Foul Language in Hong Kong

Do you know that swearing words in Cantonese are referred to as 粗口 (literally “coarse mouth”)?

And, man, Cantonese really is good for cussing because of its flexible sentence structure, how easily the swearing could be learnt and how the swearing can be used in different situation. As long as the speaker is creative enough, he or she can always come up with unpredictable combinations of profanity to insult their enemies in an impressive way!

Be warned though…the content below contains offensive words.

Those who are allergic to foul language, PLEASE LEAVE.

Those who are still reading…I take it that you are ready?

Well then, let me introduce you to our…

“The 5 Great Swearing Words in Cantonese” (廣東粗口五大字)!!!

屌 [diu2] – It can be used as noun, verb and interjection. It means “male’s sexual organ” (like “dick” or “cock”) when used as noun, and means “to penetrate with penis” (which is the equivalence of “fuck”) when used as verb. It is probably the most commonly used swearing word because of how flexible it is and its unique pronunciation. Seriously, nothing beats shouting out a huge “屌!” when frustrated.

Example:

屌! (Fuck!)

屌你! [diu2 nei5] (Fuck you!)

屌你老母! [diu2 nei5 lou5 mou5] (Fuck your mum!)

㞗 [gau1] – It is more commonly written as鳩 (pigeon), and mainly used as a noun, adjective, adverb  and sometimes particle. Another noun that refers to male’s sexual organ. When used as adjective, it can be used to describe others being stupid, useless, or ridiculous. Usually the word is combined with 戇 [ngong6] to form 戇鳩, conveying the meaning of “fucking dumbass”.

Example:

乜㞗呀? [mat1 gau1 aa3] (What the fuck?)

屌㞗你! [diu2 gau1 nei5] (Fucking fuck you!)

你戇㞗架? [nei5 ngong6 gau1 gaa4] (Are you fucking stupid / crazy?)

𡳞 [lan2] – Usually written as 撚 [nan2] (toy with, tease). Another word for male’s sexual organ (yeah, that’s the third one). This can be used as noun, particle or indicator of sarcasm. Just put this word after a confirmation and it will flip the meaning, like we turn “it’s good” into “it’s good…my ass!” in English.

Example:

你做乜𡳞嘢? [nei5 zou6 mat1 lan2 je5] (What the fuck are you doing?)

你識𡳞呀? [nei5 sik1 lan2 aa4] (You know everything my ass!)

𡴶 [cat6] – Yes, it means male’s sexual organ again (I wonder if Cantonese speaking people have some kind of phallic fetish…)! Usually written as 柒 (seven). Its usage is similar to that of 㞗, though with the extra meaning of “penis-like” or “embarrassed”. It can be combined with 頭 [tau4] (head) to form 𡴶頭 and becomes a really literal way to call others “dickhead” or “penis-face”.

Example:

你今次好𡴶。[nei5 gam1 ci3 hou2 cat6] (You are fucking embarrassed this time.)

望乜𡴶? [mong6 mat1 cat6] (What the fuck are you looking at?)

屄 [hai1] – Originally pronounced as [bei1], it refers to female’s sexual organ (finally something new…). When used as noun, it is like “cunt” and “pussy” in English, and a derogating way to address female. Its adjective form is used to describe others being cunning, cheap or simply unlucky. It can also be used as particle or sarcasm.

Example:

正臭屄! [zing3 cau3 hai1] (You stinking / fucking bitch!)

佢份人好屄。 [keoi5 fan6 jan4 hou2 hai1] (He has a shitty personality.)

Tired of cussing with only “fuck”? Now you can do it in Cantonese!

Or better, you can even come up with your English-Cantonese crossover swearing, like “fuck 𡴶 you” or “you fucking屄”.

Remember; don’t let the language barrier stop you from performing your art of insult!