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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


666 results found

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

gweilo

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a common code-mixing slang term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a western male person, which is transliterated from '鬼佬', meaning 'ghost man'.

Usage: E.g. Try talking to the gweilo to practice your English!

Synonym: 鬼佬

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gweilo

handle

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers like to use when talking about work, as the Cantonese equivalent terms may denote a higher responsibility.

Usage: E.g. 呢件事你handle可以嗎?(處理) E.g. 咁多功課hand唔handle到呀?(應付) E.g. 公司既財政邊個handle架?(負責)

hang

Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers use to refer to computer that has become unresponsive, due to a halt or freeze.

Usage: E.g. 部電腦新買架喎,咁易hang機?! E.g. 係咪唔夠RAM所以hang左呀?

Synonym: 當機

Happy birthday

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers who want to wish a person to really take the time in enjoying themselves on their birthday rather than being '快樂', which literally translates to 'fast pleasure'.

Usage: E.g. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to 巴打 (brother). Happy birthday to youuuuuu.

Synonym: 生日快樂

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3359244/page/1

hard feeling

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

headcount

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers as a more technical and corporate way of referring to the number of employees in a company because '人數' sounds too everyday in Cantonese like when getting enough people to play Mahjong together.

Usage: E.g. 大家公司最近咩環境 有冇freeze headcount? (How is everybody's company doing recently? Any company is freezing headcount?)

Synonym: 人數

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3674159/page/1

heavy

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use to describe the feeling of eating too much.

Usage: E.g. 食完打邊爐再飲咖啡會好heavy。

Synonym: 好腬

hello

Definition: Often pronounced as 'ha-lo', this is a code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers often use to greet somebody instead of '你好', which sounds too formal sometimes.

Usage: E.g. Ha-lo,我叫Peter。你叫咩名?

Synonym: 哈佬

hesitate

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to having a brief pause before acting rather than being so indecisive and not knowing what to do.

Usage: E.g. 我都覺小貴,所以hesitate緊。不過真係好靚。(I think it's a bit expensive so I am hesitating. But it's really beautiful.)

Synonym: 猶豫

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3167329/page/27

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