The Taiwanese Hokkien term “kiu” - pronounced the same as the letter Q - means “chewy, springy, bouncy” and describes the culinary texture ideal for noodles, fish balls and boba, the tapioca balls in bubble tea. Photo: Shutterstock
The Taiwanese Hokkien term “kiu” - pronounced the same as the letter Q - means “chewy, springy, bouncy” and describes the culinary texture ideal for noodles, fish balls and boba, the tapioca balls in bubble tea. Photo: Shutterstock
Lisa Lim
Opinion

Opinion

Language Matters by Lisa Lim

How non-Latin script languages use the letter Q – it doesn’t follow English conventions, from qi in Mandarin to souq in Arabic

  • It’s a big month for the letter Q in terms of Pride Month and LGBTQ, an acronym in which the letter can represent both ‘queer’ and ‘questioning’
  • Q is mixed into some Chinese languages to mean ‘cute’; can mean ‘chewy’ in Taiwanese Hokkien; while Qatar Airways uses it for wordplay in words like ‘Quisine’

Lisa Lim
Lisa Lim

Updated: 5:15am, 27 Jun, 2023

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The Taiwanese Hokkien term “kiu” - pronounced the same as the letter Q - means “chewy, springy, bouncy” and describes the culinary texture ideal for noodles, fish balls and boba, the tapioca balls in bubble tea. Photo: Shutterstock
The Taiwanese Hokkien term “kiu” - pronounced the same as the letter Q - means “chewy, springy, bouncy” and describes the culinary texture ideal for noodles, fish balls and boba, the tapioca balls in bubble tea. Photo: Shutterstock
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