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


10 random words out of 681 results

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。

security

Definition: Pronounced as 'sik-q', this is a code-mixing term used to refer to the security staff of a building. Usage: E.g. 同我快D叫'食Q'黎!

pass

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers like to use instead of '通過'.  Sometimes, it is pronounced as 'pass-si'. Usage: E.g. 今次考試pa唔pass呀? E.g. 我今次pass-si呀!仲好高分添!Synonym: 通過Reference: https://www.studocu.com/hk/document/city-university-of-hong-kong/world-englishes/lecture-3-city-university-of-hong-kongen5714-world-englishes-and-the-social-context-of/20063922

imagine

Definition: A code-mixing term used by local Hong Kong students when they want to avoid sounding too unrealistic when giving an example to illustrate a point. Usage: E.g. Imagine 你嘅英文好差,但係入咗英文中學,考試嗰陣第一步係要將全部唔識嘅英文轉做中文睇 (Imagine your English were very poor, but you entered an English secondary school. Then you had to read all the English like you read Chinese during the exams.)Synonym: 幻想Reference: https://www.threads.com/@shc.sky_903/post/DTdra9mkzdQ?xmt=AQF0-Ws357d_MFFUTUJO5WSCyunIf9vLyvu-aYt8Xozsek2mL71adEzGvSmHr3CNFlNH3LGn&slof=1

out cat

Definition: Said to have originated from 'copycat' in English, this is a Kongish code-mixing phrase that refers to someone who cheats or copies other people's answers in an exam. (出貓) Usage: E.g. Don't dare to bring out the cat in an exam! (唔好咁大擔考試出貓!)Synonym: 出貓Reference: https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/article/3181508/cat-got-your-tongue-feline-inspired-cantonese-slang-all-kinds

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

show me your love rice

Definition: Translated from the punning of ‘粟米肉粒飯’ (shuk mai yuk lup fan), this is a Kongish code-mixing term that refers to a rice dish with creamed corn and pork served in Hong Kong Cha Chaan Tang restaurants. Usage: E.g. Excuse me, may I have a ‘show me your love rice’?Synonym: 粟米肉粒飯Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/2019/11/12/kongish-a-new-language-of-hong-kongers/

wok

Definition: Known as Kongish and derived from the bowl-shaped Chinese frying pan '鑊' (wok), this is a measure word that is often used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a number of different bad situations. Usage: E.g. Big wok! (大鑊 - big trouble has occurred) E.g. Big wok explosion! (爆大鑊 - someone revealed a big secret) E.g. Carry wok. (孭鑊 - To take the blame for someone) E.g. Slip a wok. (跣一鑊 - To set somebody up for some trouble) E.g. To make you a wok. (整你一鑊 - To give someone a trouble) E.g. Let's be cooked together in a wok! (同你一鑊熟 - To get someone else into the same trouble as you)Synonym: 鑊Reference: https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-big-wok-%E5%A4%A7%E9%91%8A-language/

dry

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use to describe someone or something as dull and boring such as having no relationship, which definitely has nothing to do with 'dry dating' in native English. Usage: E.g. 我近排冇拖拍好dry呀。(I recently haven't been dating, so dry!) E.g. 唔好成日自己一個人咁dry啦。(Don't be always by yourself, so dry!)Synonym: 沒新鮮感,很無聊,枯燥乏味Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtwE7IA18CY&t=50s

eye degrees

Definition: A Kongish code-mixing term that local Hong Kong students use to refer to the extent someone is shortsighted in degree units. Usage: E.g. You are shortsighted? What is your eye degrees?Synonym: prescription, diopters, 度數Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBmy095Db9U&t=190s