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

• Min Bei (KCR): Hióng-gǒ̤ng
• Min Dong (BUC): Hiŏng-gē̤ng
• Min Nan

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

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hiang¹ gang²

• Wu (Wiktionary): ¹xian-kaan

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• 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: /çiɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ kuɔŋ³¹/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: Hióng-gǒ̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xiɔŋ⁵⁴ kɔŋ²¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Hiŏng-gē̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hyoŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(k-)ŋøyŋ³³/
• Min Nan
  • (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
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: ¹xian-kaan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiã⁵⁵ kɑ̃²¹/

Proper noun

香港

1. (～特別行政區) Hong Kong (a city and special administrative region of China)
2. Short for 香港島／香港岛 (Xiānggǎngdǎo, “Hong Kong Island”).

   • 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), 香港地, 東方之珠／东方之珠

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)
• → Mongolian: Хонконг (Xonkong) (Mongolia)
• → Mongolian: ᠰᠢᠶᠠᠩᠭᠠᠩ (siyaŋɣaŋ) (China)
• → Russian: Сянга́н (Sjangán)
• → 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, 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

Hán tự in this term
香	港

Proper noun

香港

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