Consonants

Below is a table for the consonants of Hainanese across the dialects of Wenchang, Haikou and Banqiao.^[10] For more information on a specific variety, please consult the relevant article.

Many of the most widely spoken varieties of Hainanese notably have a series of implosive consonants, /ɓ/ and /ɗ/, which were acquired through contact with surrounding languages, probably Hlai. However, more conservative varieties of Hainanese such as Banqiao remain closer to Teochew and other varieties of Southern Min, lack them.^[10]

The consonant system of Hainanese corresponds well with that of Hokkien, but it has had some restructuring. In particular:^[10]

• Etymological plain stops have undergone implosivization (*p > [ɓ], *t > [ɗ]) in the more innovative varieties such as Wenchang and Haikou.
• Etymological aspirated stops have spirantized (*pʰ > [ɸ], *tʰ > [h], *tsʰ > [ɕ], *kʰ > [h~x]) in more innovative varieties.
• The lenition of an historic *b into [v] in Banqiao and Haikou, though not in Wenchang.
• Former *s has hardened into a stop (*s > [t]), although in the more conservative Banqiao dialect some instances have only undergone fortition to (*s > [θ]), and others have remained [s].
• Former *h has become [ɦ] in Wenchang.

Additionally, [ʑ] is an allophone of /j/.

These changes also make Hainanese fairly close to Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary.

Vowels

Hainanese has seven phonemic vowels ^{[citation needed]}.

Tones

Hainanese Pinyin

Hainanese Pinyin (海南话拼音方案) is a phonetic system announced by the Education Administration Department of Guangdong Province in September 1960. It marks tones with numbers.