Moving around Hong Kong is a language of its own. Between the MTR, the ding ding trams, red-top and green-top minibuses, cross-harbour tunnels and a taxi fleet that never sleeps, locals have built a vocabulary that has no clean English match. This volume covers the ten words you actually hear people say — at bus stops, in a packed 8pm subway car, and yelled from the back of a minibus.
The 10 words
1. 搭車
daap3 ce1 — Jyutping romanisation
Meaning: To take / board a vehicle (bus, tram, MTR, taxi — anything but your own legs).
Explanation: The default verb for using transport. 搭 is literally "to ride/board" and 車 is "vehicle". A local will use 搭車 for the MTR too, even though a train isn't really a 車.
2. 塞車
sak1 ce1
Meaning: Traffic jam — literally "stuffed vehicles".
Explanation: The one word every Hong Kong commuter knows. If it rains, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel 塞爆 (jams to breaking). Locals will call ahead to say 塞緊車 to explain why they are late.
3. 打的
daa2 dik1
Meaning: To grab a taxi (from 的士 dik1 si6 — "taxi").
Explanation: Faster to say than 坐的士. When it starts pouring and the MTR is 8 stops away, everyone starts 打的. You can also say 截的 (ziť1 dik1) — flag one down.
Words like these are the daily rhythm of the city — the same energy behind the Hea heavyweight tee that captures the Hong Kong art of doing exactly enough.
4. 過海
gwo3 hoi2
Meaning: To cross the harbour — go from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon or vice versa.
Explanation: A geographical fact that became a lifestyle expression. A Kowloon-sider being asked to "cross over" for dinner may treat it as a serious commitment. "過海嚟食飯" is a favour.
5. 唔該借借
m4 goi1 ze3 ze3
Meaning: "Excuse me, please let me through."
Explanation: The polite verbal shove for a crowded MTR, tram or lift. 借 literally means "borrow" — you are borrowing a bit of space. Said briskly, twice, with a smile that might or might not be there.
6. 落車
lok6 ce1
Meaning: To get off a vehicle. Opposite of 上車 (soeng5 ce1 — get on).
Explanation: Simple, literal, unavoidable. The bell you press on a bus is called 落車鐘.
7. 轉車
zyun3 ce1
Meaning: To transfer / change to another line or bus.
Explanation: An unavoidable part of MTR life. Whether you're 轉車 at Prince Edward, Admiralty or Mei Foo, every commuter has a favourite interchange and a most-hated one.
8. 有落
jau5 lok6
Meaning: "I'm getting off" — shouted from the back of a red or green minibus.
Explanation: The most iconic transport call in Hong Kong. Red minibuses have no fixed stops, so passengers yell 有落 wherever they want to jump out. Add landmarks — "燈位有落" (get off at the traffic light) — and you sound like a local.
9. 打尖
daa2 zim1
Meaning: To cut the queue / jump the line.
Explanation: Bus stops, taxi ranks and MTR platforms are all danger zones. Hong Kongers queue with religious discipline, and someone caught 打尖 will get called out. It's not just rude — it's a social crime.
10. 追車
zeoi1 ce1
Meaning: To chase / run for a bus, tram, or MTR.
Explanation: Every Hong Konger has done 追車 in dress shoes at least once. Bonus points if the doors close as you reach them.
The rhythm of a Hong Kong day
These ten words trace the shape of a Hong Kong commute — 上車, 塞車, 唔該借借, 有落. A shirt like the 準時收工 Clock Out On Time heavyweight tee speaks to what happens right before that commute: leaving the office when you said you would. And if the traffic is really bad, there's always the mood of the 求其 Whatevs oversized tee — whatever, we'll get there eventually.
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