文咸街
man4 haam4 gaai1
文咸街 (man4 haam4 gaai1) is the Cantonese name for Bonham Strand, a street located in the Sheung Wan area of Hong Kong.
Is it said differently in some regions?
This name refers to a specific location in Hong Kong.
How do you pronounce it?
man4 haam4 gaai1
Did you know?
- While 文咸街 is a place name, it functions as a cultural shorthand for the scent of traditional Chinese medicine due to the high density of apothecaries there.
- The street name hides a lost coastline. While 'Strand' refers to a beach, the sea has been moved far away from 文咸街 due to massive land reclamation projects in Hong Kong.
- The name 文咸 is a phonetic transliteration of 'Bonham'. In Cantonese, these characters do not carry a combined meaning related to the street's function, but were chosen to mimic the sound of the English name.
Examples in context
- 我喺文咸街等緊你。ngo5 hai2 man4 haam4 gaai1 dang2 gan2 nei5.I am waiting for you on Bonham Strand.
- 文咸街附近有地鐵站嗎？man4 haam4 gaai1 fu6 gan6 jau5 dei6 tit3 zaam6 maa1?Is there an MTR station near Bonham Strand?
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding where to meet for shopping.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我們明天去哪裡逛街？ngo5 mun4 ming4 tin1 heoi3 naa5 leoi5 gwong3 gai1?Where shall we go shopping tomorrow?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我們去文咸街看古董吧。ngo5 mun4 heoi3 man4 ham4 gai1 hon3 gu2 dung2 baa1.Let's go to Bonham Strand to look at antiques.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung好主意，我想買個花瓶。hou2 zyu2 ji3, ngo5 soeng2 maai5 go3 faa1 ping4.Good idea, I want to buy a vase.
- 子健 Tsz Kin沒問題，明天見。mut6 man6 tai4, ming4 tin1 gin3.No problem, see you tomorrow.
