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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


10 random words out of 910 results

off

Definition: A more polite way of telling somebody to shut up or '收皮' in Cantonese, which means to pack their things up and leave. (Also see 'collect skin')

Usage: E.g. Off啦你,成日咁多野講。E.g. Off啦你,成日搞搞陣冇幫襯。

Reference: https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-收皮-collect-skin/

eat banana

Definition: Known as Kongish, this is a code-mixing phrase used by native Hong Kongers to tell someone to eat sh*t or cock. (食蕉)

Usage: E.g. Hahaha! You lose this game! Eat banana la!

Synonym: 食蕉

Reference: https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/16113/what-does-蕉-mean-in-cantonese

goldfish man

Definition: Known as Kongish and originated from a story where a man used to lure children by promising to buy them goldfish, this is a code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use to refer to a paedophile. (金魚佬)

Usage: E.g. Stop buying me chocolate and lure me like a goldish man!

Synonym: 金魚佬

Reference: https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/21/c10168a8-bff3-11e5-9503-d84cbca18933_486x.jpg?itok=sF-XAnJn

mood

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers often use instead of the Cantonese equivalent '心情'.

Usage: E.g. 今日出面咁多人咁迫,真係冇咩mood行街。

Synonym: 心情

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

imagine

Definition: A code-mixing term used by local Hong Kong students when they want to avoid sounding too unrealistic when giving an example to illustrate a point.

Usage: E.g. Imagine 你嘅英文好差,但係入咗英文中學,考試嗰陣第一步係要將全部唔識嘅英文轉做中文睇 (Imagine your English were very poor, but you entered an English secondary school. Then you had to read all the English like you read Chinese during the exams.)

Synonym: 幻想

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@shc.sky_903/post/DTdra9mkzdQ?xmt=AQF0-Ws357d_MFFUTUJO5WSCyunIf9vLyvu-aYt8Xozsek2mL71adEzGvSmHr3CNFlNH3LGn&slof=1

outstanding

Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers like to use to describe something that is not yet done or paid.

Usage: E.g. 依家仲有咩case係outstanding?

Synonym: 未解決

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

naughty

Definition: A code-mixing term that a Jayden Mami uses to refer to a more playful misbehaviour in a lighthearted way rather than describing a child genuinely bad and unmanageable that the Cantonese equivalent terms tend to denote.

Usage: E.g. Jayden呀,唔好再咁naughty啦。你唔食菜,又唔飲湯,你唔會healthy架!(Jayden, don't be so naughty. If you don't eat vegetables and don't drink soup, you will not be healthy!)

Synonym: 曳;百厭

Reference: https://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/7397/

FF

Definition: (verb) Derived from the game "final fantasy", this is a Cantonese slang to refer to someone who fantasizes too much.

Usage: Be realistic! Don't FF too much la.

Synonym: Fantasize

Reference: https://www.cantoneseclass101.com/blog/2019/07/23/cantonese-text-slang/

low tech

Definition: (adj) A code-mixing term that Hong Kongers use to describe something that is very unadvanced in technology.  There is a famous quote that goes "High Tech揩野,Low Tech撈野", which describes the volatility of high-tech products as opposed to low-tech products that have a larger market despite high competition. '撈' refers to '有得撈', which means you can earn a living.

Usage: E.g. 今時今日唔可以再咁low tech架喇。快D買返部智能手機啦。

Reference: https://www.lib.eduhk.hk/pure-data/pub/201902353/201902353_1.pdf

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