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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


926 results found

pattern

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers like to use instead of '圖案'.

Usage: E.g. 件衫個pattern幾靚喎。喺邊到買架? E.g. 同學:喂,你覺得每次D MC題目會有咩pattern呀?

Synonym: 圖案

peng di

Definition: A romanised Cantonese phrase used by foreigners to bargain in a wet market, in order to get a bigger deal or low price. A 'la' is also usually added at the end for emphasis.

Usage: E.g. This is fifty dollars? Peng di la!

Synonym: 平D

Reference: https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/travel/basic-cantonese-phrases-every-traveller-to-hong-kong-needs-to-know

PK

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to refer to the Cantonese swear word '仆街', which literally translates to 'trip on the street'.

Usage: E.g. 聽日交唔到貨就PK喇! E.g. 玩我?! 你個PK!

point

Definition: A more polite way to refer to a person's standpoint, as the Cantonese equivalent term '點', meaning a dot, can refer to a woman's breast.

Usage: E.g. 男人:喂,我真係好唔明你個point喎!女人:唔緊要。我慢慢解釋比你聽。 E.g. 男人:喂,我真係好唔明你個點喎!女人:你話我邊點呀?唔好性騷擾喎!

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

Pokemon card

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers who are obsessed with the Pokemon trading card game that they are willing to collect and resell pokemon cards of the highest values.

Usage: E.g. 藍田站交收 20 萬 Pokemon Card 慘被搶。(A man was robbed while exchanging $200,000 worth of Pokemon Cards at Lam Tin Station.)

Synonym: 精靈寶可夢 (China), 神奇寶貝 (Taiwan), 寵物小精靈 (Hong Kong), ポケモンカードゲーム (Japan)

Reference: https://ezone.hk/article/20085941/藍田站交收-萬-pokemon-card-慘被搶去卡錢盡失-網民嘲-咁貴都唔出閘面交/1

pool

Definition: A code-mixing term that refers to getting out of the singles' pool so that you are finally dating someone!

Usage: E.g. 我平時咁宅,估唔到有一日會出pool。

post

Definition: A more informal and linguistically efficient way of saying the Cantonese equivalent term '上傳'. Often pronounced as 'po' instead of 'post'.

Usage: E.g. 喂,你今次po張相好鬼靚喎。

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。

prefer

Definition: A code-mixing term by native Hong Kongers to avoid saying the word 'like' in order to sound more professional in formal situations, or to avoid sounding biased when you like one item more than another.

Usage: E.g. 你prefer今星期邊一日interview呀? E.g. 你prefer幾點睇戲呀? E.g. 我prefer佢個idea多D。

Synonym: 比較喜歡

present

Definition: An irreplaceable code-mixing term meaning to deliver a speech, as saying the Cantonese equivalent term '匯報' would sound too old school and non-colloquial.

Usage: E.g. 你幾時要present呀? E.g. 今次份assignment難唔難present呀?

Reference: https://www.academia.edu/8666953/Common_usage_of_code-mixing_among_trilingual_Hong_Kongers

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