As an Overseas/Irish Born Chinese (IBC) and been in the tech industry and area for majority of my life, I'm not that versed in Chinese, specifically Cantonese technology terms/phrases/slang.
Note: The pronunciations below are all jyutping, and the Chinese characters are in Traditional Chinese.
The lists below are not in any particular order.
I've collated a few (some I knew already) from when I tweeted out about it:-
- ไธ็ถฒ (soeng5 mong5) - going online / visiting sites
- ่ปไปถ (jyun5 gin6*2) - software
- ็กฌไปถ (ngaang6 gin6/6*2) - hardware
- ็ถฒ้ (mong5 jip6) - webpage
Ones I've been looking for in the past:-
- ็ถฒๅ (mong5 zi2) - web address
- ็่ฆฝ่ปไปถ (lau4 laam5 jyun5 gin6*2) - web browser
- ่ฌ็ถญ็ถฒ (maan6 wai4 mong5) - WWW
- ่จญ่จ็จๅผ (cit3 gai3 cing4 sik1) - programming
- ็จๅบ่จญ่จ (cing4 zeoi6 cit3 gai3) - programming
I was delighted to find the following:-
- ๆๅก (daa2 kaat1) - grammin'
- ๆญๅฎข (bo3 haak3) - podcast
- ็ถฒ้ ่จญ่จ (mong5 jip6 cit3 gai3) - web design
- ็ถฒ้ ่จญ่จๅธซ (mong5 jip6 cit3 gai3 si1) - web designer
- ็ถฒ็ตกๆฅ่ช (mong5 lok3 jat6 zi3) - blog
- ๆ็จ็จๅผไป้ข (jing3 jung6 cing4 sik1 gaai3 min6) - application programming
- ่งๆฌ (gok3 bun2) - script
- ่ ณๆฌ่ช่จ (goek3 bun2 jyu5 jin4) - scripting language
- ไธ่ผ (soeng6 zoi3) - to upload (computer)
- ไธๅณ (soeng5 cyun4) - to upload
- ไธ่ผ (haa6 zoi3) - download
- ๆธฌ่ฉฆ (cak1 si3) - trial, test, beta (software)
- ่ปไปถ้็ผ (jyun5 gin6*2 hoi1 faat3) - software Development
- ้ป่ ฆๆฅญ่ (din6 nou5 jip6 ze2) - software Developer
- ่ปไปถ้็ผไบบๅก (jyun5 gin6*2 hoi1 faat3 jan4 jyun4) - software Developer
- ๆธๆๅบซ่ปไปถ (sou3 geoi3 fu3 jyun5 gin6*2) - database software
- ๆฌๅๅ่ปไปถ (bun2 tou2 faa3 jyun5 gin6*2) - localisation
- ๅฎขๆถ้ไฟ็ฎก็่ป้ซ (haak3 wu6 gwaan1 hai6 gun2 lei5 jyun5 tai2) - CRM
- ่ปไปถๅนณๅฐ (jyun5 gin6*2 ping4 toi4) - software Platform
- ่ปไปถไฝฟ็จ่จฑๅฏ่ญ (jyun5 gin6*2 si2 jung6 heoi2 ho2 zing3) - software Licence
- ้ๆบ (hoi1 jyun4) - opensource (software)
- ้ๆบ่ปไปถ (hoi1 jyun4 jyun5 gin6*2) - OSS
- ่ช็ฑ่ปไปถๅบ้ๆ (zi6 jau4 jyun5 gin6*2 gei1 gam1 wui6*2) - Free Software Foundation (FSF)
- ่จๆถ (gei3 jik1) - memory (RAM)
- ๅธณๆถ (zoeng3 wu6) - account
- ็ถๆฉ (dong1 gei1) - computer crash
- ๆญปๆฉ (sei2 gei1) - computer crash
- ้ป่งธๆฟ (dim2 zuk1 baan2) - touchpad
- ็จๅฎถ้ซ้ฉ (jung6 gaa1 tai2 jim6) - user experience
- ็ชๆฉ (zat6 gei1) - lag
- ๆชๅ (zit6 tou4) - screenshot
- ๅๅ็จๆถไป้ข (tou4 zoeng6 jung6 wu6 gaai3 min6*2) - GUI
- ็จๆถๆธๆ (jung6 wu6 sou3 geoi3) - user data
- ็จๆถ้ฉๆถๆธฌ่ฉฆ (jung6 wu6 jim6 sau1 cak1 si3) - user acceptance testing (UAT)
- ๅๆญธๆธฌ่ฉฆ (wui4 gwai1 cak1 si3) - regression testing
- ็ญ่จ (dyun2 seon3) - SMS text message
- ๅ่ฝๆธฌ่ฉฆ (gung1 nang4 cak1 si3) - functional testing
- ็ถฒ็ตก่ชฟๆฅ (mong5 lok3 diu6 caa4) - web search
- ๅนณ้ข่จญ่จ (ping4 min6*2 cit3 gai3) - raphic design
- ๅนณ้ข่จญ่จๅธซ (ping4 min6*2 cit3 gai3 si1) - graphic designer
- ๅๅไบๆๆ ผๅผ (tou4 zoeng6 wu6 wun6 gaak3 sik1) - GIF
- ็ก็ท็ถฒ็ตก (mou4 sin3 mong5 lok3) - wifi
- ็ถฒๅ (mong5 jau5) - online friend
- ็ถฒไธ็ๅณ (mong5 soeng6 fung1 cyun4) - going viral online
- ็ก็ทไธ็ถฒ (mou4 sin3 soeng5 mong5) - wireless going onto internet
- ็ถฒ็ตกๆๅๅ ฌๅธ (mong5 lok3 fuk6 mou6 gung1 si1) - ISP
- ๅไฝๅผๆ็ตๆๅ (fan1 bou3 sik1 keoi5 zyut6 fuk6 mou6) - DDOS
- ้ซๆ่ก (gou1 gei6 seot6) - hi-tech
- ้ซ็งๆ (gou1 fo1 gei6) - hi-tech
- ๆ่กๅก (gei6 seot6 jyun4) - techie
If you know of other techie terms or slang, let me know. And please provide the pronunciations if you can. Thanks in advance. ๐
Great to have translations for:-
- Tweet
- Facebooking
- Source control
- repo
- TDD
- BDD
- Virtual environment
- sandbox (programming)
- Virtual reality
- Augmented reality
- Touchscreen
- QR code
- scan (a code)
- retina display
- text editor (coding)
- data scientist
- data engineer
- visualisation/visualization (data)
- startup
- ecosystem
- indie developers (games)
- remote working
Top comments (11)
From the point of view of a Hongkonger:
For other words in your list, those are either too technical that no one I know would say them in Cantonese, or the Cantonese translation is not commonly used.
Also, while both "็ถๆฉ" and "ๆญปๆฉ" mean computer crash, Hongkongers tend to say that as "Hangๆฉ" (the machine is hanging there and doing nothing). To mention a screenshot, I woud say "Capๅ" ("Cap" for capture). For example, "Capๅน ๅ็ๆ็ไธ" (capture the screen for me to check).
By the way, I suggest cantoneseinput.com/ and jyutping.com/ if you would like to type in Cantonese. I use the former one daily as I don't know Cangjie or Quick. The former one doesn't use the Jyutping standard but the romanisation is more familiar to Hongkongers.
Hope this helps.
Thanks! And thank you for the useful references too!
I don't know how to type in Chinese (very basic kindergarden reading & writing๐), I look up the words, then themselves individually or as a phrase via cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/. To hear what it sounds like, I use SayJack (sayjack.com/cantonese/learn/). Google is not that great, they had someone internally doing Cantonese translations years ago, but was not officially released. I should write a post on my process, it takes me a few steps if I don't know the words themselves or what it sounds like. I can speak it and understand it no problem. But it's worth the trouble because I get to learn new words and reinforce my understanding of Traditional Chinese and Cantonese. ๐
Indie is ็จ็ซ่ฃฝไฝ, and developer is ้็ผ่ . I would rather call indie developers as ็จ็ซ่ฃฝไฝไบบ.
Hi whykay! I come from Hong Kong and Cantonese is my mother tongue. Glad you are picking up the language and I think I can help with some of them:
้ขๆธ (min6 syu1) - Facebook
่ๆฌๅฏฆๅข (heoi1 ji4 sat6 ging2) - Virtual reality
ๆดๅผตๅฏฆๅข (kwong3 zoeng1 sat6 ging2) - Augmented reality
่ผ่งธๅผ็ๅน (hing1 zuk1 sik1 jing4 mok6) - Touchscreen
่ฆ่ฆบๅ (si6 gaau3 faa3) - visualisation
ๆธๆ่ฆ่ฆบๅ (sou3 geoi3 si6 gaau3 faa3)- data visualization
้่ทๅทฅไฝ (jiu4 keoi5 gung1 zok3) - remote working
ๅตๆฅญ (cong1 cong3) - startup
ๆๆ (sou3 miu4) - scan
Some of them I really don't know because we would just mix English terms in our daily conversation. In fact, I also struggle when I am writing my blog in Chinese that if I should use English terms that many can read or use translated terms that people may find confusing.
You can visit this site to search for the character and listen to its pronunciation. DM me via twitter if you need further help! Good luck!
Amazing! Thank you so much! I speak Cantonese at when I visit family, but it's so hard to communicate what I do day-to-day and what excites me to my mom and other relatives who are not in tech industry. My Cantonese conversationally is grand, I haven't been laughed at in Hong Kong when I am out and about, but certainly terms for more topical conversations on tech is hard for me. So thank you for your help. I understand we all mingle English with our Cantonese conversations.
Tweet - ๆจ็น
Facebook - ่ธไนฆ
Source control - ๆบไปฃ็ ็ฎก็
repo - ไปๅบ
TDD - ๆต่ฏ้ฉฑๅจๅผๅ
BDD - ่กไธบ้ฉฑๅจๅผๅ
Virtual environment - ่ๆ็ฏๅข
sandbox (programming) - ๆฒ็
Virtual reality - ่ๆ็ฐๅฎ
Augmented reality - ๅขๅผบ็ฐๅฎ
Touchscreen - ่งฆๆธๅฑ
QR code - ไบ็ปด็
scan (a code) - ๆซๆ
retina display - ่ง็ฝ่ๆพ็คบๅฑ
text editor (coding) - ๆๆฌ็ผ่พๅจ
data scientist - ๆฐๆฎ็งๅญฆๅฎถ
data engineer - ๆฐๆฎๅทฅ็จๅธ
visualisation/visualization (data) - ่ๆๅ
startup - ๅฏๅจ/ๅไธๅ ฌๅธ
ecosystem - ็ๆ็ณป็ป
indie developers (games) - ็ฌ็ซๅผๅ่
remote working - ่ฟ็จๅทฅไฝ
Thank you so much. I'll have to get the pronunciations for them all as I am not great at reading and writing being born overseas and a self-learning the past few decades. I didn't go to Chinese school (didn't have any where I grew up). This is really helpful, so thank you! I will probably write another post... if there's enough, maybe a series. ๐ค
Anyone help me? I don't know where to tag this article so I get more help finding Chinese (Cantonese) techie terminology. Already emailed the mods to see if they can advise. #TIA
Hey there,
Sorry about this!
I think this was most likely a mistake. I'll add this tag back to your post now and look into things... probably just a moment where someone didn't read thoroughly enough into the article. ๐
I'll also email ya back โ apologies for the delayed response! ๐
No worries at all, thank you. I just had to amend the title and I seem to have gotten help from folks. This community roxx! Keep up with the good work. Being a mod is no easy job. ๐ค๐ค
Awesome list you have here.
Definitely great to have this on hand in a case you need it.