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Hàn-jÄ« is the Hokkien name for Chinese characters. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters originated or borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Hokkien language with Hokkien pronunciation. The system has been using for hundreds of years, and Hoklo people had to learn Classical Chinese (hàn-bûn), which has to be read in literary readings, to be properly literate for the most part; however, Hokkien does have its own vernacular which is built up by its sinoxenic and native phrases. The earliest Hokkien vernacular literary written in hàn-jÄ« is ' in Ming dynasty, and koa-á-chheh is also an important kind of hàn-jÄ« vernacular literature in the history of Hokkien language.
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