10 random words out of 681 results
Definition: Derived from the Chinese term '內卷' and often translated as 'involution', this is an Englishised code-mixing term that describes an economic situation where excessive competition does not lead to development and innovation. This may lead to people feeling stressed, anxious, and trapped, as the two characters mean 'inside rolling'.
Usage: E.g. I'm stuck in the rat race! I'm so tired of competing with everyone just to climb the career ladder!Synonym: 內卷Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjTg1G8rpVc
Definition: Often pronounced as ‘ah-lo’, this is a code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use to refer to the letter ‘r’. Even though some Hong Kongers are aware of the prestigious ‘r’ that is pronounced rhotically, most of them choose not to say it in social situations because it sounds too pretentious like a fake American born Chinese.
Usage: E.g. 去日本旅行要搭JR。(Going on vacation in Japan needs taking the J Ah-lo.)
E.g. 請問MTR喺邊到? (May I ask where is the M-tee-ah-lo?)Synonym: Ah-lo
Definition: A code-mixing term that only upper class Hong Kongers know how to use to refer to a meal where people serve themselves the food because of the French origin of the word which makes it so hard to pronounce properly.
Usage: E.g. A: 放假不如食buffet呀？B: 你指蒲飛？(A: What about eating buffet during holiday? B: You mean po-fei?)Synonym: 蒲飛Reference: https://hk.news.yahoo.com/生日飯-餐廳-推介-推薦-生日餐廳-235652146.html
Definition: A term that seems to originate from the English culture and can hardly be replaced by the Cantonese equivalent term '常識'.
Usage: E.g. 喂，你咁快就落搭，有冇common sense架？
E.g. 一睇就知係搵笨啦，你有冇common sense架？
E.g. 你好似有常識，不過冇common sense。Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk
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)
Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by the K-pop singer Jackson Wang (王嘉爾) when he has nothing to say. Even though he was born in Hong Kong, it is often said that he has real American Born Chinese vibe, due to his strong knowledge of English filler terms while speaking in Cantonese.
Usage: E.g. 我從運動員到練習生到出道，去海外，我自己覺得我係捱到既。但係有時呢D咁既野真係hit到我，我真係...i don't know. (From being an athlete to a trainee to debut then overseas, I always thought I could endure. But when there were things that hit me sometimes, I really just... I don't know.)Synonym: 我唔知Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-73ZG8G2s
Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to a person who is a yellow-skinned Asian but speaks English very well. I.e. Yellow on the outside but white on the inside like a bamboo stick. (竹升)
Usage: E.g. Please don’t treat me like a bamboo stick! (竹升) I know how to speak Chinese!Synonym: 竹升
Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers use to refer to the initial stage in a process, such as an interview. At other times, it is also used for the describing the first in a set of social events, such as drinks and dinner.
Usage: E.g. First round既interview會幾簡單。Second round先會問你深入D既問題。(The first round interview will be very simple. The second round will be more in-depth.)
E.g. 我今晚唔join first round喇。Second round先再join你地。(I am not going to join first round tonight. But I will join the second round.)Synonym: 第一輪Reference: https://www.threads.com/@hkcareerstory/post/C97oprFSuDw
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