Literally translated as “so early,” the Hakka greeting “恁早 (anˋ zoˋ)” is synonymous with “good morning.” However, the meaning behind the phrase is more than just a friendly greeting or good wish. In the past, Hakka people had to do a lot of farm work in order to maintain a living as they lived in an agrarian society. They believed that the earlier they got up, the more farm work they could do.
Hence, “恁早” was also a kind of compliment, reflecting the Hakka people’s hardiness and diligence in earlier times. This greeting is full of expectations and encouragement for people to start their day.
Listen to various accents:
Sixian accent (四縣腔): anˋ zoˋ
Hailu accent (海陸腔): anˊ zoˊ
Dapu accent (大埔腔): an^ zo^
Raoping accent (饒平腔): anˋ zoˋ
Zhao-an accent (詔安腔): ngauˋ zoo^