# Hong Kong Cantonese

Hong Kong Cantonese is a dialect of Cantonese spoken primarily in Hong Kong. As the most commonly spoken language in Hong Kong, it shares a recent and direct lineage with the Guangzhou (Canton) dialect.
Due to the colonial heritage of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Cantonese exhibits distinct differences in vocabulary and certain speech patterns. Over the years, Hong Kong Cantonese has also absorbed foreign terminology and developed a large set of Hong Kong-specific terms. Code-switching with English is also common.
As of 2021, 88.2% of Hong Kong's population identified Cantonese as their "usual spoken language," while 93.7% reported being able to speak it.

## Name

Hong Kong Cantonese is predominantly referred to as "Cantonese" in English and gwong2 dung1 waa2 (廣東話, lit. Guangdong speech) by its native speakers, while the government also officially refers to it as gwong2 zau1 waa2 (廣州話, lit. Guangzhou speech).

## History

Before the arrival of British settlers in 1842, the inhabitants of Hong Kong mainly spoke the Dongguan-Bao'an (Tungkun–Po'on) and Tanka dialects of Yue, as well as Hakka and Hokkien. These languages and dialects are all remarkably different from Guangzhou Cantonese, and not mutually intelligible.
After the British acquired Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories from the Qing in 1841 (officially 1842) and 1898, large numbers of merchants and workers came to Hong Kong from the city of Canton, the main centre of Cantonese. Cantonese became the dominant spoken language in Hong Kong. The extensive migration from mainland Cantonese-speaking areas to Hong Kong continued up until 1949, when the Communists took over mainland China.
In 1949, the year that the People's Republic of China was established, Hong Kong saw a large influx of refugees from mainland China, prompting the Hong Kong Government to close its border. Illegal immigration from mainland China into Hong Kong nevertheless continued. During the 1950s, the Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong remained very similar to that in Canton, but the proportion of Cantonese speakers did not surpass 50% of the population in Hong Kong.
Movement, communication and relations between Hong Kong and mainland China became very limited, and consequently the evolution of Cantonese in Hong Kong diverged from that of Guangzhou. In mainland China, the use of Mandarin as the official language and in education was enforced. In Hong Kong, Cantonese was the medium of instruction in schools, along with written English and written Chinese. As such, since the 1970s the percentage of Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong has risen to about 90%.
Because of the long exposure to English during the colonial period, a large number of English words were loaned into Hong Kong Cantonese, e.g. "巴士" (IPA: /páːsǐː/, Cantonese Jyutping: baa$^1$ si$^2$), from the English "bus"; compare this with the equivalent from Standard Mandarin, 公共汽車 (Jyutping: gung1 gung6 hei3 ce1; pinyin: gōnggòng qìchē). Consequently, the vocabularies of Cantonese in mainland China and Hong Kong substantially differ. Moreover, the pronunciation of Cantonese changed while the change either did not occur in mainland China or took place much more slowly. For example, merging of initial /n/ into /l/ and the deletion of /ŋ/ were observed.

## Phonology

In modern-day Hong Kong, many native speakers no longer distinguish between certain phoneme pairs, leading to instances of sound change through mergers. Although considered non-standard and denounced as "lazy sound" (懶音) by purists, the phenomena are widespread and not restricted to Hong Kong. Contrary to impressions, some of these changes are not recent. The loss of the velar nasal (/ŋ/) was documented by Williams (1856), and the substitution of the liquid nasal (/l/) for the nasal initial (/n/) was documented by Cowles (1914).
List of observed shifts:
* Merging of /n/ initial into /l/ initial.
* Merging of /ŋ/ initial into null initial.
* Merging of /kʷ/ and /kʷʰ/ initials into /k/ and /kʰ/ when followed by /ɔː/. Note that /ʷ/ is the only glide (介音) in Cantonese.
* Merging of /ŋ/ and /k/ codas into /n/ and /t/ codas respectively, eliminating contrast between these pairs of finals (except after /e/ and /o/): /aːn/-/aːŋ/, /aːt/-/aːk/, /ɐn/-/ɐŋ/, /ɐt/-/ɐk/, /ɔːn/-/ɔːŋ/ and /ɔːt/-/ɔːk/.
* Merging of the two syllabic nasals, /ŋ̩/ into /m̩/, eliminating the contrast of sounds between 吳 (surname Ng) and 唔 (not).
* Merging of the rising tones (陰上 2nd and 陽上 5th).
In educated Hong Kong Cantonese speech, these sound mergers are avoided, and many older speakers still distinguish between those phoneme categories. With the sound changes, the name of Hong Kong's Hang Seng Bank (香港恆生銀行), Jyutping: Hoeng$^1$ gong$^2$ hang$^4$ sang$^1$ ngan$^4$ hong$^4$, /hœ́ːŋ kɔ̌ːŋ hɐ̏ŋ sɐ́ŋ ŋɐ̏n hɔ̏ːŋ/, literally Hong Kong Constant Growth Bank, becomes /hœ́ːn kɔ̌ːn hɐ̏n sɐ́n ɐ̏n hɔ̏ːn/, sounding like Hon' Kon' itchy body 'un cold ('香港'痕身un寒). The name of Cantonese itself (廣東話, "Guangdong speech") would be Jyutping: Gwong$^2$ dung$^1$ waa$^2$, IPA: /kʷɔ̌ːŋ tʊ́ŋ wǎː/ without the merger, whereas /kɔ̌ːŋ tʊ́ŋ wǎː/ (sounding like "講東話": "say eastern speech") and /kɔ̌ːn tʊ́ŋ wǎː/ (sounding like "趕東話" : "chase away eastern speech") are overwhelmingly common in Hong Kong.
The shift affects the way some Hong Kong people speak other languages as well. This is especially evident in the pronunciation of certain English names: "Nicole" pronounce [lekˈkou̯], "Nancy" pronounce [ˈlɛnsi] etc. A very common example of the mixing of /n/ and /l/ is that of the word 你, meaning "you". Even though the standard pronunciation should be /nei/, the word is often pronounced /lei/, which is the surname 李, or the word 理, meaning theory. The merger of /n/ and /l/ also affects the choice of characters when the Cantonese media transliterates foreign names.
Prescriptivists who try to correct these "lazy sounds" often end up introducing hypercorrections. For instance, while attempting to ensure that people pronounce the initial /ŋ/, they may introduce it into words which have historically had a null-initial. One common example is that of the word 愛, meaning "love", where even though the standard pronunciation is Jyutping: oi$^3$, IPA: /ɔ̄ːi/, the word is often pronounced Jyutping: ngoi$^3$, /ŋɔ̄ːi/. A similar phenomenon occurs in various Mandarin dialects (e.g. Southwestern Mandarin).

## Unique phrases and expressions

Hong Kong Cantonese has developed a number of phrases and expressions that are unique to the context of Hong Kong. Examples are:
Table of Colloquial Cantonese Expressions :
| Colloquial Cantonese Expressions(pronunciation) | Literally | Colloquially | Explanation |
| 串 (cyun3) Example: 你洗唔洗咁串呀! English: Do you have to be so harsh? | skewer/to string/vulgar | harsh/extreme bluntness, lack of tact | colloquial usage for police handcuffing, broadened to incorporate harsh expression generally; alternatively, by modification of the tone value for "vulgar" |

## Loanwords

Life in Hong Kong is characterised by the blending of southern Chinese with other Asian and Western cultures, as well as the city's position as a major international business centre. In turn, Hong Kong influences have spread widely into other cultures. As a result, a large number of loanwords are created in Hong Kong and then exported to mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. Some of the loanwords have become even more popular than their Chinese counterparts, in Hong Kong as well as in their destination cultures. Note that some of the loanwords are being used much more frequently in Cantonese-speaking areas in mainland China (e.g. Guangzhou), than in areas speaking other Chinese varieties.

### Imported loanwords

Selected loanwords are shown below.

#### From English

| Chinese Characters | Jyutping | English & Other Definitions | Mainland Chinese Mandarin | Taiwanese Mandarin |
| 戶口 | wu$^6$ hau$^2$ | account | 帐号 | 帳戶 |
| 拗撬 | aau$^3$ giu$^6$ | argue arguments (fights) | 吵架 | 吵架 |
| 百家樂 | baak$^3$ gaa$^1$ lok$^6$ | Baccarat (card game) | 百家乐 | 百家樂 |
| 波 | bo$^1$ | ball | 球 | 球 |
| (跳)芭蕾(舞) | baa$^1$ leoi$^4$ | ballet | (跳)芭蕾(舞) | (跳)芭蕾(舞) |
| 繃帶 | bang$^1$ daai$^2$ | bandage | 绷带 | 繃帶 |
| (酒)吧 | baa$^1$ | bar barrister | (酒)吧 大律师 | (酒)吧 大律師 |
| 啤酒 | be$^1$ zau$^2$ | beer | 啤酒 | 啤酒 |
| 比堅尼 | bei$^2$ gin$^1$ nei$^4$ | bikini | 比基尼 | 比基尼 |
| 煲呔 | bou$^1$ taai$^1$ | bow tie | 领结 | 領結 |
| 保齡球 | bou$^2$ ling$^4$ | bowling | 保龄球 | 保齡球 |
| 杯葛 | bui$^1$ got$^3$ | boycott | 抵制 | 抵制 |
| 百家利 | baak$^3$ gaa$^1$ lei$^6$ | broccoli | 西兰花 | 花椰菜 |
| 巴打 | baa$^1$ daa$^2$ | brother | 兄弟 | 兄弟 |
| 蒲飛 | pou$^6$ fei$^1$ | buffet | 自助餐 | 自助餐 |
| 笨豬跳 | ban$^6$ zyu$^1$ tiu$^3$ | bungee jumping | 蹦极 | 高空彈跳 |
| 巴士 | baa$^1$ si$^2$ | bus | 公交/公交车/公共汽车 | 公車/公共汽車 |
| 拜拜 | baai$^1$ baai$^3$ | bye | 再见 | 再見 |
| 卡路里 | kaa$^1$ lou$^6$ lei$^5$ | calorie | 卡路里 | 卡路里 |
| 咖啡因 | gaa$^3$ fe$^1$ jan$^1$ | caffeine | 咖啡因 | 咖啡因 |
| 咭 | kaat$^1$ | card | 卡 | 卡 |
| 卡通 | kaa$^1$ tung$^1$ | cartoon | 卡通 | 卡通 |
| 哥士的(梳打) | go$^1$ si$^2$ dik$^1$ | caustic soda | 氢氧化钠 | 氫氧化鈉/小蘇打 |
| 芝士 | zi$^1$ si$^2$ | cheese | 奶酪 | 起司 |
| 車厘子 | ce$^1$ lei$^4$ zi$^2$ | cherry | 樱桃 | 櫻桃 |
| 朱古力 | zyu$^1$ gu$^1$ lik$^1$ | chocolate | 巧克力 | 巧克力 |
| 西打酒 | sai$^1$ daa$^2$ | cider | 果酒 | (蘋)果酒 |
| 雪茄 | syut$^3$ gaa$^1$ | cigar | 雪茄 | 雪茄 |
| 打咭 | daa$^2$ kat$^1$ | clock in literally: (to) punch card | 打卡 | 打卡 |
| 俱樂部 | keoi$^1$ lok$^6$ bou$^6$ | club | 俱乐部 | 俱樂部 |
| 甘屎(架)/屎皮/論盡 | gam$^1$ si$^4$ | clumsy | 笨拙/笨手笨脚 | 笨拙/笨手笨腳 |
| 可可 | ho$^2$ ho$^2$ | cocoa | 可可 | 可可 |
| 可卡 | ho$^2$ kaa$^1$ | coca | 古柯 | 古柯 |
| 可卡因 | ho$^2$ kaa$^1$ jan$^1$ | cocaine | 可卡因/古柯碱 | 古柯鹼 |
| 咖啡 | gaa$^3$ fe$^1$ | coffee | 咖啡 | 咖啡 |
| 曲奇 | kuk$^1$ kei$^4$ | cookie | 曲奇 | 餅乾 |
| 咕喱 | gu$^1$ lei$^1$ | coolie | 苦力 | 苦力 |
| 酷哥 | huk$^6$ go$^1$ | cougar | 美洲狮 | 美洲獅 |
| 忌廉 | gei$^6$ lim$^4$ | cream | 奶油 | 鮮奶油 |
| 曲(既) | kuk$^1$ | crooked (bent) bend your knees winding road ahead zig-zag | 弯曲 | 彎曲 |
| 咖喱 | gaa$^3$ lei$^1$ | curry | 咖喱 | 咖喱 |
| 山埃 | saan$^1$ aai$^1$ | cyanide | 氰化物 | 氰化物 |
| 打令 | daa$^1$ ling$^2$ | darling | 亲爱的 | 親愛的 |
| (一)碟(餸) | dip$^6$ | dish | 一道菜 | 一道菜 |
| 都甩/冬甩 | dou$^1$ lat$^1$/dung$^1$ lat$^1$ | doughnut | 甜甜圈 | 甜甜圈 |
| (揼垃圾) | dam$^2$ | dump (garbage) (In the dump/dumpster) database dump pile dump dumped by boy-/girl-friend | 倒掉(垃圾) | 倒掉(垃圾) |
| 肥佬 | fei$^4$ lou$^2$ | fail (failure) | 失败 | 失敗 |
| 菲林 | fei$^1$ lam$^2$ | film | 㬵卷 | 膠卷 |
| 揮/爭取 | fai$^1$ | fight fight for | 打架/争取 | 打架/爭取 |
| Fan士 | fen$^1$ si$^2$ | fan (fanatic) fan (machine) | 粉丝 | 粉絲 |
| 爹地/花打 | de$^1$ di$^4$ | daddy (father) | 爸爸 | 爸爸 |
| 發騰 | faat$^3$ tang$^4$ | frightened | (被)吓到 | (被)嚇到 |
| 高爾夫球 | gou$^1$ ji$^5$ fu$^1$ kau$^4$ | golf | 高尔夫球 | 高爾夫球 |
| 結他 | git$^3$ taa$^1$ | guitar | 吉他 | 吉他 |
| 吉士 | gat$^1$ si$^2$ | guts (courage) encourage felt like someone just punched you in the gut | 胆子/勇气 鼓励 | 膽子/勇氣 鼓勵 |
| 哈佬/哈囉 | haa$^1$ lou$^3$ | Hello Halloween | 哈喽 | 哈囉 |
| 漢堡包 | hon$^3$ bou$^2$ baau$^1$ | hamburger | 汉堡（包） | 漢堡 |
| 阿頭 [calque] | aa$^3$ tau$^2$ | the head of | 领导 | 領導 |
| 亨里 | hang$^1$ lei$^5$ | honey | 甜心 | 甜心 |
| 熱狗 [calque] | jit$^6$ gau$^2$ | hotdog | 热狗 | 熱狗 |
| 呼啦圈 | fu$^1$ laa$^1$ hyun$^1$ | hula hoop | 呼啦圈 | 呼啦圈 |
| 雪糕 | syut$^3$ gou$^1$ | ice-cream | 冰淇淋/雪糕 | 冰淇淋 |
| 燕梳 | jin$^1$ so$^1$ | insure (insurance) | 保险 | 保險 |
| 奇異果 | kei$^4$ ji$^6$ gwo$^2$ | kiwifruit | 奇异果/猕猴桃 | 奇異果 |
| 𨋢 | lip$^1$ | lift (elevator) | 电梯 | 電梯 |
| 檸檬 | ning$^4$ mung$^1$ | lemon | 柠檬 | 檸檬 |
| 芒果 | mong$^1$ gwo$^2$ | mango | 芒果 | 芒果 |
| 咪 | mai$^1$ | microphone | 麦克风/麦/话筒 | 麥克風 |
| 模特兒 | mou$^4$ dak$^6$ ji$^4$ | model | 模特 | 模特/模特兒 |
| 摩登 | mo$^1$ dang$^1$ | modern | 摩登/现代 | 摩登/現代 |
| 摩打 | mo$^1$ daa$^2$ | motor | 马达/电（动）机 | 馬達 |
| 慕絲 | mou$^1$ si$^2$ | mousse | 慕丝 | 慕絲 |
| 媽咪/媽打 | maa$^1$ mi$^4$ | mummy (mother) | 妈妈 | 媽媽 |
| 尼龍 | nei$^4$ lung$^4$ | nylon | 尼龙 | 尼龍 |
| 鴉片 | aa$^1$ pin$^3$ | opium | 鸦片 | 鴉片 |
| 班戟 | baan$^1$ gik$^1$ | pancake | 薄煎饼 | （美式）鬆餅 |
| 泊車 | paak$^3$ ce$^1$ | parking a vehicle | 停车 | 停車 |
| 啤梨 | be$^1$ lei$^2$ | pear | 梨子 | 梨子 |
| 批 | pai$^1$ | pie | 馅饼/派 | 餡餅/派 |
| 乒乓波 | bing$^1$ bam$^1$ bo$^1$ | ping-pong | 乒乓球 | 乒乓球/桌球 |
| 布冧 | bou$^3$ lam$^1$ | plum | 李子 | 李子 |
| 爆谷 | baau$^3$ guk$^1$ | popcorn | 爆米花 | 爆米花 |
| 布甸 | bou$^3$ din$^1$ | pudding | 布丁 | 布丁 |
| 泵 | bam$^1$ | pump | 泵 | 泵/幫浦 |
| 沙律 | saa$^1$ leot$^2$ | salad | 沙拉 | 沙拉 |
| 三文魚 | saam$^1$ man$^4$ jyu$^2$ | salmon | 鲑鱼/三文鱼 | 鮭魚 |
| 沙林 | saa$^3$ lam$^1$ | salute | 敬礼 | 敬禮 |
| 三文治 | saam$^1$ man$^4$ zi$^6$ | sandwich | 三明治 | 三明治 |
| 沙甸魚 | saa$^1$ din$^1$ jyu$^2$ | sardine | 沙丁鱼 | 沙丁魚 |
| 沙士 | saa$^1$ si$^2$ | Sarsaparilla (soft drink) SARS | root beer: 根啤酒 SARS: 萨斯/非典 | root beer: 沙士 SARS: (非典型肺炎)沙士 |
| 桑拿 | song$^1$ naa$^4$ | sauna | 桑拿 | 桑拿/三溫暖 |
| 私家褲 | si$^6$ gaa$^1$ fu$^4$ | scarf | 围巾 | 圍巾 |
| 薯乜 | syu$^4$ mat$^1$ | schmuck | 笨蛋 | 笨蛋 |
| 雪利酒 | syut$^3$ lei$^6$ zau$^2$ | sherry | 雪利酒 | 雪利酒 |
| (表演)騷 | sou$^1$ | show (performance) | (表演)秀 | (表演)秀 |
| 絲打 | si$^1$ daa$^2$ | sister | 姐妹 | 姐妹 |
| 梳打水 | so$^1$ daa$^2$ seoi$^2$ | soda | 苏打水 | 蘇打水 |
| 梳化 | so$^1$ faa$^2$ | sofa | 沙发 | 沙發 |
| (幾)梳乎 | so$^1$ fu$^4$ | relaxing (chilling) ("soft", antonym of "firm") | 舒适/舒服 | 舒適/舒服 |
| 士巴拿 | si$^6$ baa$^1$ naa$^4$ | spanner (wrench) | 扳手 | 扳手 |
| 士啤 | si$^6$ be$^1$ | spare | 备用 | 備用 |
| 士的 | si$^6$ dik$^1$ | stick | 拐杖 | 拐杖 |
| 士多(店鋪) | si$^6$ do$^1$ | store | 店铺 | 店鋪 |
| 士多啤梨 | si$^6$ do$^1$ be$^1$ lei$^2$ | strawberry | 草莓 | 草莓 |
| 新地 | san$^1$ dei$^2$ | sundae | 圣代 | 聖代 |
| 十卜 | sap$^6$ buk$^1$ | support | 支持 | 支持 |
| T-恤 | ti$^1$ seot$^1$ | T-shirt | T-恤 | T-恤 |
| 塔羅牌 | taap$^3$ lo$^4$ paai$^2$ | tarot | 塔罗牌 | 塔羅牌 |
| 的士 | dik$^1$ si$^2$ | taxi | 出租车 ("租车" = rental car) | 計程車 |
| 呔 | taai$^1$ | tie | 领带 | 領帶 |
| (車)軚 | taai$^1$ | tire (tyre) | 轮胎 | 輪胎 |
| 多士 | do$^1$ si$^2$ | toast | 吐司 | 吐司 |
| 拖肥糖 | to$^1$ fei$^2$ tong$^2$ | toffee | 太妃糖 | 太妃糖 |
| 吞拿魚 | tan$^1$ naa$^4$ jyu$^2$ | tuna | 金枪鱼 | 鮪魚 |
| 維他命 | wai$^4$ taa$^1$ ming$^6$ | vitamin | 维生素 | 維他命 |
| 威化(餅) | wai$^1$ faa$^3$ (being$^2$) | wafer biscuit wafer (electronics) | wafer biscuit: 威化饼 wafer (electronics): 晶圆 | wafer biscuit: 餅乾 wafer (electronics): 晶圓 |
| 威士忌 | wai$^1$ si$^6$ gei$^2$ | whisky | 威士忌 | 威士忌 |
| 遊艇 | jau$^4$ teng$^5$ | yachting (yacht) | 游艇 | 遊艇 |
| 瑜伽 | jyu$^4$ gaa$^1$ | yoga | 瑜伽 | 瑜迦 |
| 乳酪 | jyu$^5$ lok$^6$ | yogurt | 酸奶 ("乳酪" = cheese) | 優格 |

#### From French

| Chinese Characters | Jyutping | French | English | Mainland Chinese Mandarin | Taiwanese Mandarin |
| 梳乎厘 | so$^1$ fu$^4$ lei$^2$ | soufflé | soufflé | 梳芙厘 | 舒芙蕾 |
| 古龍水 | gu$^2$ lung$^4$ (seoi$^2$) | cologne | perfume | 香水 | 香水 |
| 冷(衫) | laang$^1$ (saam$^1$) | laine | yarn | 纱线 | 紗線 |

#### From Japanese

| Chinese Characters | Jyutping | Japanese | Japanese Rōmaji | English | Mainland Chinese Mandarin | Taiwanese Mandarin |
| 卡拉OK | kaa$^1$ laa$^1$ ou$^1$ kei$^1$ | カラオケ | karaoke | karaoke | 卡拉OK | 卡拉OK |
| 老世 | lou$^5$ sai$^3$ | 世帯主 | setainushi | chief (CEO) the Head (of a company) boss | 老板 | 老闆 |
| 奸爸爹 | gaan$^1$ baa$^1$ de$^1$ | 頑張って/がんばって | ganbatte | Keep up! (studying) Come on! (cheering) | 加油 | 加油 |
| 放題 | fong$^3$ tai$^4$ | 食べ放題 | tabe hōdai | buffet | 布斐 | 自助餐 |
| 浪漫 | long$^6$ maan$^6$ | 浪漫/ロマンチック | rōman | romantic | 浪漫 | 浪漫 |

### Exported loanwords
#### Into English

| English | Chinese Characters | Jyutping |
| add oil | 加油 | gaa$^1$ jau$^2$ |
| bok choy | 白菜 | baak$^6$ coi$^3$ |
| chop chop (hurry up) | 速速 | cuk$^1$ cuk$^1$ |
| chop suey | 雜碎 | zaap$^6$ seoi$^3$ |
| kowtow | 叩頭 | kau$^3$ tau$^4$ |
| kwai muk | 桂木 | kwai$^3$ muk$^6$ |
| typhoon | 颱風 | toi$^4$ fung$^1$ |
| ketchup | 茄汁 | ke$^2$ zap$^1$ |

#### Into Mainland Chinese Mandarin

| Mandarin | Cantonese | Jyutping | English | Mandarin synonyms |
| 买单 | 埋單 | maai$^4$ daan$^1$ | (Can we please have the) bill? | 结账 |
| 搭档 | 拍檔 | paak$^3$ dong$^3$ | partner | 伙伴 (in ownership and business) 舞伴 (in dancing) |
| 打的 | 搭的士 | daap$^3$ dik$^1$ si$^2$ | to ride a taxi | 乘出租车 |
| 无厘头 | 無釐頭, corruption of 無來頭 | mou$^4$ lei$^4$ tau$^4$ | nonsensical humour (see mo lei tau) newbie who knows nothing | 莫名其妙 |
| 亮仔/靓仔 | 靚仔 | leng$^3$ zai$^2$ | handsome boy | 帅哥儿 俊男 哥们 (in China only) |
| 拍拖 | 拍拖 | paak$^3$ to$^1$ | dating | 追求 求爱 |
| 很正 | 好正 | hou$^2$ zeng$^3$ | (colloquial) awesome; perfect; just right | 很棒 |
| 搞掂/搞定 | 搞掂 | gaau$^2$ dim$^6$ | Is it done yet? (It's) Done! It has been taken care of! | 办妥 做完 做好 弄完 |

#### Into Taiwanese Mandarin

| Taiwanese Mandarin | Hanyu Pinyin | Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
| (猴)塞雷 | (hóu) sāiléi | (好)犀利 | hou$^2$ sai$^1$ lei$^6$ | (very) impressive |
| Hold住 | hòu zhù | Hold住 | hou$^1$ zyu$^6$ | hold on hang tight (hang in there) |

#### Into Japanese

| Japanese Kana (Kanji) | Japanese Rōmaji | Chinese Characters | Jyutping | English |
| ヤムチャ (飲茶) | yamucha | 飲茶 | jam$^2$ caa$^4$ | yum cha |
| チャーシュー (叉焼) | chāshū | 叉燒 | caa$^1$ siu$^1$ | char siu |
| チャーハン (炒飯) | chāhan | 炒飯 | caau$^2$ faan$^6$ | fried rice |

## Code-switching and loanword adaptation

Hong Kong Cantonese has a high number of foreign loanwords. Sometimes, the parts of speech of the incorporated words are changed. In some examples, some new meanings of English words are even created. For example, "至yeah", literally "the most yeah", means "the trendiest". Originally, "yeah" means "yes/okay" in English, but it means "trendy" when being incorporated into Hong Kong Cantonese (Cf. "yeah baby" and French "yé-yé").
Semantic change is common in loanwords; when foreign words are borrowed into Cantonese, polysyllabic words and monosyllabic words tend to become disyllabic, and the second syllable is in the Upper Rising tone (the second tone). For example, "kon$_1$ si$_2$" (coins), "sek$^6$ kiu$^1$" (security) and "ka$^1$ si$^2$" (cast). A few polysyllabic words become monosyllabic though, like "mon$^1$" (monitor), literally means computer monitor. And some new Cantonese lexical items are created according to the morphology of Cantonese. For example, "laai$^1$ 記" from the word "library". Most of the disyllabic words and some of the monosyllabic words are incorporated as their original pronunciation, with some minor changes according to the Cantonese phonotactics.
Incorporating words from foreign languages into Cantonese is acceptable to most Cantonese speakers. Hong Kong Cantonese speakers frequently code-mix although they can distinguish foreign words from Cantonese ones. For instance, "噉都唔 make sense", literally means "that doesn't make sense". After a Cantonese speaker decides to code-mix a foreign word in a Cantonese sentence, syntactical rules of Cantonese will be followed. For instance, "sure" (肯定) can be used like "你 su$^1$ 唔 su$^1$ aa$^3$?" (are you sure?) as if it were its Cantonese counterpart "你肯唔肯定?", using the A-not-A question construction.
In some circumstances, code-mixing is preferable because it can simplify sentences. An excellent example (though dated) of the convenience and efficiency of such mixing is "打 collect call" replacing "打一個由對方付款嘅長途電話", i.e. 13 syllables reduced to four.

## Short-text adaptations
### Abbreviation

Abbreviations are commonly used in Hong Kong and have flourished with the use of short messaging over the Internet. Some examples:
Table of Abbreviation :
| Original term | Abbreviated term | Explanation |
| Cantonese: 唔知(m4 zi1) English: do not know | 5G (ng5 G) Example: 甲: 你知唔知邊個係比德? 乙: 我5G English: A: Do you know who is Peter? B: I don't know (5G). | The "5" here is not pronounced as "five" but in Cantonese "ng5", which corresponds to the Chinese word "五" (ng5). Since "五"(ng5) and "唔" (m4), "知" (zi1) and "G" have similar pronunciations, "5G" is used to replace the Cantonese term 唔知, which carries the meaning of "don't know". |
| Cantonese:鍾意(zung1 ji3) English: Like | 中2 (zung3 ji6) Example: 我好中2佢呀! English: I like (中2 zung3 ji6) him so much! | Due to similar pronunciation, the "2" here is pronounced as the Chinese "二" (ji6) rather than "two". Combining this number with the Chinese character "中" (zung3), it carries similar pronunciation as "鍾意"(zung1 ji3) but the structure is much simpler. |
| Cantonese:師奶 (si1 naai1) English: Housewife | C9 Example: 你著到成個C9咁 English: You dress like a housewife(C9). | The word C9 should be pronounced in English "C nine", which is very similar to Cantonese si1 naai1. It is an easier form of typing the word "師奶" without changing the meaning in Cantonese. The two characters are already on the keyboard so it is much simpler to type. |
| 7-Eleven (7–11) | Se-fun(音:些粉)/ Chat1 Jai2(七仔） Example: 去些粉/七仔買野飲先 English : Let's go 7-Eleven (Se-fun 些粉) to buy some drinks. | "Chat1" is the Chinese word of seven and "Jai2" is son or boy |
| Take Away(外賣) | Haang4 Gai1(行街) (literal: walk on the street) Example: 魚蛋粉行街! English: Fish Ball Noodles for take-away! (Haang4 Gai1 行街) | This abbreviation is often used in Hong Kong-style cafés for take-away. |
| Uh-huh | 55 Example: 甲: 你今日要番學? 乙:55 English: A: Do you need to attend school today? B:Yea.(55) | Homophonic for "ng ng" (嗯嗯) which indicates agreement or understanding. |
| Post (發表／張貼) | po Example: 我po咗相 English: I posted (po) a photo. | example of common omission of final consonant (not naturally occurring in Cantonese) |