香港
Xiānggǎng
香港 (Xiānggǎng) is the Chinese name for Hong Kong.
香港 refers to 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 is a combination of two characters: 香 (xiāng), which means 'fragrant' or 'incense' and 港 (gǎng), which means 'harbor' or 'port'. Together, 香港 literally translates to 'fragrant harbor'.
How do you pronounce it?
Xiānggǎng
Did you know?
- The first known appearance of the name 香港 was on a map from 1595, where it likely labeled the island of Ap Lei Chau.
- The name 香港 was originally used to describe a specific village, likely located in the Wong Chuk Hang area, long before it referred to the entire territory.
- The transcription of the name can vary significantly depending on whether one uses standard Mandarin, Cantonese, or older Hakka romanizations.
Examples in context
- 人們在香港抗議。People are protesting in Hong Kong.This sentence is useful for seeing 香港 used in the context of a protest.Tatoeba #6144662 by xjjAstrus, translation #3531304 by Hybrid
- 我不是坐飞机去香港的。I didn't go to Hong Kong by plane.This sentence shows how to use 香港 when discussing travel methods.Tatoeba #2737444 by GlossaMatik, translation #2737504 by eastasiastudent
- 明天我要從香港去趟內地。Tomorrow, I am coming back from Hong Kong to the mainland.This sentence demonstrates using 香港 when describing a trip from the region to the mainland.Tatoeba #6319014 by xjjAstrus, translation #7819395 by sharris123
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their upcoming travel plans.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，你打算去香港旅游吗？Wěi, nǐ dǎsuàn qù Xiānggǎng lǚyóu ma?Wei, are you planning to travel to Hong Kong?
- 伟 Wei是的，我想去那里逛逛。Shì de, wǒ xiǎng qù nàlǐ guàngguang.Yes, I want to go there and look around.
- 雨婷 Yuting香港的购物中心非常出名。Xiānggǎng de gòuwù zhōngxīn fēicháng chūmíng.The shopping centers in Hong Kong are very famous.
- 伟 Wei没错，我已经准备好购物了。Méi cuò, wǒ yǐjīng zhǔnbèi hǎo gòuwù le.That's right, I'm already prepared for shopping.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hong kong” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 香港, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
