Every day in Hong Kong, more than 12 million passenger journeys happen on the city's public transport system. If you don't know how to say "I'm getting off here" in Cantonese, you'll either miss your stop — or you'll trigger the universal auntie glare. Today's dictionary is a crash course in the ten words every commuter, visitor, and overseas Cantonese kid who takes grandma to yum cha absolutely needs.
Some are loanwords from English (the British gave us 的士 and 巴士). Some are pure Cantonese inventions you'll never hear in Mandarin. All of them show up before you've even finished your morning cup of 奶茶. If you want to see how deeply transport sits in Cantonese identity, our Hong Kong red taxi deep dive is a good next read.
The 10 words
1. 的士
dik1 si6 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: Taxi. A direct Cantonese transliteration of the English word.
Explanation: Hong Kong borrowed "taxi" so completely that even mainland China now uses the word 的士. The sound 的 (dik1) was repurposed for its phonetics, not its meaning. In Hong Kong, 的士 are colour-coded: red (urban), green (New Territories), and blue (Lantau).
2. 巴士
baa1 si6 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: Bus. Another loan from English "bus" — specifically the double-decker buses that still define the Hong Kong skyline at street level.
Explanation: The red-and-white double-decker is as Hong Kong as the Star Ferry. If you grew up here, your first solo adventure was almost certainly on the top deck of a 巴士, with the front seat as the throne.
3. 小巴
siu2 baa1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: Minibus. Literally "small bus." Hong Kong's 16-seater public light buses — red-topped (no fixed route) and green-topped (fixed route).
Explanation: Riding a red 小巴 is a rite of passage. You shout 「有落!」 ("getting off!") at the right moment, or you overshoot. There is no stop button. There is only your voice, your nerve, and the driver's judgement.
4. 港鐵
gong2 tit3 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: MTR — literally "Hong Kong Rail." The city's rapid transit system, operated by the MTR Corporation.
Explanation: Say 港鐵 and locals know you mean the subway. The old name 地鐵 (dei6 tit3, "underground rail") is still in use, especially among older Hong Kongers. The 港鐵 moves more than five million passenger trips a day.
5. 搭車
daap3 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: To take transit — literally "to board a vehicle." The generic verb for using any form of public transport.
Explanation: 搭 is one of the most useful verbs in Cantonese. You 搭巴士 (take the bus), 搭的士 (take a taxi), 搭船 (take a boat), 搭飛機 (take a plane). It literally means "to board" but functions as "take" for every mode of travel. Learn one verb, unlock a dozen sentences.
Transit is where Cantonese sounds most alive — rapid-fire, unapologetic, direct. If attitude is your thing, we put the whole energy on a tee: the Hea heavyweight T-shirt is for the days you'd rather be on the back row of the minibus doing nothing. For when you're in the middle of a traffic jam and genuinely do not care, the 是但 Whatever oversized tee is the mood on fabric.
6. 轉車
zyun3 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: To transfer. Changing from one vehicle or line to another mid-journey.
Explanation: If you ride the MTR from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island, you'll almost always 轉車 at Admiralty or Central. Every Hong Konger has a favourite interchange and a least favourite — the city's commuter opinions are shaped by where you have to 轉車.
7. 落車
lok6 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: To get off (a vehicle) — literally "to descend from the vehicle."
Explanation: The red minibus survival phrase. The driver doesn't stop unless you shout. Common forms are 「有落」 ("getting off"), 「前面有落」 ("getting off up ahead"), and 「落車後門」 ("exit by the back door"). Memorise these before you ride.
8. 塞車
sak1 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: Traffic jam — literally "the cars are blocked/stuffed."
Explanation: The one-word excuse for being late in Hong Kong. The Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the approaches to Causeway Bay are the usual culprits. 塞車 is also a verb — you can say "it jams" or "it got jammed." Everyone understands.
9. 揸車
zaa1 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: To drive — literally "to grip the vehicle." The driver's hands on the steering wheel are baked into the word itself.
Explanation: In Hong Kong, owning a car is a luxury — parking costs more than some people's rent. So when someone says 「我揸車嚟接你」 ("I'll drive over and pick you up"), it's a bigger favour than you think. 揸 is also used for other steering: 揸飛機 (fly a plane), 揸船 (steer a boat).
10. 單車
daan1 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: Bicycle — literally "single-vehicle."
Explanation: Mandarin says 自行車 (zi xing che). Cantonese says 單車 — the "single" referring to the single-track frame. Weekend 單車 culture is huge in the New Territories, where cycling along the Tolo Harbour path to Tai Mei Tuk is a classic Hong Kong family day out.
Why transport vocabulary matters
Transport is where tourists and overseas Cantonese kids trip up fastest. You can order dim sum from a picture. You can't bluff "I need to transfer at Prince Edward station." Cantonese speakers code-switch to English for a surprising number of things, but for transit? It's pure Cantonese, all the way to the final stop. Nail these ten words and the city will feel half a size smaller.
If you want to wear the attitude of a daily Hong Kong commuter — the one who's seen it all, boarded it all, and is slightly over it — the 準時收工 Clock Out On Time heavyweight tee is the uniform. For the deeper read on how transport is literally a Cantonese identity marker, see our Star Ferry history and Octopus Card origin story.
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