Hong Kong Slang - 潮語

Slang is unique to every community. It is the creation of new words or meanings that will describe the unique appearance, personality, action, and/or situation of someone in their society.

After many conversations with local Hong Kong people, I've noticed that I didn't fully understand a lot of the words that they were using; not because I was illiterate but because those words had a different meaning from it's literal meaning.

Before learning the more current slang words used by local HK residents, below are two sites listing a few long-established words even I've grown up hearing:

• Learn Chinese Cantonese Slang Terms
• Hong Kong Cantonese Wiki

Chur
Literal Translation: None
Definition: An action, verb, and adjective used to describe things that are very difficult and breathless.
Example:
     A: Do you know what the management professor did?
          你知道管理課的教授做了什麼？
     B: No, what did he do?
          我不知道，他做了什麼？
     A: He made his students take three pop quizzes in a row!
          他讓他的學生們連續考三個考試。
     B: Wow, why is he so chur!
          哇， 他為什麼那麼chur。


Wat Sae - 屈蛇
Literal Translation: To bend the snake
Definition: smuggling a person somewhere they aren't allowed to be/go.
Example:
     A: What are you doing tonight?
          今晚你會做什麼？
     B: Nothing special, why?
          沒有特別的事會做，為什麼呢？
     A: I don't want to go home today, can I sleep at your dorm tonight?
          今天我不想回家，我想在你的宿舍睡覺，可以嗎？
     B: Can not! You have to leave the dorms by 12:00PM, unless we smuggle you in.
          不可能了！你網上十二點一定要離開宿舍，除非我們屈蛇啦.


Chat - 柒
Literal Translation: Seven
Definition: Used to describe the miserable failure of an action and/or task. Can be used when someone has an embarrassing moment. Also used to describe the abnormal appearance of a person.
Example:
     A: Let's go to Ocean Park!
           我們一起去海洋公園吧！
     B: Okay! Let's go on a weekend, so that we don't have to ditch class. 
           好啊！我們週末才去吧，這樣我們不需要走堂。
     A: What are you talking about，don't you have a Saturday class!?
           你說什麼，你不是星期六要上課嗎！？
     B: Oh yeah, I forgot！
           是啊，我忘了！
     A: We started school for one month already, how can you forget. Why are you so seven.
          我們上課上了一個月啦，你怎麼可以忘了！你為什麼那麼柒啊！


Tsiep - 摺
Literal Translation: to fold
Definition: Folding one-self into the corner and being very anti-social.
Example:
     A: Did you know, the people downstairs are very anti-social. 
           你知道嗎，樓下的人非常很摺ga。
     B: Really, how so?
           真的嗎，怎麼這樣？ 
     A: All they do is go to school, do homework, and sleep. They hardly go out or talk with friends. 
          他們每日只會上課，回來做功課，吃飯睡覺。常常不會出去玩或者跟朋友聊天。
     B: They probably don't have a lot of friends to hang out with, good thing I have you!
          他們應該沒有很多朋友可以同他們玩，好在我有你！


Dok - 毒/毒男
Literal Translation: Poison
Definition: Started off as a word that described guys who are very shy and unable to pick up chicks. Later it had expanded into the description of a person, guy or girl, who locks themselves away doing nerdy things such as video games, watching/reading manga, playing with machinery.
Definition Through Song: 毒男 - Rewrite of 愛與誠
Example: 
     A: What are you doing?
          你現在做什麼？
     B: Playing Minecraft.
         我在玩 Minecraft.
     A: How long have you been playing, your room stinks!
          你玩了多小時間了，你的房間很臭啊！
     B: Not that long, only fifteen hours.
          不是很久，只有十五個小時。
     A: Can you stop being so dok and go with me to eat dinner.
          你可不可以不是那麼毒啊，跟我一起吃飯啦。