香港
hoeng¹ gong²
Hong Kong is written as 香港 (hoeng¹ gong²) in Cantonese.
香港 is the name used for the coastal administrative region in south-east China.
Meaning: coastal administrative region in south-east China (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name literally translates to fragrant harbor. The first character, 香, means fragrant and the second character, 港, means harbor.
How do you pronounce it?
hoeng¹ gong²
Did you know?
- The word 香 (fragrant) is used by Cantonese speakers in a way that English speakers might find unusual: it is the standard way to say that food smells delicious. To say food is 'fragrant' is to say it is appetizing.
- The 'fragrant' in 香港 refers to a historical luxury. The name is a tribute to the agarwood and incense that were once the most valuable exports traded through the harbor.
- The phrase 香港 is used in Cantonese to create a wide array of 'port' words, such as 港幣 for 'Hong Kong dollar' or 港女 to describe a specific stereotype of a materialistic young woman.
Examples in context
- 當嗰度嘅衛生當局控制緊佢哋嘅疫情嗰陣，嚟自西方國家嘅返鄉者喺亞洲部分地區，例如香港同台灣，帶嚟一波新嘅冠狀病毒個案。Returnees from Western countries are bringing a new wave of coronavirus cases to parts of Asia such as Hong Kong and Taiwan just as health authorities there were getting their outbreaks under control.This sentence shows how 香港 is used when discussing the movement of people and health authorities in Asia.Tatoeba #12909015 by Matthewyau1367, translation #8634470 by Hybrid
- 亞洲普遍存在住貧富差距，吸引更多白人來亞洲國家搵更多特權，根據香港中文大學社會學教授，專門研究社會人口學同移民嘅湯玉英所講。The wealth gap is prevalent in Asia, attracting more white people to come to Asian countries for more privileges, according to Tong Yuying, professor of sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong specializing in social demography and migration.This sentence uses 香港 in the name of a university.Tatoeba #12909077 by Matthewyau1367, translation #10640423 by shekitten
- 喺1980年代， Wok with Yan 係卑詩省一個受歡迎嘅中國烹飪節目。嗰個時候係喺粵語大量由香港僑民湧入 BC 之前。In the 1980s, Wok with Yan was a popular Chinese cooking show in BC. That time was before the large influx of Cantonese to BC from the Hong Kong Diaspora.This sentence uses 香港 to refer to the Hong Kong Diaspora.Tatoeba #12909014 by Matthewyau1367, translation #10663656 by nonong
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about travel plans.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit美玲，你有冇去過香港？Mei Ling, nei jau mou heoi gwo Heung Gong?Mei Ling, have you ever been to Hong Kong?
- 美玲 Mei Ling我去過一次香港，好正。ngo heoi gwo jat ci Heung Gong, hou zeng.I've been to Hong Kong once, it was great.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit我想下個月去香港旅行。ngo soeng ha go jyut heoi Heung Gong leoi hang.I want to travel to Hong Kong next month.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好呀，我可以介紹啲好嘢俾你。hou aa, ngo ho ji gaai siu di hou je bei nei.Sure, I can recommend some good things to you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hong kong” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
