Bridget O'Donnell

The shirt reads "Beijing Huar." It's making fun of the distinct Beijing accent which sounds a little bit like that of a Pirate.

Back in August, I spent close to three weeks training in Beijing to receive my TEFL certificate. One major difference I’ve noticed between Beijing and Shenzhen is the accent people in both cities have.

Beijing ren (Beijing people) tend to add a distinct “arr” to the end of words. Nanfang ren (Southern people) avoid the “arr” because they believe it is bu hao ting (hard to listen to).

The “arrr” is known as erhua or the “Beijing huar.” It has the tendency to make speakers sound like a pirate. (Pirates say “arr” a lot, get it?)

Taxi drivers in Beijing had some of the thickest erhua I’ve ever heard. Their words seemed to be slurred, making it difficult to get around the city.

The concept of the “Beijing huar” amused me, so I decided to look it up online. The first thing I found was a website selling these t-shirts making fun of the accent.

Says the homepage:

“A distinctive feature of Beijing Mandarin is the “arr” sound at the end of many words, making you sound like a pirate! Celebrate this cultural synergy!”

Brilliant.

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