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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


531 results found

can

Definition: (noun) Pronounced with the sixth tone in Cantonese, this is a code-mixing term used by local Hong Kong students to refer to canteen in a highly efficient manner. Usage: E.g. 淨係食過bu同city既can。(I have only eaten Baptist University's and City University's canteen.)Synonym: canteen, 食堂Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/404559/page/2

low tech

Definition: (adj) A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to describe something that is very unadvanced in technology.  There is a famous quote that goes "High Tech揩野,Low Tech撈野", which describes the volatility of high-tech products as opposed to low-tech products that have a larger market despite high competition. '撈' refers to '有得撈', which means you can earn a living. Usage: E.g. 今時今日唔可以再咁low tech架喇。快D買返部智能手機啦。Reference: https://www.lib.eduhk.hk/pure-data/pub/201902353/201902353_1.pdf

gun

Definition: (textspeak) Transliterated from ‘緊‘, this is a Kongish code-mixing term that is added to the end of verbs to denote the sense of ongoing, just like the ‘ing’ in English as in ‘doing’. Usage: E.g. Nei jo gun d meh ar? (你做緊d咩呀?) E.g. Ngo sik gun farn ah. (我食緊飯呀)Synonym: 緊Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/tag/kongish/

cheese cake

Definition: Often expressed as two separate words ‘cheese’ and ‘cake’, this is a code-mixing term used by upper class Hong Kongers who have more than a regular habit of going to Starbucks or Pacific Coffee to eat cheesecake. Usage: E.g. A: 唔該,我想要十個blueberry cheeeeese cake. B: 唔好意思,冇咁多個。(Excuse me, may I have ten blueberry cheesecakes? B: I’m sorry, but there aren’t that many.)Synonym: 芝士蛋糕Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/760451/page/1

gong for

Definition: (textspeak) A Kongish code-mixing term meaning homework, which only Hong Kong local students can understand. Usage: E.g. Jo jor gong for mei ar? (做左功課未呀?) E.g. Nei mong gong for meh? (你忙功課咩?) E.g. Jo sai d gong for la! (做晒D功課喇!)Synonym: 功課Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/2019/11/16/the-use-of-transliteration-in-kongish/

for

Definition: A code-mixing term often used by working class Hong Kongers to indicate the purpose of a product, in order to pitch and sell it to a customer. Usage: E.g. 呢個app係for你地客戶用架,令到你地方便好多。 E.g. 呢樣產品係for女士用架,尤其係貪靚嗰D。Reference: https://cantowords.com/dictionary/for#w100337

sik farn

Definition: (textspeak) A Kongish code-mixing term transliterated from ‘食飯’, which means eat rice. Usage: E.g. Sik jor farn mei ar? (食左飯未呀?) E.g. Hor yee sik farn la. (可以食飯喇)Synonym: 食飯Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/2019/11/16/the-use-of-transliteration-in-kongish/

communication gap

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to illustrate the distance between two parties in terms of their communication, which is often due to their difference in job positions or departments in a company. Sometimes, it may be caused by forgeting to say "double confirm", which is a common phrase used by Hong Kongers at workplace to really make sure that certain information is correct. Usage: E.g. 其實呢啲communication gap 大家可以做好D減少誤會,寫多兩句confirm is better。(As for these communication gaps, it is better for us all to try and minimise misunderstandings by saying 'confirm' more.)Synonym: 溝通差距Reference: https://www.threads.com/@purpzc/post/C-l0fNJyiZM?hl=en

very delicious

Definition: A code-mixing phrase that is often mistakened as grammatically incorrect due to the word 'very' being considered redundant, as 'delicious' already denotes the meaning of very yummy. However, it originates from '好好味' in Cantonese, which means 'very very tasty'. Usage: E.g. 哇,D野食真係very delicious呀。Synonym: 好好味

in

Definition: (adj.) A code-mixing term used to describe someone or something as being very trendy. Usage: E.g. 哇,你今日著得好IN呀。 E.g. 聽返D流行音樂,咁先夠IN架嘛。 E.g. 做後生仔要夠IN先得架嘛。Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk