Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

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

Definition: A tag-switching phrase that is often overused by Fake ABC's in Hong Kong.

Usage: E.g. I can't believe it！呢隻牌子你唔係未聽過嗎？ E.g. Oh my God! 你唔係未去過呢間餐廳嘛？I can't believe it!

Synonym: 我唔相信

Reference: https://topick.hket.com/article/555250/偽ABC扮唔識中文%20網民揶揄造作

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

Definition: A code-mixing term used by a Jayden Mami to describe someone as unwilling to do something without placing a direct character judgement.

Usage: E.g. 學校啲homework完全冇做過呀Jayden。你咁lazy，媽咪angry架喇。下個月你birthday，冇得去disneyland架喇。(You have not done any homework from school, Jayden. If you are so lazy, Mami will be angry. And it's your birthday next month. I don't think we can go to Disneyland.)

Synonym: 懶惰

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXO4QiuMV4t/ (use mobile version)

Definition: This is a code-mixing term that refers to being eliminated in a competition, or being disqualified due to breaking the rules in a sports game.

Usage: E.g. 小心比球證吹罰呀。再犯多次規就foul你出局。 E.g. 我第一round interview就比人foul左喇。真係慘慘豬。

Reference: http://www.cmi.hku.hk/Ref/Article/article02/01.html

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kong HR departments like to use when they report back to candidates on their interview result, which is more objective than the Cantonese equivalent that contains the phrase ‘評價‘, which tends to give people the feeling of being evaluated or judged.

Usage: E.g. 今日收到消息話你既面試表現都係positive架。(I received news today saying that your interview result was positive.)

Synonym: 正面評價

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2492328/page/36

Definition: Often used as 'AA制' (policy), this is a code-mixing term that Hong Kongers often use to refer to paying for yourself at a meal. (Also known as 'going Dutch' in English)

Usage: E.g. 今餐AA制得唔得呀？

Synonym: 食自己, 自己比

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers when they want to describe something as too broad, vague or not specific enough without sounding too judgmental.

Usage: E.g. 啲ad永遠都寫得好general，你唔in過根本唔知人地要咩人。(The job ads are always written in such a general sense. You can never know what they are looking for unless you have been interviewed by them before.)

Synonym: 籠統

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1789393/page/34

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers as a more technical and corporate way of referring to the number of employees in a company because '人數' sounds too everyday in Cantonese like when getting enough people to play Mahjong together.

Usage: E.g. 大家公司最近咩環境 有冇freeze headcount? (How is everybody's company doing recently? Any company is freezing headcount?)

Synonym: 人數

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3674159/page/1

Definition: (vulgar) A code-mixing phrase used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to describe something that is very annoying and frustrating to the point where it causes constant trouble or inconvenience, even though it has nothing to do with someone's butt.

Usage: E.g. 之後見到Front desk同事，話果間房客係”pain in the arse”, 佢不停投訴，個個都想佢快L d check out,但佢不停extend (Then I saw my front desk colleague, saying that the guest was ”pain in the arse”. He kept complaining, and everyone wanted him to check out quickly, but he kept extending his stay at the room.)

Synonym: 令人討厭或痛苦的

Reference: https://www.threads.com/share/BBRT_1BUrh/