Do you want to sound like a local and talk to your Cantonese-speaking friends? Then, why not learn these essential Cantonese slang words 俚語 (lei5 jyu5) today? Today, we will learn about basic Cantonese slang words used in Hong Kong in everyday life.
Do not worry because each word has romanization and its meaning using the English word, so, if you’re a beginner in learning Chinese languages like Cantonese, this will help you. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
What Are Slang Words?
Slang words are vocabulary (words, phrases, expressions, etc.) spoken in a particular local culture. It’s a kind of language that is very different from formal one as it is born out of context and particular trends in society. These are words that are generally exclusive within a social group. With this, you can see who belongs to the group and those who don’t. It is used in a special way in a certain social context.
Basic Cantonese Slang Words And Their Meaning
For a country as developed and as busy as Hong Kong, slang words and phrases are widely used in different social contexts. Even by just walking along the streets of a city, you can hear HK slang words. Usually, the old-fashioned slang words came from their rich culture and history. On the other hand, the slang words used by the younger generation have developed and used these slang words as a result of pop culture and online forums.
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority included local language in the questions in Chinese paper five of the 2008 Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. Knowing slang words is one of the bases on how well you know your language and its culture.
So, now, here are some Cantonese slang words that you may want to learn to sound like a local.
雞同鴨講 (Gai1 Tung4 Aap3 Gong2)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]雞同鴨講[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: A Chicken Talking To A Duck
Is it possible for a chicken to talk to a duck? Well, yes, but in fairytales. In reality, no way! This Cantonese slang is best used to describe people having problems communicating with each other because of different factors like language barriers or different beliefs and opinions. No matter how much they talk, nothing makes sense because of the barriers, just like how a chicken can’t talk to a duck.
佛系 (Fat6 Hai6)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]佛系[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Buddhist Style
Have you ever met someone who has a nonchalant attitude towards their life? Someone who’s not in a rush in everything because they believe that if it is meant to happen, it will happen. Then this is an adjective that best describes them. If you have an idea about Buddhism, you might get the reference of Cantonese slang. If you have a Buddhist-style approach in life, you do things lovingly and peacefully.
捉蟲 (Zuk1 Cung4)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]捉蟲[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Catching Worms
Have you gotten yourself in a pretty bad situation? Well, this is the Cantonese slang that suits you. This phrase means to “cause oneself unnecessary trouble.” The Cantonese slang phrase Catching Worms (捉蟲 Zuk1 Cung4) is an abbreviation for the longer version of the Cantonese slang 捉蟲入屎忽 (zuk1 cung4 jap6 si2 fat1), which means “putting worms up your rear end.”
收兵 (Sau1 Bing1)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]收兵[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Collecting Soldiers
The phrase Collecting Soldiers (收兵 Sau1 Bing1) is a Cantonese slang word that has recently emerged in Hong Kong. This slang word does not have a positive meaning because it is used when a girl seeks male friendships to get her work and tasks done. This commonly happens in the workplace.
伏 (Fuk6)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]伏 [/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Trap
Today, online shopping is a world trend, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic came. But, have you ever experienced having the expectation vs. reality moment when something looks far from the picture posted on the website? Well, that’s a trap, and the Cantonese slang word for that is 伏 (Fuk6). The closest English word for this Hong Kong slang is dodgy’. This Cantonese word is used in Hong Kong to describe something that’s of misleading quality.
揸巴士 (Zaa1 Baa1 Si6)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]揸巴士[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Driving A bus
Hong Kong has amazing nightlife, which will make it hard for you to resist drinking and saying cheers. But, you may want to hold your liquor if you don’t want to be referred to as a person driving a bus (揸巴士 zaa1 baa1 si6). This slang refers to someone who had way too many drinks and became sick in the toilet while gripping the toilet seat as if they were holding the bus driver’s steering wheel.
射波 (Se6 Bo1)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]射波[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Kicking The Ball
Have you ever experienced doing the work of someone in your workplace because you are told that they are sick, then you found out that it isn’t true? How annoying, right? This Cantonese slang is a metaphor that literally means kicking the ball. It is used as an act of passing off responsibilities to someone else.
騎牛搵馬 (Ke4 Ngau4 Wan2 Maa5)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]騎牛搵馬[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: To Ride An Ox While Looking For A Horse
There are times that you’re tired or sick of doing something that you have been doing for years, like your job. You want to find something better and new that ignites the fire in you again, so you look for that job somewhere else while you’re still in your current job. The Cantonese slang used in Hong Kong for this is To Ride An Ox While Looking For A Horse (騎牛搵馬 Ke4 Ngau4 Wan2 Maa5).
People usually do this because they are scared that they have nothing to go back to if they fail. This may also apply in a relationship when a guy or girl is looking for another while they are still in a relationship.
扮豬食老虎 (Baan6 Zyu1 Sik6 Lou5 Fu2)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]扮豬食老虎[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Pretend To Be A Pig To Eat A Tiger
Backstabbers! These are some of the types of people we hate the most, and in Hong Kong, the Cantonese slang for that is Pretend To Be A Pig To Eat A Tiger (扮豬食老虎 Baan6 Zyu1 Sik6 Lou5 Fu2). Beware of people who manipulate someone and appear innocent but later become evil.
戴綠帽 (Daai3 Luk6 Mou2)[Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline]戴綠帽[/Speechword]
Literal Meaning: Wearing A Green Hat
We mostly hear stories about a woman who has been cheated on. But, a man who is being cheated on is described as a man wearing a green hat. This is what they call those men who had this experience in Hong Kong.
Other Hong Kong Slang Words
Wait, it’s not over yet because we have more Cantonese slang words that you can add to your vocabulary.
| Contextual Meaning | Cantonese Slang Words | Jyutping | Literal Meaning | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| crazy or insane | 黐線 | ci1 sin3/ chi sin | glued wires | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 黐線 [/Speechword] |
| to express incredulous disbelief | 黐黐地 | ci1 ci1 dei6 | slightly sticky | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 黐黐地 [/Speechword] |
| someone who stroll around without any purpose | 𠺪 | he3 | slovenly | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 𠺪 [/Speechword] |
| raining cats and dogs | 落狗屎 | lok6 gau2 si2 | drop dog poo | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 落狗屎 [/Speechword] |
| to feel speechless | 滴汗 | dik6 hon6 | sweat | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 滴汗 [/Speechword] |
| failing to turn up on a date | 放飛機 | fong3 fei1 gei1 | fly an airplane | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 放飛機 [/Speechword] |
| to cheer someone up | 十卜 | sap6 buk1 | support | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 十卜 [/Speechword] |
| something surprising and only happens because of luck | 負碌 | fu6 luk1 | a fluke | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 負碌 [/Speechword] |
| Oh my gosh (O shape resembles the shape of the mouth); to feel astonishing and stunning | O 嘴 | O jeui2 | to have an O shaped mouth | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] O 嘴 [/Speechword] |
| someone who is excellent and tremendous | 屈機 | wat1 gei1 | to break a machine into two pieces | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 屈機 [/Speechword] |
| two people fall in love and lead to becoming a couple | 撻著 | taat3 zoek3 | to ignite a fire | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 撻著 [/Speechword] |
| incredibly slow speed | 龜速 | gwai1 cuk1 | turtle speed | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 龜速 [/Speechword] |
| handsome/ cool | 型 | jing4 | type | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 型 [/Speechword] |
| something cute that comes with being chubby or rounded | 肥嘟嘟 | fei4 dyut1 dyut1 | fat | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 肥嘟嘟 [/Speechword] |
| used to describe how white the subject is | 白雪雪 | baak6 syut3 syut3 | white snow | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 白雪雪 [/Speechword] |
| to be rejected | 食檸檬 | sik6 ling4 mung1 | to eat lemons | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 食檸檬 [/Speechword] |
| unexpectedly, happened out of the blue | 無啦啦 | mou4 laa1 laa1 | without a “la la” | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 無啦啦 [/Speechword] |
| smelly/ stinks | 臭崩崩 | cau3 bang1 bang1 | smell chipped off | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 臭崩崩 [/Speechword] |
| to drop dead | 仆街 | buk6 gaai1/pook gai | to fall over | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 仆街 [/Speechword] |
| perverted | 鹹濕 | haam4 sap1 | salty and wet | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 鹹濕 [/Speechword] |
| being completely naked | 光脫脫 | gwong1 tyut3 tyut3 | bright shedding | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 光脫脫 [/Speechword] |
| to talk on the phone for hours | 煲電話粥 | bou1 din6 waa6 zuk1 | to boil telephone congee | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 煲電話粥 [/Speechword] |
| causes someone to burst into laughter | 噴飯 | pan3 faan6 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 噴飯 [/Speechword] |
| level up in a game | 升呢 | sing1 ne1 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 升呢 [/Speechword] |
| to behave arrogantly and rudely | 串嘴 | chyun3 jeui2 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 串嘴 [/Speechword] |
| to behave pretentiously/conceitedly | 扮蟹 | baan6 haai5 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 扮蟹 [/Speechword] |
| a piece of cake, don’t mention it, no biggie! | 濕濕碎 | sap1 sap1 seoi3 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 濕濕碎 [/Speechword] |
| not that great, only so-so, slightly okay | 麻麻哋 | maa4 maa4 dei2 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 麻麻哋 [/Speechword] |
| hurrying to do something | 嗱嗱臨 | naa4 naa4 lam4 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 嗱嗱臨 [/Speechword] |
| my favorite | 賣飛佛 | maai6 fei1 fat6 | – | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 賣飛佛 [/Speechword] |
What Are Some Cantonse Slang Words On The Internet?
| Contextual Meaning | Cantonese Slang Words | Jyutping | Literal Meaning | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| people who communicate better on the internet; people who are very opinionated on the internet but not true to their words in person | 鍵盤戰士 | gin6 pun4 zin3 si6 | keyboard warriors | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 鍵盤戰士 [/Speechword] |
| people are paid to disseminate pro-China and pro-government sentiments on the internet. | 五毛 | ng5 mou4 | 50 cents | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 五毛 [/Speechword] |
| the practice of internet users who, after registering for an account, do not make any postings at all | 潛水 | cim4 seoi2 | underwater diving | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 潛水 [/Speechword] |
| to talk aimlessly | 吹水 | ceoi1 seoi2 | blow water | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 吹水 [/Speechword] |
| posting similar or multiple posts at once in order to flood the feed with the person’s posts; “Your feed is saturated.” | 洗版 | sai2 baan2 | wash the feed | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 洗版 [/Speechword] |
| photos, videos, or statements that can readily be parodied in a variety of contexts | 萬能key | maan6 nang4 key | a universal key | [Speechword voice=”Chinese (Hong Kong) Female” isinline] 萬能key [/Speechword] |
Wanna Get By With Your Cantonese Speaking Friends?
Now that you have learned the Cantonese slang words, you have already taken a step in learning Cantonese, so why not continue your journey with the Ling app? Enough scrolling on the internet for nothing and start making every single day worth it by learning Cantonese.
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