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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


873 results found

blow water

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing term that refers to chatting casually or bragging about something.

Usage: E.g. 收皮啦!唔好再blow water!

Synonym: 吹水

Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/tag/kongish/

boil telephone congee

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase that native Hong Kongers use to refer to talking on the phone for hours. (煲電話粥)

Usage: E.g. Stop boiling telephone congee with your friend every day!

Synonym: 煲電話粥

Reference: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/hong-kong/articles/8-colloquialisms-unique-to-cantonese

bonus

Definition: A chic-sounding code-mixing term that refers to year-end bonus (花紅) in Cantonese.

Usage: E.g. 你間公司今個年尾有bonus嗎?

Synonym: 花紅

Reference: https://aclanthology.org/O09-5003.pdf

boss

Definition: Often pronounced as '波士', this is a more polite sounding code-mixing term that Hong Kongers often use to refer to '老闆', especially when working in a corporate company.

Usage: E.g. 做波士就好啦。我地呢班打工仔一世做奴隸。

Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

bra

Definition: A more subtle way for Hong Kongers to refer to the undergarment worn by women, as the Cantonese equivalent term '胸圍' may sound too explicit and embarrassing in mentioning the female's body part.

Usage: E.g. 哎呀,我今日唔記得左載bra添。

Synonym: 胸圍

Reference: https://www.lib.eduhk.hk/pure-data/pub/201902353/201902353_1.pdf

bro

Definition: A code-mixing term that real ABC's like to use to show how easygoing they can be.

Usage: E.g. Hey bro!不如一齊食飯啦? E.g. Hey bro!放工一齊打波呀?

Synonym: 兄弟

By the way

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by native Hong Kongers to avoid seeming as if you have almost forgotten to mention something.

Usage: E.g. By the way, 你可唔可以幫我搞掂埋呢份proposal? E.g. By the way, 你今晚幾時得閒呀?

Synonym: 順便講

Cafe Pacific

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong aunties to refer to the Cathay Pacific airlines. However, it may have nothing to do with Cathay being a cafe.

Usage: E.g. A: 你搭咩航空? B: Cafe Pacific囉。

Synonym: 國泰

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRCavrZCNbZ/?igsh=MTNmNHJmNGtmOG4xZw== (use mobile version)

call

Definition: This is an lot more linguistically efficient way of saying the Cantonese equivalent '打電話', which has 3 long syllables.

Usage: E.g. 可以兒家call你嗎? E.g. 我尋日call爆你機都唔聽。你去左邊呀?

Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

caltor

Definition: Pronounced with a rising tone on the second syllable, this is a code-mixing term that refers to 'calculator'.  Also used as 'cal機' sometimes.

Usage: E.g. 唔該借個cal機比我呀? E.g. 試下用caltor check吓個answer。

Synonym: 計數機

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uik5GWvXiLA&t=210s

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