Singkawang Hakka

Singkawang Hakka (Chinese: 山口洋客語; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sân-gú-yòng Hak-ngî; Indonesian: Bahasa Khek Singkawang) is a variety of Hakka predominantly spoken by the Hakka Chinese community in the northwestern part of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, particularly in and around the Singkawang region. It originates from the Hakka dialects spoken in Guangdong, China, though it has evolved with some differences influenced by local influences. Singkawang Hakka differs from Pontianak Hakka, which is rooted in the Meixian dialect. In contrast, Singkawang Hakka is based on the Hailu dialect, with significant influence from Hopo and Wuhua dialects. Singkawang Hakka is colloquially known as yinghua (硬話) 'hard speech' among the local Chinese community. In contrast, Pontianak Hakka, spoken in areas south of Bengkayang, including Pontianak, Mempawah Regency, and Kubu Raya Regency, is commonly referred to as ruanhua (軟話) 'soft speech'. Today, Singkawang Hakka has a wide geographical spread. Besides being used in Singkawang, Pemangkat, and Sambas, it is also commonly spoken among the Chinese migrants from Singkawang in Jakarta.

Hakka is the predominant language spoken among the Chinese communities in Singkawang, although there are also small Teochew-speaking communities present. Additionally, many Hakka in Singkawang are multilingual, fluent in Mandarin, Indonesian, and the local Malay dialect. Code-switching and code-mixing are common among the Singkawang Chinese, who frequently alternate between Hakka, Malay, and standard Indonesian. This is especially prevalent in informal settings, such as local markets, where people from various ethnic backgrounds interact. Additionally, since the majority of Singkawang's population is Hakka, many non-Chinese residents in the area are also able to speak and understand Hakka.