Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

Definition: A code-mixing term used by all sorts of Hong Kongers to refer to the popular trading card game called Magic the Gathering.

Usage: E.g. A: 打唔打magic呀? B: 等我整吓我個deck先再同你揪。(A: Do you want to play magic? B: Let me sort out my deck first before I dual with you.)

Synonym: Magic the Gathering, 魔法風雲會

Reference: https://magic.wizards.com/zh-Hant

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to the numerical maximum and minimum of something such as salary, rather than something like an area or three dimensional.

Usage: E.g. expected salary寫左一個range(20-23k) 依個range hr話ok 但冇同我講offer最後會出幾錢 (I wrote 20 to 30k for expected salary and the human resources department said it was okay, but they did not tell me how much the offer would be at the end.)

Synonym: 薪酬範圍

Reference: https://www.threads.com/share/BBJcLB6BK2/

Definition: A code-mixing term that westernised Hong Kongers often use when they are excited to hear about another person's experience(s) in something, as the term is also countable as opposed to the Cantonese equivalent term.

Usage: E.g. 可以同大家share吓你既travelling experiences嗎? (Could you share your travelling experiences with all of us?)

Synonym: 經驗

Reference: https://urbanpixxels.com/best-things-to-do-in-hong-kong/

Definition: Pronounced as 'shalup', this is a code-mixing term used to tell somebody to shut up immediately.

Usage: E.g. 好鬼嘈呀！快D shalup啦！ E.g. 同學：Shalup！老師就快到喇！

Synonym: 收聲

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by upper class Hong Kongers to refer to the all sorts of time spent with one's family, which aren't necessarily quality time but rather for the purposes of occasion.

Usage: E.g. 節日就黎到，記住唔好去旅行，留返啲時間一齊食飯同family time。(Holiday is coming. Remember not to go travelling but spare some time eating a meal together and having family time.)

Synonym: 家庭時間

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3704109/page/10

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers like to use to refer to remaining in a place for a short period of time but don’t plan to live for a long time.

Usage: E.g. 你近排去韓國stay左幾耐？(How long did you stay in Korea recently?) E.g. 可唔可以去你屋企stay幾個月？(May I stay at your home for several months?)

Synonym: 逗留

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@sammy.goew/post/DSP4G9Zkqqb/請問有冇香港人會喺曼谷stay多幾日是咁的我開場前寄存咗我部dji同腳架但係我走咗先醒起而寄存點依家已經閂咗-我又今晚機走求好心人幫我取回薄酬

Definition: A code-mixing term used by upper class Hong Kong girls to refer to any sort of dishonest behaviour by men that is unforgivable.

Usage: E.g. 所以當我上網見到啲人寫嗰啲咩唔願意共咩苦，唔係我唔肯共患難，唔係我唔同甘共苦喎，而家係……佢cheat喎！(So when I saw some people's comments on the internet saying that we were not willing to share our suffering, it's not that I refused to share the hardships, it's not that I didn't share the joys and sorrows. It's that... he cheated!)

Synonym: 欺騙

Reference: https://www.hk01.com/即時娛樂/60360165/jw剖白被背叛仍硬食拜金標籤真相-痛斥網絡風氣-永遠女仔就係雞?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=01appshare

Definition: A shortened code-mixing term that refers to 'dancing society'.

Usage: E.g. 同學：你參加左咩so呀？你：dan so囉。內地學生：什麼？你：唔好意思。係dancing society呀。

Synonym: 跳舞學會

Definition: (vulgar, textspeak) A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to describe someone who's idiotic and stupid. It originated from the Cantonese words '憨鳩' because the '鳩' (penis) has a similar pronunciation as the number 9 in Cantonese.

Usage: E.g. Why did you piss on me? Are you on9? (憨鳩) E.g. Don't be so on99 and watch where you're going! (憨鳩鳩)

Synonym: 憨鳩

Reference: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=28512

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers use to emphasize how much paper work needs to be done when conducting studies of a subject, rather than just merely studying as the Cantonese equivalent '研究' denotes.

Usage: E.g. 我兒家part-time喺大學做research，好忙架。(I am now part-time doing research at university, very busy.)

Synonym: 研究

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@146snk/post/DKQjVZnhSNU/香港嘅bachelor訓練根本就冇乜預你去做research所以根本唔會教你點申請mphilphd-點樣寫research-proposal-點樣approac