<p>Pranakan meaning "the ones who speaks the foregin tongue " - பிறநாக்கான் ( பிற + நாக்கான் )</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-12T14:53:45.243Z
Please answer the question, the origin poster asked its origin.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T23:26:31.153Z
Flagged as an answer that does not attempt to answer the question.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-12T12:38:00.733Z
2018-11-12T12:38:00.733Z
SKA
<p>It is definitely transliterated from Malay (it's noted on the zh Wikipedia as well). </p>

<p>Baba and Nyonya (pronounced /ɲoɲə/) are descendants of Hokkien Chinese who migrated to Malaysia centuries ago. They have come to refuse to be recognized as descendants of the Chinese and instead, identified themselves as British subjects (as per Bahasa Malay WP entry). </p>

<p>According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan#Terminology">Wikipedia</a>, the term <em>baba</em> is a religious honorific term that originated from Persian and entered Southeast Asian languages possibly through traders. It originally was used as an honorific for one's grandparents in Malay. Its meaning changed over time among the Baba-Nyonya to refer to all males of this particular ethnic group.</p>

<p>Nyonya is a loanword from Javanese that was likely borrowed from Portuguese <em>don(h)a</em> (compare Italian: donna; Spanish: doña) meaning <em>lady</em> (夫人). The term was used by the Malay people to refer to all "foreign" women including female peranakan. With the departure of European colonists, the meaning of the term slowly narrowed down to only peranakan women.</p>

<p>For further reading on the cultural aspect of this term: <a href="http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&amp;pg=PA198&amp;dq=Southeast+Asia%3a+A+Historical+Encyclopedia,+From+Angkor+Wat+to+East+Timor+Nyonya&amp;hl=fr&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=FFcbUeLNIOPMmgX01oCYDA&amp;ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=Southeast%20Asia%3A%20A%20Historical%20Encyclopedia%2C%20From%20Angkor%20Wat%20to%20East%20Timor%20Nyonya&amp;f=false">Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, From Angkor Wat to East Timor, Volume 1</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-13T08:56:44.617Z
2013-02-13T09:02:00.183Z
2013-02-13T09:02:00.183Z
deutschZuid
<p>I know what 娘惹 means (<a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B3%87%E5%B3%87%E5%A8%98%E6%83%B9" rel="nofollow">wikipedia</a>), however, I couldn't find any reference on its origin. Is it a Chinese transliteration of a Malaysian word, a Cantonese/Hokkien word or a Mandarin word? What's the literal meaning?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-13T05:49:13.733Z
It is definitely transliterated from Malay. Baba and Nyonya (pronounced /ɲoɲə/) are descendants of Hokkien Chinese who migrated to Malaysia centuries ago. As for the origin of the words in Malay - see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan#Terminology. Both words, interestingly, have influence from the west.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-13T06:41:29.087Z
@JamesJiao That's an answer!
Kang Ming
<etymology><word>
Origin of the word "娘惹"
# Origin of the word "娘惹"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-02-13)

I know what 娘惹 means ([wikipedia](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B3%87%E5%B3%87%E5%A8%98%E6%83%B9)), however, I couldn't find any reference on its origin. Is it a Chinese transliteration of a Malaysian word, a Cantonese/Hokkien word or a Mandarin word? What's the literal meaning?

**Tags:** etymology, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It is definitely transliterated from Malay. Baba and Nyonya (pronounced /ɲoɲə/) are descendants of Hokkien Chinese who migrated to Malaysia centuries ago. As for the origin of the words in Malay - see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan#Terminology. Both words, interestingly, have influence from the west.  
> **username_2**: @JamesJiao That's an answer!  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-02-13. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

It is definitely transliterated from Malay (it's noted on the zh Wikipedia as well).

Baba and Nyonya (pronounced /ɲoɲə/) are descendants of Hokkien Chinese who migrated to Malaysia centuries ago. They have come to refuse to be recognized as descendants of the Chinese and instead, identified themselves as British subjects (as per Bahasa Malay WP entry).

According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan#Terminology), the term *baba* is a religious honorific term that originated from Persian and entered Southeast Asian languages possibly through traders. It originally was used as an honorific for one's grandparents in Malay. Its meaning changed over time among the Baba-Nyonya to refer to all males of this particular ethnic group.

Nyonya is a loanword from Javanese that was likely borrowed from Portuguese *don(h)a* (compare Italian: donna; Spanish: doña) meaning *lady* (夫人). The term was used by the Malay people to refer to all "foreign" women including female peranakan. With the departure of European colonists, the meaning of the term slowly narrowed down to only peranakan women.

For further reading on the cultural aspect of this term: [Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, From Angkor Wat to East Timor, Volume 1](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA198&dq=Southeast+Asia%3a+A+Historical+Encyclopedia,+From+Angkor+Wat+to+East+Timor+Nyonya&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=FFcbUeLNIOPMmgX01oCYDA&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Southeast%20Asia%3A%20A%20Historical%20Encyclopedia%2C%20From%20Angkor%20Wat%20to%20East%20Timor%20Nyonya&f=false).


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-11-12. Score: -1

Pranakan meaning "the ones who speaks the foregin tongue " - பிறநாக்கான் ( பிற + நாக்கான் )

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Please answer the question, the origin poster asked its origin.  
> **username_1**: Flagged as an answer that does not attempt to answer the question.  

---

