to view the world wide web with.

      Let me know if this solves your problem.
      Chris

      Reply
  10. Peggy

    Paperback Rev. David Van Bik dictionary can be ordered at:
    http://goldenmyanmar.net/store/product_info.php?products_id=8114
    This http://www.chin-dictionary.com is the Dr. David Van Bik Chin Hakha Dictionary 2002 edition.

    A 2 volume much larger more expensive dictionary by Dr. Bawi Hu, English-Chin/Myanmar (Lai Holh) Dictionary can be ordered at:
    http://ww.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex?mEntry=124129

    I hope this helps you learn more English. God bless your efforts.
    Ms. Peggy

    Reply
    • Peggy

      http://www.goldenmyanmar.net has apparently removed the Dr. David Van Bik paperback Chin (Hakha) Dictionary from their for sale list. The dictionary may reappear so keep checking it. The disappearance is possibly caused by the Myanmar government’s interference in either its publication or distribution. Originally, Dr. Van Bik spent many years in the 1980’s waiting for government permission to print his Chin dictionary in Myanmar. Myanmar’s discrimination against the Chin people and their language has made the Chin people refugees with very little printed Chin (Hakha, Falam, etc.) material. This Internet dictionary is an attempt to begin to rectify this.

      Reply
    • C. Bawi Ceu Mang

      Rev. David Van Bik dictionary cauk cawk nan duh ah cun
      http://goldenmyanmar.net/store/product_info.php?products_id=8114
      Mah https://chin-dictionary.com hi Dr. David Van Bik Chin Hakh Dictionary 2002 edition ta a si.
      A volume 2 a ngan deuh , a man fak deuh mi Dr. Bawi Hu, English Chin/Myanmar (Lai Holh) Dictionary cawk nan duh ah cun
      http://ww.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex?mEntry=124129
      Mah pawl nih hin nan mirang ca cawn in bawm ko hna seh. Pathian nih nan i zuamnak ah thlaw in chuah ko hna seh.

      Reply
    • Lnb

      Hi tlukin na kan zuampiaknak na kutneh hi kan Chin miphun caah rothil a si, Pathian nih hlawhtlinnak kan pekpiak ko seh!

      Atu te kha kan naupa caah Saya Kyi Bawi Hu á¹­ialmi eng-chin-bur dictionary le Dr. David Van Bik dictionary 2002 edition cu ka cahpiak tuah lai ka ti i register kan tuah dih hnu ah Book Catalog le search chungah kan kawl len nain an ngei rih rua lo i a si rua, a um lo. Nangmah na kan serpiakmi hi aa za tuk ko.

      Reply

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