10 random words out of 852 results
Definition: Often pronounced as ‘cummun’, this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers when they want to express how common something is without making it sound unpopular or nothing special.
Usage: E.g. 做呢個行業好common架咋。(This occupation is so common!)
Synonym: 普遍, 普通
Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/C04Br91vuJT/ (use mobile version)
Definition: Known as Kongish, this is code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to money and lots of different things.
Usage: E.g. Blow water. (吹水 - to chat casually or brag about something) E.g. Measure water. (磅水 - to give money) E.g. Return water. (回水 - to return money) E.g. Clear water. (通水 - to give secret info like a test) E.g. Draw water. (抽水 - to get profit or benefit for free) E.g. One lump of water. (一舊水 - one hundred dollars) E.g. What water? (乜水 - who the heck are you?)
Definition: A Kongish code-mixing term that local Hong Kong students use to emphasize the zero mark they got in a test or exam, which they like to honour themselves with because not only a chicken egg has the shape of the zero number, but also it has become a friendly treat that they are used to eating all the time.
Usage: E.g. Oh no! I got a zero chicken egg in my exam again!
Synonym: 零雞蛋
Reference: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/零雞蛋
Definition: A code-mixing term that refers to the car brand Mercedes-Benz
Usage: Wow! Ban¹ ci⁴ ah!
Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a restaurant located inside a school or company. However, it is worth noting that the origin of the word is from Europe and should not to be confused with ‘can-ting’ or ‘can-teng’ in Mandarin or Cantonese (餐廳), which start with the ‘ts’ sound instead of ‘k’ sound in ‘can’.
Usage: E.g. 今日好多人呀!快啲落canteen霸位啦!(There are so many people today! Let's go to the canteen to hog the seats first!)
Synonym: 飯堂; 食堂 ; 餐廳
Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSKkZbOEqPJ/ (use mobile version)
Definition: Known as Kongish and derived from '長氣', this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a friend who is always so verbose and says the same thing over and over again, like a grandma.
Usage: E.g. 喂,我頂你!唔好咁long gas得唔得呀?!(長氣)
Synonym: 長氣
Reference: https://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/2630/
Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers in the IT sector like to use to refer to the local environment of a computer.
Usage: E.g. 你要喺local試吓run個program,然後再upload上去個server到試。
Synonym: 本地
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
Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase that refers to giving irrelevant responses to questions.
Usage: E.g. A:你去邊? B:我知道。A:Nine not following eight!
Synonym: 九唔搭八
Reference: https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-nine-not-following-eight/
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