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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


575 results found

Giorgio Armarni

Definition: Known as JM tone and pronounced with an extra 'r' in Armani, this is a code-mixing term used by Hong Kong celebrity Janice Man to refer to the Italian fashion designer and brand.

Usage: E.g.「嚟到GoRgio ARmaRni(Giorgio Armani)嘅show嘅現場…」馬米高聽到一臉疑惑︰「Hello Girl!你去咗冒牌現場啊? Giorgio Arrr讀到呢度都啱,但係咪ar-MARNI?冇R喎!」(Janice Man: "Arriving at the live show of Giorgio ArmaRni..." Michael Ma heard and suspected: "Hello Girl! Did you go to the fake brand's live show? Giorgio Arrr is pronounced correctly, but is it ar-MARNI? There is no R there!)

Synonym: 喬治·亞曼尼, Giorgio Armani

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVyay3rgqtf/?igsh=MWU0bGlyajBnM3B5OQ== (use mobile version)

go through

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to examining something in detail.

Usage: E.g. 老闆:開會時記住同大家go through一下今個week既items。

Reference: https://www.story001.com/post-196.html

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

good job

Definition: A code-mixing term used by grassroots class Hong Kongers to refer to how thoroughly cooked a steak is, which is equivalent to ‘well done’ in native English.

Usage: E.g. 個鬼佬轉另轉頭問我: whatxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx? 我好自豪 充滿自信 大大聲答: GOOD JOB!! 個鬼佬就呆哂 唔明我無啦啦做乜講GOOD JOB咁 女友見到 即刻幫我答:WELL DONE (The western waiter then asked me: whatxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx? I was proud and confident and answered loudly: GOOD JOB! The western waiter was speechless and didn't understand why I said good job. When my girlfriend saw this, she immediately helped me answer: WELL DONE)

Synonym: 全熟

Reference: https://amp.lihkg.com/thread/561255/page/1

guarantee

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer more specifically to the legal promises made by a company, especially in a contract or agreement.

Usage: E.g. bonus guarantee 有3個月?有d 公司好仆街係咪都話生意唔好減咁d 架wor (Is it guaranteed to have 3 months of bonus? Some companies are really an epic fail and say their business is not doing good then lower your salary.)

Synonym: 保證

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2863234/page/3

Gut屎

Definition: Often added with a '屎' (faeces), this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to having enough courage or confidence.

Usage: 你有gut屎嘅話就跟埋嚟博一舖。(If you have the courage, make a bet with me.)

Synonym: 膽量

harsh

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong local students to refer to the quality of being rough or even unkind, in addition to being strict in following rules or standards.

Usage: E.g. 個professor好charm啊,但係有少少harsh... (The professor is very charming, but is a little harsh.)

Synonym: 嚴格; 嚴厲

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/86453/page/4

hea

Definition: Being lazy or doing something carelessly

Usage: 好hea咁做的,都唔係花好多時間,又比人話hea (Doing something in a very 'hea' kind of way is like not spending a lot of time on it. Then I get told off being 'hea' again.)

Synonym: 偷懶; 隨便咁做野

I don't know

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by the K-pop singer Jackson Wang (王嘉爾) when he has nothing to say. Even though he was born in Hong Kong, it is often said that he has real American Born Chinese vibe, due to his strong knowledge of English filler terms while speaking in Cantonese.

Usage: E.g. 我從運動員到練習生到出道,去海外,我自己覺得我係捱到既。但係有時呢D咁既野真係hit到我,我真係...i don't know. (From being an athlete to a trainee to debut then overseas, I always thought I could endure. But when there were things that hit me sometimes, I really just... I don't know.)

Synonym: 我唔知

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-73ZG8G2s

I don’t know

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by native Hong Kongers in the 1990's in a schoolyard joke rhyme with absurd religious crossover.

Usage: E.g. I don't know,食鬆糕,食完鬆糕變耶穌,耶穌教我念聖經,我教耶穌念佛經,耶穌話我唔正經,我話耶穌發神經。(I don't know, I'll eat sponge cake; after eating it, I'll turn into Jesus. Jesus teaches me to recite the Bible, and I teach Jesus to recite Buddhist sutras. Jesus says I'm not being serious, and I tell Jesus he's gone mad.)

Synonym: 我唔知

Reference: https://www.hk01.com/article/830396?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=01appshare

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