Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Hakka language

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hakka-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Hakka language. Small Whale. https://smallwhale.org/articles/hakka-language. Accessed 2026-09-23. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the Hakka language?The Hakka language is a special way of speaking that belongs to the Chinese family of languages. It has its own sounds and words that make it different from Mandarin and Cantonese. It is used by many Hakka people around the world.
2. Why do Hakka people call themselves "guest families"?The name "Hakka" means "guest families" because the ancestors of Hakka people moved from northern China to the south many times. They settled in new places and kept their own language and traditions.
3. How many people speak Hakka?About 48 million people speak Hakka. That is many families, schools, and communities that keep the language alive.
4. How many tones does Hakka have?Hakka dialects have a lot of tones—between six and twelve—so the same word can sound different depending on the tone. This gives Hakka a musical feel.
5. Where is Hakka spoken?Hakka is mainly spoken in southern Chinese provinces such as Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi. People also speak it in other countries where Hakka families have moved.
6. From the article, write the language family classification:Sinitic languages, a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family

Sinitic Languages: A subgroup of the Sino-Tibetan language family, encompassing languages spoken in China and its historical sphere of influence.
Phonology: The study of sound systems in a language, including tones, vowels, and consonants.
Linguistic Divergence: The process by which related languages or dialects gradually become different from each other over time.
Language Shift: The process where a community abandons its native language in favor of another, often dominant, language.