Hi Caroline!
We’re so glad to hear that our podcast is making it fun to review, and that it’s even helping you pick up a few new things you didn’t already know! You’re not alone in hearing “guá 我” as if it were “wa”. In fact, this also happens with a few other sometimes hard-to-hear sounds like words beginning with “ng-”. So, “ngiú 扭” which means “to twist, tug at, or sprain” often gets heard as “giú”. This also happens at the end of syllables. For example, the “-m” in “im-ga̍k 音樂” which means “music” often gets heard as “in-ga̍k”. Now that more people are learning to use a Romanization system to write Taiwanese, these little discoveries about their own pronunciation are happening all the time!

I’ve always heard “Bua̋-kín” too! I also only just realized that “Guá” technically starts with a “g” sound – I always heard it as “Wa”. It’s awesome to review and re-learn the language this way!

Hi Ed!

“Bua̋-kín” is actually the contracted form of “Bô iàu-kín”. The little squiggly mark over the “a” means it has a special mid rising tone that sometimes comes about from the tones of the two syllables merging. There are regional differences for this phrase, too. Instead of “bô” you might also hear “bē” or “buē” in its place. Since we can’t get to everything in the podcast, we do try to include more detailed explanations like these in the workbook. If you find it interesting, please check it out!

Thanks for your message! Sorry for the delayed response (it’s been a bit hectic the last few days–but, a good hectic ). We’re so happy to hear you’re enjoying our podcast, and that you’ve been sharing Taiwanese with your kid–this is so important to keep the language alive!