Amoy language

Chinese dialect

Also known as: Amoy-Swatow, Xiamen

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 18, 2026

Quick Summary

The Amoy language, also known as Amoy dialect, is a variety of Chinese spoken in and around Xiamen (formerly Amoy) in southeastern China. The term "Amoyese" refers to a native or inhabitant of Amoy. This dialect is a distinct linguistic form within the broader Chinese language family.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Amoy
Amoyese

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

China
Sino-Tibetan of China
…and by the Xiamen-Shantou (Amoy-Swatow), or Southern Min, language of southern Fujian and easternmost Guangdong. The Hakka language of southernmost Jiangxi and northeastern Guangdong has a rather scattered pattern of distribution. Probably the best known of these southern dialects is Yue, particularly Cantonese, which is spoken in central and…
Read More
…and by the Xiamen-Shantou (Amoy-Swatow), or Southern Min, language of southern Fujian and easternmost Guangdong. The Hakka language of southernmost Jiangxi and northeastern Guangdong has a rather scattered pattern of distribution. Probably the best known of these southern dialects is Yue, particularly Cantonese, which is spoken in central and…
Read More

Chinese languages
Min languages
…most important Min language is Amoy (Xiamen) from the Southern branch of Min. The initial consonants are the same as in Standard Cantonese with the addition of two voiced stops (b and d) and one voiced affricate (dz), developed from original nasals. There are two semivowels (y, w), six vowels…
Read More
…most important Min language is Amoy (Xiamen) from the Southern branch of Min. The initial consonants are the same as in Standard Cantonese with the addition of two voiced stops (b and d) and one voiced affricate (dz), developed from original nasals. There are two semivowels (y, w), six vowels…
Read More