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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


152 results found

good good study day day up

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by Hong Kong local students to encourage others to keep studying hard and make progress every day.

Usage: E.g. My Chinese classmates often tell me to 'Good good study, day day up'. It's so catchy!

Synonym: 好好學習,天天向上

Reference: https://dw-media.tkww.hk/epaper/tkp/20091103/A25_Screen.pdf

standup meeting

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

wake up

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by a Jayden Mami when they want their children to become conscious when getting out of bed in the morning, in addition to just getting up physically as in '起身' in Cantonese.

Usage: E.g. Angus, 起身wake up喇。What time is it now? (Angus, get up and wake up. What time is it now?)

Synonym: 醒; 起身

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZhrxjDgEKu/ (use mobile version)

pick up

Definition: A code-mixing phrase that a Jayden Mami loves to use to refer to a more casual way of learning something rather than the formal way of acquiring skills and information.

Usage: E.g. Jayden呀,有時間就去pick up English啦。你唔用既話會好快forget架。(Jayden, go and pick up English when you have time. If you don't use it, you will forget it.)

Synonym: 學識; 練習

Reference: https://hk.amazingtalker.com/questions/8407

group

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to a relatively small number of people or things being put together but probably not big enough to be an organisation or entity.

Usage: E.g. 我地間公司係一個group,不如加入我地既whatsapp group再傾吓我地可以點合作?(Our company is a group. What about joining our Whatsapp group so we can talk about how we can work together?)

Synonym: 組, 組織, 集團

Reference: https://resources.ctgoodjobs.hk/article/23487/職場熱話-被迫加入廿個公司group-員工-不停彈訊息-連apple-watch都壞埋

up mud spring

Definition: A Kongish code-mixing phrase that local Hong Kong students use to ask what the heck someone is talking about. Even though it looks like a westernised expression, spring actually refers to testicles and is quite rude when used as an expression.

Usage: E.g. Ho lun dor jargon ar. Up mud spring ar? (So many f***ing jargon. What the testicles are you saying?)

Synonym: 噏乜春

Reference: https://www.hk01.com/熱爆話題/364993/konglish瘋狂洗版-ga-yau係點解-即睇港式英語大測試

sup sup sui

Definition: A romanised code-mixing phrase that westernised Hong Kongers use to refer to an easy task, which is equivalent to 'piece of cake' in English.

Usage: E.g. A: Thanks for helping me out! B: No problem! Sup sup sui la!

Synonym: 濕濕碎

Reference: https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-guide-hong-kong-descriptive-slang-phrases

9up

Definition: (textspeak) Derived from '狗噏' meaning 'dog uttering', this is a Kongish code-mixing term that refers to talking non-sense, like bullsh*t. It is also often pronounced as '鳩噏' as a vulgar expression.

Usage: E.g. Stop 9up and bragging about your achievements all the time! (唔好成日喺到鳩噏車大炮啦!)

Synonym: 狗噏, 鳩噏

Reference: https://evchk.fandom.com/zh/wiki/9up

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing idiom used by native Hong Kongers to describe someone who refuses to concede despite knowing that they made the mistake in the first place. '死雞撐飯蓋' can also be shortened to '死撐' sometimes.

Usage: E.g. You know you've done wrong! Stop being like a dead chicken propping up the rice cooker lid!

Synonym: 死雞撐飯蓋

Reference: https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-popular-cantonese-idioms

pull a cow up the tree

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase used by native Hong Kongers to describe strenuous tasks that are almost impossible to complete.

Usage: E.g. Getting my son to do homework is like pulling a cow up the tree!

Synonym: 拉牛上樹

Reference: https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-popular-cantonese-idioms

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