Instagram
English | Chinese
650 results found
Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase used by native Hong Kongers to describe someone who does things very slowly.
Usage: E.g. Get work done quickly! Stop slow ton ton eat wonton!
Synonym: 慢吞吞食雲吞
Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to slacking off at work.
Usage: E.g. Don't be such a snake king all the time! Get some work done!
Synonym: 蛇王
Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to not being strict enough when managing people. Also, it often tends to depict a weakness in character by describing a person is not forceful or harsh enough.
Usage: E.g. 同事話我太soft管唔到學生，我聽完好灰。(My colleague said I am too soft and cannot manage students like this. I felt very grey afterwards.)
Synonym: 不嚴厲
Reference: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DU-fcZMgjI7/ (use mobile version)
Definition: An Englishised code-mixing term made popular by the phrase '一齊企硬唔Take嘢' (Stand firm together and don't take drugs), which was a slogan used by an anti-drug campaign launched by the Security Bureau in Hong Kong and is now imitated by many companies to sell their own products.
Usage: E.g. 一齊企硬eat車仔麵。(Stand firm together and eat cart noodles.)
Synonym: 企硬
Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWFz2k6GXcF/ (use mobile version)
Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to a meeting that is usually shorter than what is already brief and leaves people thinking it should have been longer.
Usage: E.g. Standup meeting講得一句太brief，judge唔到performance。(A stand-up meeting can only allow people say a few sentences that are too brief, which is hard for judging an employee's performance.)
Synonym: 站立會議; 站會
Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/88607/page/1
Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to a more sequential and orderly way of describing the progression of something, especially when giving instructions.
Usage: E.g. 實際通常都係 step by step 咁去先會得到結果 中間所有野都唔理咪做唔到囉 (In practice, I usually go step by step in order to get results. I won't be able to do it if I don't care about everything in the middle.
Synonym: 逐步; 一步一步
Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a more general look or vibe of something rather than the artistic or literary manner of something, or the character of a person.
Usage: E.g. 呢家啲00後衣著style好似完美屌打90後. (Nowadays the Gen Z's dressing style seem to be winning over the 90's by far.)
Synonym: 風格
Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3739511/page/4
Definition: Made popular by an anti-drug advertisement featuring Hong Kong celebrity Aaron Kwok, this is a code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use with the Cantonese word '嘢', which means 'take drugs' altogether, even though 'take嘢' literally means 'take thing'.
Usage: E.g. 保安局禁毒宣傳品出現「公關災難」，令「一齊企硬 唔take嘢」標語，在柱面上呈現「齊企硬 Take嘢」。There was a "PR disaster" in the Security Bureau's anti-drug promotional materials, which caused the slogan "Stand firm together, don't take any drugs" to be presented as ""Stand firm together and Take Drugs".
Synonym: take嘢, take drugs
Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWGb-PriJLK/?igsh=b3Vwa2xmNHFuZ2Qz (use mobile version)
Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong policemen when they want to take legal or enforcement action to deal with a situation. At other times, it can simply be used to describe an action that one must take in order to further one's progress.
Usage: E.g. 如果比我地警方查到你犯法，我地會take action。(If our police force finds out that you have broken the law, we will take action.) E.g. 依加我地唔上唔落咁又唔敢再take action住。(Right now, our relationship is not getting anymore so I am afraid of taking any actions yet.)
Synonym: 採取行動
Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1671360/page/1
Definition: Often mistaken as a Japanese dessert, this is an Italian code-mixing term used by upper class Hong Kongers who are on a diet but cannot resist the temptation of eating desserts such as cheesecakes so they pick tiramisu which contains a lot less fat.
Usage: E.g. 不如食埋tiramisu先埋單好嗎？我兒家減緊肥，不過唔算太過分啫？(What about eating a tiramisu before we get the bill? I am going on a diet, but I don’t think this would be too fat to eat?
Synonym: 提拉米蘇
Reference: https://amp.lihkg.com/thread/3766385/page/1