10 random words out of 622 results
Definition: Derived from the Chinese term '內卷' and often translated as 'involution', this is an Englishised code-mixing term that describes an economic situation where excessive competition does not lead to development and innovation. This may lead to people feeling stressed, anxious, and trapped, as the two characters mean 'inside rolling'.
Usage: E.g. I'm stuck in the rat race! I'm so tired of competing with everyone just to climb the career ladder!Synonym: 內卷Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjTg1G8rpVc
Definition: Often added with a 屎 (faeces), this is a code-mixing term that local Hong Kongers use to refer to short pieces of information written down on paper.
Usage: E.g. 阿仔,上堂記住drop低D note屎呀!Synonym: 筆記Reference: https://www.threads.net/@hongtonese/post/C8zlfwZytLZ
Definition: A Kongish expression used to describe someone who is so reckless that he or she is almost getting himself killed or into a big trouble.
Usage: You spent all your money on gambling? Do you know how to write the die character?!Synonym: 你唔知個死字點寫
Definition: A romanised code-mixing phrase used by westernised Hong Kongers to refer to a year where one’s Chinese zodiac offends or clashes with the God of Tai Sui, which means the fortune of the year will not be as smooth as others.
Usage: I was born in the year of the snake and I am fan tai sui this year! Let’s go to the temple to pray for protection and peace!Synonym: 犯太歲Reference: https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/tai-sui/
Definition: A phrase used by native Hong Kongers to affirm that something is true or obvious, usually among friends and relatives in informal settings, especially with the particle 'la' in Cantonese.
Usage: E.g. 朋友: 今日出街記住載口罩。 你:Of course啦!
E.g. 女朋友: 哇,你好叻呀。 你:Of course啦!
E.g. 男朋友: 估唔到你咁醒目。 你:Of course啦!
Definition: A generic term for a number of equivalent Cantonese words used to avoid absolute certainty.
Usage: E.g. 件貨suppose今日到。(預期-expectedly/predictably)
E.g. 我suppose你係岩既。 (假設-guess)
E.g. 警察係suppose要保護市民。 (應該-should)
Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to a job position that covers almost all the duties that an entire department has.
Usage: E.g. 我份工係one man band,所以都幾忙架。Reference: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/一腳踢