Word for dozen - lo5

Aurelio · Post by **Aurelio** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:38 am

Dear all,

Ploughing through my Hokkien course, I have come across a word "lo5" (that's the closed "o" sound, as in "ho2" 好). It's supposed to mean "a dozen" and the example was something like (give me) gu-niN cit puaN lo (half a dozen cans of cow milk - well, the stuff that angmo order at the pasat - grin -). Anyway, I have not been able to find the character for this in my dictionaries (neither in Monkeboy's online dictionary). I'm pretty sure it's not a Malay word either. So, now two questions:

(1) Anybody here that uses "lo5" for "a dozen"
(2) Any ideas on what character to use for it?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Aurelio

hong · Post by **hong** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:53 am

singapore minnan dict says it is from english dozen,do becomes lo.It has no hanzi in actual fact.In mandarin 打 is also from English.

Aurelio · Post by **Aurelio** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:58 am

Hi Hong,

Thanks a lot

Regards,
Leo

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 11:52 am

> (1) Anybody here that uses "lo5" for "a dozen"

1 "lo" is mean for 12 "dozens", or 144 "pieces".

magpie

niuc · Post by **niuc** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:44 pm

Magpie, that's interesting! In my dialect, lo5 is also a dozen i.e. 12 pieces.

timluo · Post by **timluo** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 4:45 am

Anonymous wrote:> (1) Anybody here that uses "lo5" for "a dozen"

1 "lo" is mean for 12 "dozens", or 144 "pieces".

magpie

This 12-dozen lo is called 籮 in Chinese, which itself is from the English word "gross." Chinese just used 籮 (bamboo basket) in this transliteration.

Tim