Hong Kong Weather and Typhoon Jyutping

Hong Kong weather talk does not copy Mandarin. Rain is 落雨. A typhoon is 打風. A wind signal is 掛波.

Each entry has Jyutping playback. School and work arrangements belong to the Education Bureau and the employer, not to the words. Time words: 而家, 聽日. Getting around on a typhoon day: transit. To annotate a forecast, use the Jyutping converter.

Pairing table

The Observatory's writing calls the wind set tropical cyclone warning signals, and the rain set rainstorm warning signals. They are independent. Speech calls the wind 波, and the rain 黃, 紅, 黑.

Everyday weather

1. 天氣 (tin1 hei3)

Meaning: Heat, cold, wet, dry, wind, sun. words.hk reads tin1 hei3.

Same characters as Mandarin. Follow the Cantonese sounds, not tian1 qi4.

2. 落雨 (lok6 jyu5)

Meaning: To rain. words.hk reads lok6 jyu5.

People do not say 下雨. Hong Kong speakers say 落雨. The same lok6 as in 落車.

3. 出太陽 (ceot1 taai3 joeng4)

Meaning: The sun comes out; it is fair. Speech: ceot1 taai3 joeng4.

Mandarin also says 出太陽. People pair it against 落雨.

4. 好熱, 好凍 (hou2 jit6, hou2 dung3)

Meaning: Very hot; very cold. 熱 is jit6, 凍 is dung3.

好 here is degree, not "good weather". Do not copy Mandarin 很冷 as 好冷. Hong Kong speakers say 凍.

5. 好焗 (hou2 guk6)

Meaning: Stuffy; still air that feels uncomfortable. words.hk weather sense reads guk6.

Not juk6. Mandarin 很悶 is understood. It does not sound local. Hong Kong speakers say 焗.

Typhoon talk

6. 天文台 (tin1 man4 toi4)

Meaning: Hong Kong Observatory; the body that watches and forecasts weather. words.hk reads tin1 man4 toi4.

Mandarin often says 氣象台. Speech and writing both use 天文台. Wind signals and amber, red, and black rain all come from it.

7. 打風 (daa2 fung1)

Meaning: A place is hit by a typhoon or strong wind. words.hk reads daa2 fung1.

People do not say 颳風. Near-synonym 打風球; words.hk marks 打風 as the usual speech. Hong Kong speakers say 打風.

8. 風球 (fung1 kau4)

Meaning: A tropical cyclone warning signal from the Observatory. words.hk reads fung1 kau4. The name comes from spherical marks once hoisted at signal stations.

Writing now says "issue a signal". Speech still says 風球, or shorter 波. 球 here is not a football.

9. 掛波 (gwaa3 bo1)

Meaning: To issue a typhoon signal. Speech: gwaa3 bo1. The high-frequency line is 掛八號波.

words.hk lists this sense under 波; examples use 掛. Do not copy 發颱風預警. Hong Kong speakers say 掛波.

10. 落波 (lok6 bo1)

Meaning: To lower or cancel a typhoon signal. words.hk reads lok6 bo1.

Same 落 as in 落雨. Some people say 除波 or 扯波. words.hk lists 落波. Hong Kong speakers say 落波.

Signal numbers

Current signals are only 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10. No. 8 splits by wind direction: northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest. Speech almost never names the direction.

11. 一號波, 三號波 (jat1 hou6 bo1, saam1 hou6 bo1)

Meaning: Standby Signal No. 1; Strong Wind Signal No. 3.

No. 1 is standby. No. 3 means strong winds are coming. Do not treat the numbers as a ladder you climb; there is no 2, 4, 5, 6, or 7.

12. 八號波 (baat3 hou6 bo1)

Meaning: Gale or Storm Signal No. 8. The number Hong Kong names most.

Officially there are four No. 8 signals by direction. Speech just says 八號波. It is not the name of a public holiday, and it does not mean "nobody goes to work".

13. 九號波, 十號波 (gau2 hou6 bo1, sap6 hou6 bo1)

Meaning: Increasing Gale or Storm Signal No. 9; Hurricane Signal No. 10.

No. 9 means the wind will strengthen further. No. 10 is hurricane force. Speech uses them less; the meaning is "worse than No. 8".

Amber, red, black rain

黃, 紅, 黑 are rainstorm warnings, not typhoon signals. The Observatory states that the two systems are independent.

14. 黃雨 (wong4 jyu5)

Meaning: Short for the Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal. words.hk reads wong4 jyu5.

HKO English is Amber, not Yellow. The guidance rainfall is more than about 30 mm in an hour over wide areas. 黃雨 is not "yellow rain".

15. 紅雨 (hung4 jyu5)

Meaning: Short for the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal. words.hk reads hung4 jyu5.

Guidance rainfall is about 50 mm an hour. Do not hear it as poetic Mandarin 紅雨. That is the warning people mean.

16. 黑雨 (haak1 jyu5)

Meaning: Short for the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. words.hk lists haak1 jyu5 and hak1 jyu5. Playback uses haak1.

Guidance rainfall is about 70 mm an hour. Lazy sound often uses hak1. It is not "black-coloured rain". Thunderstorm is a separate warning: leoi4 bou6.

17. 水浸 (seoi2 zam3)

Meaning: Water covering the ground. words.hk reads seoi2 zam3.

People do not say 淹水. Low streets and poor drains flood when rain is heavy.

Shadow lines

What these words train

FAQ

Why is there no No. 2 signal?
Current signals are only 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10. Older systems used more numbers for wind direction. From 1973 the old 5-to-8 set became No. 8 plus a direction, so people would not hear a falling number as falling wind. Remember these five.

Does 黑雨 always mean school is off?
That is not the meaning of the word. Red and black rain depend on the time of issue; amber rain usually leaves school in session. Follow the Education Bureau that day.

Does 掛八號波 mean nobody goes to work?
No. It is not a public holiday, and that is not the definition of the phrase. The Labour Department issues employer guidance, with designated-staff exceptions; private firms set their own rules. People still say 掛八號波.

Can I say 除波 or 扯波?
People do. words.hk lists 落波.

What next?
聽日 and 而家: time words. Riding on a typhoon day: transit Jyutping. Or annotate an Observatory bulletin with the Jyutping converter.