Cantonese profanity
Encyclopedia
The five most common vulgar words in Cantonese profanity are diu
, gau , lan , tsat and hai , where the first literally means fuck
, while the rest are sexual organs of either gender. They are sometimes collectively known as the "outstanding five in Cantonese" . These five words are generally offensive and give rise to a variety of euphemisms. Similar to the seven dirty words
in the USA, these five words are forbidden and bleep-censored
on Hong Kong broadcast television. Other curse phrases, such as puk gai (仆街) and ham gaa caan , are also common.
Diu (traditional Chinese: or ; Jyutping
: diu2), literally meaning fuck, is a common but grossly vulgar profanity in Cantonese. In a manner similar to the English word fuck, diu expresses dismay, disgrace, and disapproval. Examples of expressions include diu nei! (屌你！ or 𨳒你！, fuck you!), diu nei lou mou! (屌你老母 or 𨳒你老母, fuck your old mother). The latter one is particularly considered as grossly offensive and is one of the most serious offences one can make.
The word diu was originally a noun meaning the penis and evolved as a verb. Regarded as a grossly vulgar word in Cantonese, the word has gained a new meaning in Taiwan
to refer to "cool". In this context, the mandarin pronunciation may not be censored on TV broadcasts but the original Cantonese pronunciation is still a taboo.
Certain euphemism
s exist, including siu (small/little), tsiu , yiu and tiu .
: gau1), sometimes wrongly written as (haau1) despite different pronunciations., is a vulgar Cantonese word which literally means a cock or cocky.
A common phrase ngong6 gau1 is an adjective that may be loosely translated as a "dumbass". Cantonese phrase mo4 lei4 tau4 gau1 that means "makes no sense" was cut to mou4 lei4 tau4 to avoid the sound gau1. Similar to fucking in English, this word is usually used as an adverb. Compare this:
Two common euphemisms gau, which only differ in the tone, include 九 gau2 (nine) and 狗 gau2 (dog, but it may change the original "dumbass" meaning into "cunning" instead).
: lan2), sometimes idiomatically written as lun, is another vulgar word that means penis.. Similar to gau, this word is also usually used as an adverb.
lan yeung can be loosely translated as "dickface".
Euphemism includes 懶 laan (lazy) or 能 nang (able to).
: cat6), sometimes idiomatically written as , is a vulgar word for an erect penis. Its American English equivalent is "boner". Ban1 cat6 (笨柒)
(stupid dick) is a more common phrase among others. However, it is usually used as a vulgar adjective especially among the youth. It means "ugly" or "shameful".
cat6 tau4 (柒頭) can be loosely translated as "dickhead".
A common euphemism is 七 cat1 (seven), which only differs in the tone. As a result, some people would try not to order seven dishes in a single meal to avoid the embarrassing meaning of "eating a dick". Other euphemisms include 刷 caat3 (to brush) and 賊 caak6 (thieves). As a result, thieves that are easily caught by the police are often intentionally describe as 笨賊 ban6 caak6 (stupid thieves) in the newspaper to achieve the humorous effects from the phrase ban6 cat6.
: hai1) is a common vulgar word that literally means vulva or vagina. The English equivalent is "cunt
". 屄 is more common on the mainland of China, with 閪 being used in Hong Kong and Macao. The Chinese character 屄 consists of two parts: the upper part is 尸 that means "body" while the bottom part means "a hole". The Chinese character thus literally means a "hole at the bottom of the body". Two common phrases include so4 hai1 (silly cunt) and 臭閪 cau3 hai1 (stinking cunt).
A common euphemism is 西 sai1 (west). The phrase 西口西面 sai1 hau2 sai1 min6 (west mouths and west faces) is often used to describe women who have an impolite look. Some words that are associated with western culture such as 西人 sai1 yan4 (Westerners) may become Cantonese jokes that base on the ambiguity of these vocabularies. Other euphemisms haai4 include 鞋 (shoes) and 蟹 "haai5" (crabs). As a result, crabs are sometimes intentionally linked with other words such as stinking and water to achieve some vagina-related humorous effects.
The word hai can also mean total failure as in the phrase hai saai . The Chinese character means "to expose to the sun", but in Cantonese it is also used as a verbal particle to stress the action. To further stress the failure, sometimes the phrase hai gau saai is used (the word gau that means penis is put in between the original phrase). Since this phrase is highly offensive (it consists two of the five vulgar words), a euphemism or xiehouyu
, a kind of Chinese "proverb", is sometimes used. As in a normal xiehouyu, it consists of two elements: the former segment presents a scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the second. The first part is "a man and a woman having a sunbath (naked)" . Since the penis and vagina are both exposed to the sun, the second part is hai1 gau1 saai3 — a pun for total failure. Therefore, if one wants to say that something is a total failure, she only has to say , and the listener will understand the intended meaning.
Mnemonics for these five vulgar words are a five-word sentence 小狗懶擦鞋 siu2 gau1 laan5 caat3 haai4 (little dog (is) lazy (to) polish shoes).
Puk gai literally means "falling onto street", which is a common curse phrase in Cantonese that may be translated into English as "drop dead". Originally it meant that when you die, your body will rot on the street because all your family and friends have left you and no one cares for you. It is sometimes used as a noun to refer to an annoying person that roughly means a "prick". The phrase can also be used in daily life under a variety of situations to express annoyance, disgrace or other emotions. Since the phrase does not involve any sexual organs or reference to sex, some argue that it should not be considered as profanity. Nevertheless, "PK" is often used as a euphemism for the phrase. The written form can be seen on graffiti
in Hong Kong
and other places in Guangdong
, China
.
In Southeast Asia
, the meaning of the phrase has evolved and it is no longer a profanity, and is usually taken to mean "go bankrupt". The term is even used in a colloquial sense by Malaysian Malay
s, in which case it is usually rendered as "pokai".
: ham6 gaa1 caan2) is another common curse phrase in Cantonese that literally means "may your whole family be dead". The first character is sometimes written as , mainly because in speech 咸 is not said with its dictionary pronunciation haam4, but ham6. Interestingly, 鏟 caan2 means a shovel or to shovel, which possibly relates to a funeral and ultimately to the meaning of death. Like puk6 gaai1, the phrase can both be used to mean "prick" or to express annoyance, but be wary for many find "Haam gaa caan" much more offensive than "puk gai".
冚家拎 Ham6 gaa1 ling1 is a common variant but 拎 ling (to take/carry something) has little logical relations with the original phrase. Adding the words ham gaa (whole family) in front of a bless can actually reverse the meaning. For example, common phrases like 冚家富貴 ham6 gaa1 fu3 gwai3 (may the whole family be rich) or 冚家祥 ham gaa cheung (may the whole family be fortunate) are often understood as "someone is suffering from big problems". As a result, the appropriate word for "the whole family" is 全家 chuen gaa to avoid any negative meanings. More recently, a variant of the phrase 冚尻鏟 ham6 gau2 caan2 has escalated the meaning from the family level to the globe level in order to describe the extent of global problems such as the recent financial crisis in the world.
Mnemonics for these two phrases are a four-word sentence 冚家仆街 ham6 gaa1 puk6 gaai1, which means 'whole family fall down on the street'.
", and "an offence is liable on conviction to a fine at level 1 and to imprisonment for 1 month." In the MTR, it is prohibited to "use any threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive language...." However, despite the explicit prohibition of various laws, the exact definition of "obscene language" is not given in the ordinance.
Diu (Cantonese)
Diu is a common profanity in Cantonese. It can be regarded as the Cantonese equivalent of the English fuck. In Mandarin, it is equivalent to the English "dick"...
, gau , lan , tsat and hai , where the first literally means fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
, while the rest are sexual organs of either gender. They are sometimes collectively known as the "outstanding five in Cantonese" . These five words are generally offensive and give rise to a variety of euphemisms. Similar to the seven dirty words
Seven dirty words
The seven dirty words are seven English language words that American comedian George Carlin first listed in 1972 in his monologue "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television". The words include: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits...
in the USA, these five words are forbidden and bleep-censored
Bleep censor
A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...
on Hong Kong broadcast television. Other curse phrases, such as puk gai (仆街) and ham gaa caan , are also common.
Diu
Jyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: diu2), literally meaning fuck, is a common but grossly vulgar profanity in Cantonese. In a manner similar to the English word fuck, diu expresses dismay, disgrace, and disapproval. Examples of expressions include diu nei! (屌你！ or 𨳒你！, fuck you!), diu nei lou mou! (屌你老母 or 𨳒你老母, fuck your old mother). The latter one is particularly considered as grossly offensive and is one of the most serious offences one can make.
The word diu was originally a noun meaning the penis and evolved as a verb. Regarded as a grossly vulgar word in Cantonese, the word has gained a new meaning in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to refer to "cool". In this context, the mandarin pronunciation may not be censored on TV broadcasts but the original Cantonese pronunciation is still a taboo.
Certain euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
s exist, including siu (small/little), tsiu , yiu and tiu .
Gau
Gau ' onMouseout='HidePop("53662")' href="/topics/Jyutping">JyutpingJyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: gau1), sometimes wrongly written as (haau1) despite different pronunciations., is a vulgar Cantonese word which literally means a cock or cocky.
A common phrase ngong6 gau1 is an adjective that may be loosely translated as a "dumbass". Cantonese phrase mo4 lei4 tau4 gau1 that means "makes no sense" was cut to mou4 lei4 tau4 to avoid the sound gau1. Similar to fucking in English, this word is usually used as an adverb. Compare this:
- 痴線 (crazy)
- 痴𨳊線 (fucking crazy)
Two common euphemisms gau, which only differ in the tone, include 九 gau2 (nine) and 狗 gau2 (dog, but it may change the original "dumbass" meaning into "cunning" instead).
Lan
In Cantonese lan ' onMouseout='HidePop("49892")' href="/topics/Jyutping">JyutpingJyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: lan2), sometimes idiomatically written as lun, is another vulgar word that means penis.. Similar to gau, this word is also usually used as an adverb.
lan yeung can be loosely translated as "dickface".
Euphemism includes 懶 laan (lazy) or 能 nang (able to).
Tsat
In Cantonese, Tsat ' onMouseout='HidePop("72692")' href="/topics/Jyutping">JyutpingJyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: cat6), sometimes idiomatically written as , is a vulgar word for an erect penis. Its American English equivalent is "boner". Ban1 cat6 (笨柒)
(stupid dick) is a more common phrase among others. However, it is usually used as a vulgar adjective especially among the youth. It means "ugly" or "shameful".
cat6 tau4 (柒頭) can be loosely translated as "dickhead".
A common euphemism is 七 cat1 (seven), which only differs in the tone. As a result, some people would try not to order seven dishes in a single meal to avoid the embarrassing meaning of "eating a dick". Other euphemisms include 刷 caat3 (to brush) and 賊 caak6 (thieves). As a result, thieves that are easily caught by the police are often intentionally describe as 笨賊 ban6 caak6 (stupid thieves) in the newspaper to achieve the humorous effects from the phrase ban6 cat6.
Hai
In Cantonese hai (traditional Chinese: or ; JyutpingJyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: hai1) is a common vulgar word that literally means vulva or vagina. The English equivalent is "cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
". 屄 is more common on the mainland of China, with 閪 being used in Hong Kong and Macao. The Chinese character 屄 consists of two parts: the upper part is 尸 that means "body" while the bottom part means "a hole". The Chinese character thus literally means a "hole at the bottom of the body". Two common phrases include so4 hai1 (silly cunt) and 臭閪 cau3 hai1 (stinking cunt).
A common euphemism is 西 sai1 (west). The phrase 西口西面 sai1 hau2 sai1 min6 (west mouths and west faces) is often used to describe women who have an impolite look. Some words that are associated with western culture such as 西人 sai1 yan4 (Westerners) may become Cantonese jokes that base on the ambiguity of these vocabularies. Other euphemisms haai4 include 鞋 (shoes) and 蟹 "haai5" (crabs). As a result, crabs are sometimes intentionally linked with other words such as stinking and water to achieve some vagina-related humorous effects.
The word hai can also mean total failure as in the phrase hai saai . The Chinese character means "to expose to the sun", but in Cantonese it is also used as a verbal particle to stress the action. To further stress the failure, sometimes the phrase hai gau saai is used (the word gau that means penis is put in between the original phrase). Since this phrase is highly offensive (it consists two of the five vulgar words), a euphemism or xiehouyu
Xiehouyu
Xiehouyu is a kind of Chinese proverb consisting of two elements: the former segment presents a novel scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the second...
, a kind of Chinese "proverb", is sometimes used. As in a normal xiehouyu, it consists of two elements: the former segment presents a scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the second. The first part is "a man and a woman having a sunbath (naked)" . Since the penis and vagina are both exposed to the sun, the second part is hai1 gau1 saai3 — a pun for total failure. Therefore, if one wants to say that something is a total failure, she only has to say , and the listener will understand the intended meaning.
Mnemonics for these five vulgar words are a five-word sentence 小狗懶擦鞋 siu2 gau1 laan5 caat3 haai4 (little dog (is) lazy (to) polish shoes).
Puk gaai
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and other places in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, the meaning of the phrase has evolved and it is no longer a profanity, and is usually taken to mean "go bankrupt". The term is even used in a colloquial sense by Malaysian Malay
Malaysian Malay
In Malaysia, the Malay population is defined by Article 160 of the Malaysian Constitution as someone born to a Malaysian citizen who professes to be a Muslim, habitually speaks the Malay language, adheres to Malay customs and is domiciled in Malaysia or Singapore...
s, in which case it is usually rendered as "pokai".
Ham gaa caan
Ham6 gaa1 caan2 ' onMouseout='HidePop("77898")' href="/topics/Jyutping">JyutpingJyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: ham6 gaa1 caan2) is another common curse phrase in Cantonese that literally means "may your whole family be dead". The first character is sometimes written as , mainly because in speech 咸 is not said with its dictionary pronunciation haam4, but ham6. Interestingly, 鏟 caan2 means a shovel or to shovel, which possibly relates to a funeral and ultimately to the meaning of death. Like puk6 gaai1, the phrase can both be used to mean "prick" or to express annoyance, but be wary for many find "Haam gaa caan" much more offensive than "puk gai".
冚家拎 Ham6 gaa1 ling1 is a common variant but 拎 ling (to take/carry something) has little logical relations with the original phrase. Adding the words ham gaa (whole family) in front of a bless can actually reverse the meaning. For example, common phrases like 冚家富貴 ham6 gaa1 fu3 gwai3 (may the whole family be rich) or 冚家祥 ham gaa cheung (may the whole family be fortunate) are often understood as "someone is suffering from big problems". As a result, the appropriate word for "the whole family" is 全家 chuen gaa to avoid any negative meanings. More recently, a variant of the phrase 冚尻鏟 ham6 gau2 caan2 has escalated the meaning from the family level to the globe level in order to describe the extent of global problems such as the recent financial crisis in the world.
Mnemonics for these two phrases are a four-word sentence 冚家仆街 ham6 gaa1 puk6 gaai1, which means 'whole family fall down on the street'.
Legal issues
In Hong Kong there are specific laws that forbid the usage of profanity in public. For instance, by Hong Kong law any person shall not "use obscene language... in Ocean ParkOcean Park Hong Kong
Ocean Park Hong Kong , commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Founded in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has...
", and "an offence is liable on conviction to a fine at level 1 and to imprisonment for 1 month." In the MTR, it is prohibited to "use any threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive language...." However, despite the explicit prohibition of various laws, the exact definition of "obscene language" is not given in the ordinance.