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

Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


10 random words out of 910 results

db

Definition: A code-mixing word that working class Hong Kongers love to use to refer to '資料庫' in the IT sector. Also see 'database'.

Usage: E.g. 連得到個db未? 定係connect唔到呢?

Synonym: 資料庫

work hard play hard

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by overseas educated Hong Kongers who suspect that Hong Kongers should think equally more about playing hard than just working hard in order to achieve work life balance.

Usage: E.g. 林作:個個都講work hard play hard,work life balance。其實work hard我都懷疑好多香港人都已經做到,但係play hard係咪真係做到? (Jo Lam: Everyone talks about work hard play hard and work life balance. In fact, I suspect many Hong Kong people can already 'work hard', but what about 'play hard'?)

Synonym: 努力工作,盡情玩樂

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@jolamchok/post/DZ7vZQvEu-N?xmt=AQG0CXq4cs_lvE9lalZblnSIMOpYE8FFkxn2iPI5ppvBkQgGVDW4mGrHcOZJpC5yTFDRogoV&slof=1

guarantee

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer more specifically to the legal promises made by a company, especially in a contract or agreement.

Usage: E.g. bonus guarantee 有3個月?有d 公司好仆街係咪都話生意唔好減咁d 架wor (Is it guaranteed to have 3 months of bonus? Some companies are really an epic fail and say their business is not doing good then lower your salary.)

Synonym: 保證

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2863234/page/3

cover

Definition: (verb) A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers when they ask whether one has enough money for expense rather than having sufficient money itself.

Usage: E.g. 今個月cov唔cover到租金? (Can you cover the rent this month?)

Synonym: 足夠支付

Reference: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/zht/詞典/英語-漢語-繁體/cover

native

Definition: A code-mixing term that refers to someone who was born or grew up in a particular country, which Hong Kongers find it a lot more convenient to use than the Cantonese equivalent words because it requires much less linguistic effort.

Usage: E.g. 你係唔係native speaker黎架?(講本國語既人) E.g. 你D英文係咪native架?(純正本土口音)

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

gas

Definition: Often used as '嘥gas', this is a code-mixing term that is used by native Hong Kongers to refer to wasting one's efforts.

Usage: E.g. 你唔洗嘥gas,佢唔會聽你講。

Synonym: 嘥gas,白費功夫

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW0x5-SyI4o

receiver

Definition: A code-mixing term that local Hong Kongers use to refer to a small wireless unit that is plugged into a computer’s USB port for receiving signals for a keyboard or mouse.

Usage: E.g. 有冇見過我個receiver? 我好似唔見左。

Synonym: 接收器

skiiing / snowboarding

Definition: A pair of code-mixing terms that native Hong Kongers like to use to refer to the sport of gliding over snow because it is simply way too tiring having to tell the other person which one you are talking about if you just say ‘滑雪‘ in Cantonese, which has a literal meaning of 'glide snow'.

Usage: E.g. 我好鍾意滑雪。B:不過請問係skiing定係snowboarding? (A: I really like gliding snow. B: But do you mean skiing or snowboarding?)

Synonym: 滑雪

Reference: https://www.baby-kingdom.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=12744670

suppose

Definition: A generic term for a number of equivalent Cantonese words used to avoid absolute certainty.

Usage: E.g. 件貨suppose今日到。(預期-expectedly/predictably) E.g. 我suppose你係岩既。 (假設-guess) E.g. 警察係suppose要保護市民。 (應該-should)

assignment

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kong students use to refer to '功課'.

Usage: E.g. 喂,聽日交assignment呀,仲係到做咩呀?! E.g. 呢份assignment可以借黎參考嗎?

Synonym: 功課

Reference: http://www.patrickchu.net/uploads/9/0/5/3/9053324/2007_free_ppt.pdf

Define Your Term | Learn More
Feel free to send your comments and suggestions to info@megaexplorer.net.