Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

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

Usage: E.g. 你讀邊間U架？ E.g. 我好想入呢間U呀！

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

Definition: A code-mixing term that overseas educated Hong Kongers use to refer to the kind of lawyer occupation that mostly deals with documents but actually goes to court proceedings at times.

Usage: E.g. A: 你係咪做solicitor? 咁咪唔洗上court? B: 都要上court架，少啲咋麻。(A: Are you a solictor? Does that mean you don't need to go to court? B: I need to go to court, but relatively less.)

Synonym: 事務律師

Reference: https://cph-legal.com/2022/03/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-at-a-law-firm/

Definition: An Englishised code-mixing term made popular by the phrase '一齊企硬唔Take嘢' (Stand firm together and don't take drugs), which was a slogan used by an anti-drug campaign launched by the Security Bureau in Hong Kong and is now imitated by many companies to sell their own products.

Usage: E.g. 一齊企硬eat車仔麵。(Stand firm together and eat cart noodles.)

Synonym: 企硬

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWFz2k6GXcF/ (use mobile version)

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers often use to refer to the Cantonese equivalent '使用者'.

Usage: E.g. 同完個user傾好要咩feature未呀？ E.g. 喺user既角度，呢個係一個bug。

Synonym: 使用者

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to exploiting the use of something, even though at times it can seem more like abusing or misusing something instead.

Usage: E.g. 有D公司好take advantage D fresh grad，要你做唔哂野要OT。(Some companikes really take advantage of fresh graduates and get them to work overtime.) E.g. 有D員工好take advantage公司D病假。(Some employees really take advantage of the sick leaves offered by companies.)

Synonym: 利用, 濫用

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3588289/page/6

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to the time period up to now without sounding so formal and elegant in social situations.

Usage: E.g. So far我覺得呢間餐廳幾好食, 但係service有D差囉。(So far I think the food in this restaurant is quite good, but the service is a little bad.)

Synonym: 目前為止, 至今

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/3926896/page/1

Definition: A posh way of saying that you admire someone's work or effort, in order to show your high social status or higher education background.

Usage: E.g. 我好appreciate你個idea. Well done. E.g. 我好appreciate你做既野。不過，你都唔可以迫我accept你個apology。

Synonym: 欣賞

Definition: A code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers as a more natural and effortless way to ask for another person's contact number to their mobile phone list.

Usage: E.g. 我唔係識左你好耐，不過可唔可以add左你先呀？(I haven't known you for long, but may I add you first?) E.g. 其實ig D女狂add 人係為左咩？(Why on earth are the girls on Instagram adding people wildly?)

Synonym: 加

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2309015/page/1

Definition: Often expressed as two separate words ‘cheese’ and ‘cake’, this is a code-mixing term used by upper class Hong Kongers who have more than a regular habit of going to Starbucks or Pacific Coffee to eat cheesecake.

Usage: E.g. A: 唔該，我想要十個blueberry cheeeeese cake. B: 唔好意思，冇咁多個。(Excuse me, may I have ten blueberry cheesecakes? B: I’m sorry, but there aren’t that many.)

Synonym: 芝士蛋糕

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/760451/page/1

Definition: A fancy way of saying 'so' or 'therefore' in Cantonese and to tone down the causal relationship between two items.

Usage: E.g. 係喇，你都冇同我講。That’s why我今次冇預到你份。 E.g. 你都冇比錢我。That's why我冇幫你買戲飛。