The Hakkas were living in Honan and Shantung provinces of north central China about the third century BCE. Then they were compelled to move south of the Yangtze river to escape invading hordes of nomads from the north. They finally settled down in Kiangsi, Fukien, Kwangtung, Kwangsi, and Hainan. They were called "strangers" by the native peoples.

The first exodus of Hakkas to Taiwan took place around 1630 when a severe famine afflicted the mainland.^[33] By the time of the Hakkas' arrival, the best land had been taken by the Hoklos and the cities were already established. Additionally, the two peoples spoke different dialects. The "strangers" found it difficult to find a place in the Hoklo communities. Most Hakkas were relegated to rural areas, where they farmed marginal land. The majority of Hakkas still live in such agricultural counties as Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Pingtung. Those in Chiayi, Hualien, and Taitung migrated there from other areas during the Japanese occupation.

The second immigration of Hakkas to Taiwan was in the years just after 1662, when Cheng Cheng-kung, a general of the Ming court and known as Koxinga in the West, expelled the Dutch from the island. Some historians assert that Cheng, a native of Amoy, was a Hakka. Thus the Hakkas once more became "strangers", because most of those who migrated to Taiwan came after the 16th century.