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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


572 results found

show off

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers often use instead of '炫耀', which sounds too formal to be used in conversation.  Also used as 'show qualie' sometimes. Usage: E.g. 唔好成日係到show off啦。知道你勁喇。E.g. 成日講野都夾雜英文。你喺到show qualie呀?

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

channel

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers like to use to refer to the language channel that one is speaking in. Usage: E.g. 做咩成日轉channel講英文呀?你喺到扮ABC呀? E.g. 咪住。等我轉一轉channel講返中文先。

vely good

Definition: Often pronounced as 'vely gud', this is a code-mixing expression that grassroots Hong Kongers like to use when they cannot think of any other way to complement or give praise to something.  'Vely' (very) can also be used with other words such as 'delicious', even though delicious already denotes the meaning of excellence in food quality. Usage: E.g. 哇,今次做得好。Vely gud! E.g. 哇,D牛扒真係vely delicious呀!

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)

cut

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to refer to hanging up the phone. Usage: E.g. 又cut我電話?咩事呀? E.g. 呢D sales再打黎cut佢線得架喇。Reference: https://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/tc/item/cuhk-321644

facial

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to refer to getting a facial treatment. Usage: E.g. 日日做facial塊面先至靚架麻。 E.g. 做緊facial咪鬼打黎啦。Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

puppy love

Definition: An irreplaceable code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to refer to the kind of love relationship that one can get while being a teenager or kid. Usage: E.g. 咁細個就談戀愛?Puppy love呀? E.g. 唔好成日掛住puppy love啦。讀好D書先啦。Reference: https://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/tc/item/cuhk-321644

camel

Definition: Pronounced as 'cam-mell' and criticised as Fake ABC English, this is a code-mixing term used by celebrity Janice man to refer to the animal 'camel'. Usage: E.g. 其實我自己好鍾意cam-mell色既,真係好似D駱駝色既,有少少泥色既。Reference: https://medium.com/@girlslearnenglish/你說話會中英夾雜嗎-被-污名化-的中英夾雜-why-code-mixing-is-totally-fine-32eb1f280ca

high tea

Definition: A code-mixing term that upper class Hong Kongers love to use to refer to ‘下午茶’, which is afternoon tea. Usage: E.g. 今日下晝有冇時間high tea呀? E.g. High唔high tea呀你? (下午茶)Synonym: 下午茶