lâng

Lâng is a word found in several Southern Chinese languages, most notably in Minnan varieties such as Taiwanese Hokkien and Teochew, meaning “person” or “human being.” In these dialects the term is typically written with the Chinese character 人 and romanized as lâng in Hokkien and lang in Teochew. The form is a cognate of the Mandarin 人 (rén) and of related terms in other East Asian languages that share the same semantic core.

Pronunciation and tone vary by dialect, but the sense remains the same: it refers to a person or people in general, or to an individual when the context makes the reference clear. It is used as a common noun in everyday speech and can appear in phrases dealing with identity, nationality, or social role, as well as in simple predication where the subject is a person. In writing, speakers often choose the Chinese character 人 in formal contexts, while the native romanization is preferred in informal or educational material.

Lâng also appears in ethnolinguistic and regional identity expressions, reflecting its role in everyday referential language within Taiwan and southern China. The term helps distinguish local, community, or group identities, separate from standard Mandarin usage.

See also: Ren (Chinese), Minnan language, Teochew language, Taiwanese language, Cantonese yàhn.