Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to the recognition and praise given to someone for something that they did, which is more appropriate to use for small bits of work.

Usage: E.g. A: 佢食一啖話好難食，我嬲嬲地成個蛋掉撚咗。個時我中二，不過我而家自己開鋪賣蛋糕。B: 可能就係咁造就你而家做得咁出色 A:又要比返credit佢？我意思係人哋點踩你都好（even最親嘅人）(E.g. A: He took a bite and said it tasted bad. Then I threw away the whole cake angrily. I was in secondary two at that time. However, I now run my own shop selling cakes. B: Maybe that's why you're so successful now. A: And I have to give him credit? I mean it doesn’t matter how people step on you (even your closest ones).)

Synonym: 功勞

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@yuikok0709/post/DQ5esI-EgkE/又要比返credit-佢我意思係人哋點踩你都好even最親嘅人最緊要自己相信自己冇人比你自己更清楚自己?hl=zh-hk

Definition: A code-mixing term that refers to the ending of a matter, story, or event.

Usage: E.g. Ending係點，我地自己決定架。(來至電影"明日戰記"）

Synonym: 結局

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by Hong Kong KOL Janice (janicewanwan) who is known for playing "Jayden’s mother" to emphasize the correctness of her teachings as a typical modern mom, which she says must be correct.

Usage: E.g. 中英夾雜有助 children 盡快 pick up English。Mommy told you 嘅一定是 correct 的. (Chinese-English code-mixing aids children in picking up English more quickly. Whatever Mommy told you must be correct.)

Synonym: 媽媽告訴你

Reference: https://www.hk01.com/即時娛樂/60339385/jayden之亂-中英夾雜潮文橫掃社交平台-諷刺港媽真實育兒方式?utm_campaign=native&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=01webshare#google_vignette

Definition: A code-mixing term that the Hong Kong actor Dicky Cheung (張衛健) loves to use in the "Journey of the West" Cantonese TV episode, in order to display the almighty character of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

Usage: E.g. Yo！打妖精咋麻，洗乜驚呀？！

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtl4WF0RwWI&t=224s

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers as a milder way of calling someone a newbie or referring to someone who is new or inexperienced at something.

Usage: E.g. 上次份banking工有feedback話我太green，想問我有無興趣去compliance到做。(There was feedback from my last banking job saying that I was too green, and they asked me whether I had an interest to work in compliance.)

Synonym: 新手; 缺乏經驗

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3981656/page/39

Definition: A romanised code-mixing term used by Hong Kongers to refer to a type of fried noodles with soy sauce flavour that people like to eat every day because it is so easy to make and adaptable to different ingredients and tastes.

Usage: E.g. Would you like chow mein with ham, beef, or chicken? Want to add some sesame, sweet and spicy sauce?

Synonym: 炒麵

Reference: https://amp.lihkg.com/thread/4150389/page/1

Definition: A more subtle way for Hong Kongers to refer to the undergarment worn by women, as the Cantonese equivalent term '胸圍' may sound too explicit and embarrassing in mentioning the female's body part.

Usage: E.g. 哎呀，我今日唔記得左載bra添。

Synonym: 胸圍

Reference: https://www.lib.eduhk.hk/pure-data/pub/201902353/201902353_1.pdf

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to avoid the use of sensitive negative vocabulary when they want to describe a situation where there can be anger or resentment involved when disagreement happens.

Usage: E.g. A: 雖然我地達唔到共識，但係大家都唔好有hard feeling, ok? B: OK，明白。 (A: Even though we did not reach a consensus, we should not have any hard feelings okay? B: Okay, understood.) E.g. A: 雖然我地達唔到共識，但係大家都唔好有怨恨, ok? B: 講咩呀你？我幾時有怨恨？！ (A: Even though we did not reach a consensus, we should not have any resentment okay? B: What are you talking about? When did I have resentment?!)

Synonym: 憤怒, 怨恨, 不快

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3777161/page/1

Definition: A code-mixing filler term used by westernised Hong Kongers when they don't really find the other person's topic is all that interesting in a conversation.

Usage: E.g. A: 我平時鍾意寫app，去語言交流免費教人廣東話。B: 哦，interesting, interesting... (A: I like writing apps and going to language exchange to volunteer teaching people Cantonese regularly. B: Oh, interesting, interesting...) E.g. 我見外國人成日都用interesting 黎答人，仲要面無表情，會唔會係根本interesting 係外國一直都只係解： 哦⋯⋯. (I often see foreigners use 'interesting' as a response in a conversation, but without facial expression. Could it be that 'interesting' merely means like 'oh....' from a foreigner's perspective?)

Synonym: 很有趣, 哦

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1047783/page/1

Definition: (textspeak) Transliterated from '無啦啦', this is a Kongish code-mixing term that is used as an adverb to describe something that happened suddenly and unexpectedly.

Usage: E.g. Kui mo la la da ngo! Chi jor sin! (佢無啦啦打我！痴左線！)

Synonym: 無啦啦