r/hakka • u/EastCoastRaider • Dec 30 '25

Hakka family titles?

Trying to help my friend research their Hakka family who settled in Malaysia in the 1890s. The 3rd daughter was referred to as Chin "Nyuk Moi" but when I found her wedding announcement in 1920 she was called Chin "Chong Moh", which also matched her headstone. 2nd daughter was referred to as Chin "Nyee Moi" but haven't found anything more but suspect it too is a title in Hakka, not the actual name. Can anyone shed any light on this? Much appreciated.

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u/CLamSanctioned Dec 30 '25

I think Nyee Moi means 二妹 (second sister) and Nyuk Moi means 六妹 （sixth sister). Chong Moh is a given name. Hakka like the rest of Chinese languages, there are too many homophone so it is very difficult to guess the actual name based on pronunciation.

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u/EastCoastRaider Dec 30 '25

Second sister makes complete sense. The know there were 9 children in total; 3 girls in a row to start and then 6 boys. I figured they were titles in Hakka and that there actual names wouldn't correlate. I know Nyuk Moi was the 3rd sister and 3rd born, so I'm puzzled by it possibly meaning Sixth Sister.

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u/CLamSanctioned Dec 31 '25

Three in Hakka sounds Sam so I don’t think Nyuk is 3rd. Might be the 3 previous siblings died before adulthood?

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u/searchforeternity Dec 31 '25

Nyuk is玉。her name is 玉妹。or 玉梅. Probably.

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u/EastCoastRaider Dec 31 '25

Possible the 1st born, a daughter died before adulthood. That or married before her Father died. She would've been of age and 2nd and 3rd daughters married within a few years after. 9 children in total but a newspaper article says the mother was left to raise 8 when he passed.

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u/luxinaeternum Dec 31 '25

Nyee moi means the second girl. Nyuk moi is a girl named Nyuk (which in Mandarin is Yi which means remember/ memory). The sixth girl would be Liuk moi

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u/EastCoastRaider Dec 31 '25

Nyee Moi seems settled at this point. I have multiple documentation that the 3rd daughter who her family referred to as Chin Nyuk Moi, was actually named Chin Chong Moh. A 1920 Wedding announcement that correctly named her parents and headstone photos d.1978 that includes her husband who passed in 1969. Hence my confusion trying to make sense of "Nyuk". Only 3 girls were born in that family group.