香港

Chinese

		fragrant good-smelling incense	harbour
trad. (香港)		香	港
simp. #(香港)		香	港

Etymology

The name 香港 first appeared on a map in 粵大記 [1595] as a label for an island that seems to be Ap Lei Chau. In the two Gazetteer of Xin'an County (新安縣志) published in 1688 and 1819, 香港 was the name of a village (as 香港村). The village was likely located in Wong Chuk Hang in the south of Hong Kong Island as indicated by 19th-century maps.

18th-century western maps appear to render the name of Hong Kong Island as Fan Chin Chow (or its variants), which appears to be a Hakka romanization of 飯甑洲 (Kwok and Cheung, 2007). In the Treaty of Nanking signed in 1842, the name 香港 referred to the entire Hong Kong Island.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Xiānggǎng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄤ ㄍㄤˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): hoeng¹ gong²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): hiang¹ kong²

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): Hiông-kóng

  (Meixian, Guangdong): hiong¹ guong³

• Northern Min (KCR): Hióng-gǒ̤ng
• Eastern Min (BUC): Hiŏng-gē̤ng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Hiong-káng / Hiang-káng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hiang¹ gang²

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ¹shian-kaon

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Xiānggǎng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄤ ㄍㄤˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Sianggǎng
    • Wade–Giles: Hsiang¹-kang³
    • Yale: Syāng-gǎng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shianggaang
    • Palladius: Сянган (Sjangan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ kɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hoeng¹ gong²
    • Yale: hēung góng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hoeng¹ gong²
    • Guangdong Romanization: hêng¹ gong²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hœːŋ⁵⁵ kɔːŋ³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: hiang¹ kong²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hiaŋ³³ kʰɔŋ⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Hiông-kóng
    • Hakka Romanization System: hiong´ gong`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: hiong¹ gong³
    • Sinological IPA: /hi̯oŋ²⁴ koŋ³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: hiong¹ guong³
    • Sinological IPA: /hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ kuɔŋ³¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: Hióng-gǒ̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xiɔŋ⁵⁴ kɔŋ²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Hiŏng-gē̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hyoŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(k-)ŋøyŋ³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Jinjiang, Philippines, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiong-káng
    • Tâi-lô: Hiong-káng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hiongkarng
    • IPA (Singapore): /hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁴²/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /hiɔŋ³³ kaŋ⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kaŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kaŋ⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Penang, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiang-káng
    • Tâi-lô: Hiang-káng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hiangkarng
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁵³/
    • IPA (Singapore): /hiaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kaŋ⁴²/
    • IPA (Penang): /hiaŋ³³⁻²¹ kaŋ⁴⁴⁵/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hiang¹ gang²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hiang káng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hiaŋ³³⁻²³ kaŋ⁵²/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ¹shian-kaon
    • MiniDict: shian^平 kaon
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xian-kaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕiã⁵⁵ kɑ̃²¹/

Proper noun

香港

1. (～特別行政區) Hong Kong (a city and special administrative region of China)
2. (～島) Hong Kong Island (an island in Hong Kong)

   • 我的胞兄香港在訴他的苦痛，
     母親呀，可記得你的幼女九龍？ [MSC, trad.]
     我的胞兄香港在诉他的苦痛，
     母亲呀，可记得你的幼女九龙？ [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1925, Wen Yiduo, 七子之歌

     Wǒ de bāoxiōng Xiānggǎng zài sù tā de kǔtòng,
     Mǔqīn ya, kě jìdé nǐ de yòunǚ Jiǔlóng? [Pinyin]

     My brother Hong Kong (Island) is expressing his pain,
     oh mother, do you remember your daughter Kowloon?

3. (～村) (historical) Hong Kong (a former village in the south of Hong Kong Island)

Synonyms

• (city): 香江 (Xiāngjiāng), 東方之珠／东方之珠

Dialectal synonyms of 香港 (“Hong Kong”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		香港, 香港特別行政區 official, 港 short
Mandarin	Taiwan	香港
Cantonese	Guangzhou	香港, 香港地, 下便, 桂枝 slang
	Hong Kong	香港, 香港地
	Macau	香港
	Taishan	香港
	Kaiping (Chikan)	香港
Southern Min	Xiamen	香港
	Tainan	香港
	Penang (Hokkien)	香港
Wu	Shanghai	香港

Derived terms

• 港九 (Gǎng-Jiǔ)
• 香港人 (Xiānggǎngrén)
• 香港仔 (Xiānggǎngzǎi)
• 香港元
• 香港地
• 香港島／香港岛 (Xiānggǎngdǎo)
• 香港手語／香港手语 (Xiānggǎng shǒuyǔ)
• 香港特別行政區／香港特别行政区 (Xiānggǎng Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū)
• 香港腳／香港脚 (xiānggǎngjiǎo)
• 香港話／香港话 (Xiānggǎnghuà)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (香港):

• → Korean: 향항(香港) (Hyanghang)
• → Vietnamese: Hương Cảng (香港)

Others:

• → English: Hong Kong, Xianggang
  • → Japanese: 香港(ホンコン) (Honkon)
  • → Korean: 홍콩 (Hongkong)
  • → Russian: Гонко́нг (Gonkóng)
• → French: Hong Kong, Hongkong
• → Japanese: シャンガン (Shangan)
• → Lao: ຮົງກົງ (hong kong)
• → Mongolian: Хонконг (Xonkong) (Mongolia)
• → Mongolian: ᠰᠢᠶᠠᠩᠭᠠᠩ (siyaŋɣaŋ) (China)
• → Russian: Сянга́н (Sjangán)
• → Thai: ฮ่องกง (hɔ̂ng-gong)
• → Tibetan: ཞང་ཀང (zhang kang)
• → Uyghur: شياڭگاڭ (shyanggang)
• → Vietnamese: Hồng Công, Hồng Kông
• → Zhuang: Yanghgangj

Japanese

Kanji in this term
香	港
ほん Grade: 4	こん Grade: 3
irregular

Etymology

From English Hong Kong, ultimately from Cantonese 香港 (hoeng¹ gong²).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ホ​ンコン [hóꜜǹkòǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [hõ̞ŋkõ̞ɴ]

Proper noun

香港(ホンコン) • (Hon Kon) 

1. Hong Kong

   中(ちゅう)華(か)人(じん)民(みん)共(きょう)和(わ)国(こく)香(ホン)港(コン)特(とく)別(べつ)行(ぎょう)政(せい)区(く)

   Chūka Jinmin Kyōwakoku Hon Kon Tokubetsu Gyōseiku

   the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Korean

Hanja in this term
香	港

Proper noun

香港 • (Hyanghang) (hangeul 향항)

1. Hanja form^? of 향항 (“Hong Kong”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
香	港

Proper noun

香港

1. chữ Hán form of Hương Cảng (“Hong Kong”).