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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


396 results found

potential

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to display your level of knowledge, as if you come from higher education background. Usage: E.g. 老闆:我覺得呢個idea好有potential。快D走去落實啦。 E.g. 我覺得你個人好有potential。不過就寸左D。

people mountain people sea

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kongers to emphasize how crowded and jam-packed a place is. Usage: E.g. 同事:今日搭車返工多唔多人呀? 你:多呀,可以話係people mountain people sea呀。 E.g. 你:哇,人山人海呀!朋友:簡直係people mountain people sea啦!

Of course

Definition: A phrase used by native Hong Kongers to affirm that something is true or obvious, usually among friends and relatives in informal settings, especially with the particle 'la' in Cantonese. Usage: E.g. 朋友: 今日出街記住載口罩。 你:Of course啦! E.g. 女朋友: 哇,你好叻呀。 你:Of course啦! E.g. 男朋友: 估唔到你咁醒目。 你:Of course啦!

Never mind

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to tell someone not to worry about something anymore, even though it may not sound polite to English speakers. Usage: E.g. Never mind啦。我地下次再約。 E.g. Never mind啦。我自己搞得掂。

mind

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kongers to soften the tone when requesting for something, especially when the speaker does not want to be rejected. Usage: E.g. 你:mind唔mind我跟返呢個客? 同事:唔mind。 (你:介唔介意我跟返呢個客? 同事:介意。) E.g. 你:mind唔mind我坐喺到? 陌生人:唔mind。(你:介唔介意我坐喺到? 陌生人:介意。) E.g. 你:mind唔mind等我一陣? 老細:唔mind。 (你:介唔介意等我一陣? 老細:介意。)

make sense

Definition: A convenient English phrase used by native Hong Kongers to avoid going into negative detail about someone who does not understand you. Usage: E.g. 朋友: 喂,你講野好唔make sense喎。你:真的嗎? E.g. 我覺得你講野make sense,不過我唔係太明。 E.g. 你講野都唔make sense,廢鬼事再聽你講。

Let's say

Definition: A way to avoid sounding too imaginative when you want to suggest things that are impossible to happen. Usage: E.g. Let’s say你有日比人老粒左,你會點呢? E.g. Let’s say你考試肥佬左,你會點面對你家人? E.g. Let's say你比人打獲金,你會唔會還拖?

follow

Definition: A classic code-mixing term often used with the word 'case' to get someone to follow up on something in a professional manner.  However, it is now often associated with the 'follow' used in social media. Usage: E.g. 唔該同我follow吓個case呀。 E.g. 呢個case follow成點呀? E.g. 快D follow我個IG啦!Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

firm

Definition: A shortened term of the word 'confirm' in English, used to maximise communicative efficiency and to get the listener to confirm ASAP. Usage: E.g. 下個月個party既日期firm左未呀? E.g. 你下次個appointment firm左未呀? E.g. Firm左未呀?快D啦。

expect

Definition: A generic term for a number of different Chinese words of equivalent meaning, sometimes used to tone down your directness and also to maximise communicative efficiency. Usage: E.g. 老師: 老師唔expect你100分,不過盡左力就得喇。(要求) E.g. 朋友: 今日係我生日。我expect你都比下面掛。(預料) E.g. 我冇expect過今次考試會考成咁。(預期) E.g. 上司對你冇咩expectation,總之搞掂D野就得喇。(期望)