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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


10 random words out of 910 results

burger

Definition: A code-mixing term used by upper class Hong Kongers who have quite an expectation towards the price of a hamburger.

Usage: E.g. 你一個垃圾burger,要人畀過百蚊,根本冇可能長做長有。(Expecting people to pay over one hundred dollars for a trash burger is not sustainable in the long term.)

Synonym: 漢堡

Reference: https://www.edigest.hk/投資熱話/富二代-鍾培生-fiveguys-執笠-ed01-1934440/2/

fall country fall city

Definition: Derived from the idiom '傾國傾城', this is a Kongish code-mixing phrase used to describe women that are so devastatingly beautiful that they can make a country or city fall.

Usage: E.g. The girls in this club are so fall country fall city!

Synonym: 傾國傾城

firm

Definition: A shortened term of the word 'confirm' in English, used to maximise communicative efficiency and to get the listener to confirm ASAP.

Usage: E.g. 下個月個party既日期firm左未呀? E.g. 你下次個appointment firm左未呀? E.g. Firm左未呀?快D啦。

body

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to the visually appealing exterior of something, such as the figure of a person.

Usage: E.g. 2023年落選港姐郭珮文,參選時憑著驕人的35C身材獲封「最強Body」(Juliana Kwok, a Miss Hong Kong contestant in 2023, was dubbed the "Ultimate Body" during the competition thanks to her impressive 35C figure.)

Synonym: 身體

Reference: https://www.stheadline.com/film-drama/3585362

no eye see

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase that refers to something that is like an eyesore to oneself because he or she cannot withstand it anymore.

Usage: E.g. 你地做成日都打爛野。我真係no eye see喇。(冇眼睇)

Synonym: 冇眼睇

Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/tag/kongish/

explore

Definition: A code-mixing term that upper class Hong Kongers like to use when they want to sound like they are taking the time to choose something, rather than being so picky and indecisive.

Usage: E.g. A: 今個假期你會去邊呀?B: 我仲explore緊有咩options。(A: Where will you go this holiday? B: I am still exploring options.)

Synonym: 探索

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@christineknlau/post/DSXI_fNj5ES/christine呀我份工其實唔錯但總覺得缺少啲嘢-最近好多人同我講類似嘅話人工ok但冇挑戰性同事nice但冇growth公司穩定但好悶呢種感覺我稱之為care

class

Definition: This is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to social class.  However, it is often pronounced as 'car' or 'car屎' by grassroot class Hong Kongers.

Usage: E.g. 喂呢間餐廳好high car屎喎。 E.g. 今日洗唔洗著到咁high car屎呀? E.g. 唔好成日扮到咁high car啦。中左六合彩咩?

Synonym: 階層

unjoy

Definition: A code-mixing term that the Hong Kong celebrity '肥媽' like to use to refer to enjoying oneself on the stage by shaking along music or rhythm.

Usage: E.g. 上到舞台一定要unjoy!

no show

Definition: A noun phrase-looking code-mixing verb that native Hong Kongers use to refer to someone who did not turn up at an event or occasion.

Usage: E.g. 大日子遲到同no show無分別 (On an important occasion, there is no difference between being late and not showing up.)

Synonym: 冇到, 缺席

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3844386/page/9

common sense

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。

Synonym: 常識

Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

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