Define Your Term | Login
What is code-mixing? | Mission | About | Learn More | Downloads | Lecture Slides | Instagram Instagram
English | Chinese

Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


415 results found

Out bud

Definition: A code-mixing term that refers to ‘out of budget’, which is used by working class Hong Kongers in business meetings. Usage: 做project management只睇兩樣。第一就係有冇outside個scope,第二就係有冇out bud。

engineer

Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers love to use to refer to a programmer or developer especially if they are one themselves because it makes them sound like a profession. Usage: E.g. A: 你做咩IT行業? 寫program嗰D? B: 唔係。我係engineer。(What kind of IT industry are you from? Are you a programmer? B: No, I am an engineer.)Synonym: 工程師Reference: https://tecky.io/zh_Hant/blog/Programmer-分多少種-2022-23/

hiking

Definition: A code-mixing term that westernised Hong Kongers like to use to refer to the sport of walking long distances on mountains because they have gotten so used to it and see it as a hobby rather than something laborious like '行山', which literally translates to 'walk mountain'. Usage: E.g. 今個weekend去唔去hiking呀? 不如今次行遠D呀? (Do you want to go hiking this weekend? What about going on a longer trail?)Synonym: 行山Reference: https://letsgohiking.blog/

rrrrr

Definition: An ultra rhotic expression that is added onto the ending of Cantonese characters, which is adopted by Hong Kong celebrity Janice Man to create an ABC accent. Also known as 'JM tone'. Usage: E.g. 呢一區我淨係試過兩rrrrrrn間餐廳。E.g. 有時候我都幾想rrrrrn去吓旅行。Reference: https://medium.com/@atsunakai/jm-tone-%E5%8D%B3%E4%BF%82-94e3532186e1

ma ma dei

Definition: A romanised code-mixing term that is used to describe something, a person, or state as being so-so, or just okay in quality. Usage: E.g. A: How was the event? B: Ma ma dei la. E.g. A: How are you today? B: Ma ma dei la. E.g. A: What do you think of this shirt? B: I think it's ma ma dei.Synonym: 麻麻地Reference: https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-guide-hong-kong-descriptive-slang-phrases

laugh die me

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase that refers to something that is so funny that one can die from having too much laughter. Usage: E.g. Laugh die me喇!真係好搞笑呀。(笑死我)Synonym: 笑死我Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/tag/kongish/

copy

Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers like to use to refer to a duplicate of something, such as a document. Usage: E.g. 份document整多幾份copy黎呀,唔該。Synonym: 副本

act like a crab

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase that native Hong Kongers use to describe someone who is bragging about their achievements. (扮哂蟹 - baan6 saai3 haai5) Usage: E.g. A: Stop acting like a crab! You think you are better than me?!Synonym: 扮哂蟹Reference: https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-大頭蝦-big-head-prawn-language-hong-kong/

worse

Definition: A code-mixing term that is often misused by Fake ABC's in Hong Kong to refer to something of bad quality. Usage: E.g. 個湯凍嘅,真係好worse囉。Reference: https://www.hk01.com/開罐/128449/你是否-偽abc-chill-中文意思係咩-10個港人常用錯英文字

project

Definition: A generic code-mixing term that can used for a number of different items in Cantonese. Usage: E.g. 你公司近排搞緊D咩project呀?(項目) E.g. 今次呢個project搞成點呀?(研究) E.g. 你諗住下次搞d咩project呀?(計劃) E.g. 小心D呀,唔見寫住project in progress咩?(工程)Reference: https://holiday.presslogic.com/article/224449/港式-廣東話-中英夾雜-口語-香港人-搭lift-食lunch