Tones
The Hmong language relies greatly on it's tones. With this, a word can be said the same way, but with a change in it's tone, can dramatically alter the meaning of it, which can get quite confusing for some people especially when communicating with an older Hmong individual. There are a total of eight tones, which is signified by the letters at the end of the word:
- Po (no tone at the end) = to cover
- Pob = blister or bump on your skin caused by a mosquito bite
- Pom= see
- Pov = toss/throw
- Poj = used to refer to a female (ie: poj niam)
- Pog = grandma
- Pos = thorns
- Pod = (no meaning)