Hong Kong Transit Jyutping
Practise Hong Kong transit speech—baat3 daat6 tung1, gwo3 hoi2, zyun3 ce1, jau5 lok6—plus the Mandarin traps, with instant Jyutping.
On Hong Kong transport, tapping a card is 拍卡. Changing trains is 轉車. Crossing the harbour is 過海. Getting off a minibus, people shout 有落.
Each entry has Jyutping playback. Etymology of 巴士 and 的士 is in English loanwords. To annotate station names, use the Jyutping converter.
Pairing table
| Hong Kong speech | Jyutping | Mandarin often says |
|---|---|---|
| 八達通 | baat3 daat6 tung1 | 交通卡 (same characters possible) |
| 拍卡 | paak3 kaat1 | 刷卡 |
| 增值 | zang1 zik6 | 充值 |
| 入閘 | jap6 zaap6 | 進站 |
| 出閘 | ceot1 zaap6 | 出站 |
| 港鐵 | gong2 tit3 | 地鐵 |
| 月台 | jyut6 toi4 | 站台 |
| 轉車 | zyun3 ce1 | 換乘 |
| 過海 | gwo3 hoi2 | 去港島, 去九龍 |
| 出口 | ceot1 hau2 | 出口 (different sounds) |
| 搭 | daap3 | 坐, 乘 |
| 上車 | soeng5 ce1 | 上車 |
| 落車 | lok6 ce1 | 下車 |
| 紅色小巴 | hung4 sik1 siu2 baa1 | 紅色小巴 |
| 專線小巴 | zyun1 sin3 siu2 baa1 | 綠色小巴 |
| 有落 | jau5 lok6 | 有人下車 |
Tap the card
1. 八達通 (baat3 daat6 tung1)
Meaning: Hong Kong stored-value card. English: Octopus. words.hk reads baat3 daat6 tung1.
Mandarin often writes the same three characters. Do not read them as Mandarin ba da tong. Follow playback.
八達通
baat3 daat6 tung1
2. 拍卡 (paak3 kaat1)
Meaning: Touch the card or phone to the reader.
words.hk lists 拍八達通. Its 入閘 example is 拍咗卡就入得閘. Mandarin 刷卡 is understood. It does not sound local. 卡 here is kaat1, not the train-car classifier kaa1.
拍卡
paak3 kaat1
拍八達通
paak3 baat3 daat6 tung1
3. 增值 (zang1 zik6)
Meaning: Add money to the card. Octopus official wording is 增值, not 充值.
充值 is mainland wording. Hong Kong shops and stations write 增值. Sound: zang1 zik6.
增值
zang1 zik6
4. 入閘 (jap6 zaap6)
Meaning: Go through the gate into the paid area. words.hk reads jap6 zaap6.
People do not say 進站. 閘 is an entering tone.
入閘
jap6 zaap6
5. 出閘 (ceot1 zaap6)
Meaning: Go through the gate to leave. words.hk reads ceot1 zaap6.
The words.hk example keeps 月台 and the gate apart: meet on the platform first; do not rush out.
出閘
ceot1 zaap6
MTR
6. 港鐵 (gong2 tit3)
Meaning: MTR Corporation, and the railway it runs. The name after the 2007 merger of the MTR and KCR. words.hk reads gong2 tit3.
People still say 地鐵; words.hk lists it. Official and most speech is 港鐵. Hong Kong speakers say 港鐵.
港鐵
gong2 tit3
7. 月台 (jyut6 toi4)
Meaning: The raised platform for waiting and boarding. words.hk reads jyut6 toi4. English: platform.
Mainland metro speech often uses 站台. Different characters. Do not copy Mandarin.
月台
jyut6 toi4
8. 轉車 (zyun3 ce1)
Meaning: Change to another ride. Speech: zyun3 ce1.
Signs and announcements often write 轉綫. 綫 is the MTR spelling. People say 轉車.
轉車
zyun3 ce1
9. 過海 (gwo3 hoi2)
Meaning: Cross from one side of Victoria Harbour to the other. words.hk reads gwo3 hoi2.
words.hk collocations include 過海巴 and 過海的. It is an action, not a place name. 去港島 does not cover the whole meaning; 過海 also means going to Kowloon.
過海
gwo3 hoi2
10. 出口 (ceot1 hau2)
Meaning: The way out of the station. words.hk reads ceot1 hau2.
Same characters as Mandarin. Follow the Cantonese sounds, not chu1 kou3. MTR exits are lettered: Exit A, Exit B.
出口
ceot1 hau2
Minibus, alighting
11. 搭 (daap3)
Meaning: To take transport. words.hk reads daap3. Collocations: 搭車, 搭巴士, 搭船.
Mandarin often says 坐 or 乘. Hong Kong speakers say 搭. For 巴士 and 的士 see English loanwords.
搭
daap3
搭港鐵
daap3 gong2 tit3
搭巴士
daap3 baa1 si2
12. 上車, 落車 (soeng5 ce1, lok6 ce1)
Meaning: Get on; leave the vehicle. words.hk reads 落車 as lok6 ce1.
上車 is close in writing. 落車 is not a Cantonese reading of 下車. Hong Kong speakers say 落車.
上車
soeng5 ce1
落車
lok6 ce1
13. 紅色小巴 (hung4 sik1 siu2 baa1)
Meaning: Public light bus on non-fixed routes. Transport Department wording. Also called red van.
Routes, frequency, and fares need no prior TD approval. Alighting usually needs a shout. 小巴 as a loanword: English loanwords.
紅色小巴
hung4 sik1 siu2 baa1
14. 專線小巴 (zyun1 sin3 siu2 baa1)
Meaning: Public light bus on fixed routes, times, and fares. Transport Department writes 綠色專線小巴. Speech often drops 綠色.
Many already have a bell. People still shout 有落.
專線小巴
zyun1 sin3 siu2 baa1
15. 有落 (jau5 lok6)
Meaning: Tell the driver you will get off ahead. words.hk reads jau5 lok6 and tags it as minibus speech.
words.hk example: 司機，唔該有落. Not red vans only; green minibuses hear it too. If there is a bell, press it. Do not copy 有人下車.
有落
jau5 lok6
唔該有落
m4 goi1 jau5 lok6
Shadow lines
過海要轉車。
gwo3 hoi2 jiu3 zyun3 ce1
唔該有落。
m4 goi1 jau5 lok6
拍卡入閘。
paak3 kaat1 jap6 zaap6
八達通增值。
baat3 daat6 tung1 zang1 zik6
What these words train
| Type | Examples | What you practise |
|---|---|---|
| Tap, not swipe | 拍卡, 拍八達通 | words.hk lists 拍, not 刷卡 as local speech |
| Add money | 增值 | Octopus writes 增值, not 充值 |
| Harbour as action | 過海, 過海巴 | Island ↔ Kowloon, not a place name |
| Minibus speech | 有落, 唔該有落 | Not a copy of 有人下車 |
| Two readings of 卡 | 拍卡 kaat1; train-car 卡 kaa1 | Context picks the reading |
FAQ
Can I still say 地鐵?
People will understand. words.hk lists 地鐵. After the 2007 merger the official name is 港鐵.
Where do I practise 巴士 and 的士?
Etymology is already in English loanwords. Speech here is 搭, 轉車, and 落車.
Do 拍卡 and 拍八達通 differ?
Same action. words.hk lists 拍八達通; the 入閘 example uses 拍卡. Practise both.
Is 有落 only for red minibuses?
words.hk tags it as minibus speech, not one colour. Red vans almost always need a shout. Many green minibuses have a bell; a shout is still understood.
What next?
Asking the way: street nicknames. 巴士 and 的士: English loanwords. Or annotate your own route with the Jyutping converter.