Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation

Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation (not an official title) is the method of romanisation used in Hong Kong.

Usage

It is used in romanising names of people, when the applicant do not produce one by him/herself, and geographical names, for places which do not have an English name.

For place names, "streets" and "roads" are always used instead of "do" and "kai". "Wan" and "bay" are, however, equally common.

Phonology

It is not a fully standardised system, and many of the phonemes are correspond to more than one alphabets, or the other way round. All tones are ommited.

Consonants

Initials

pPo LamttkwCh
TsCh
Ts

IPA	Romanisation	Example
p	p	Sai Ying Pun
b/pʰ
t		Tuen Mun
d/tʰ		Tai O
k	k	Shau Kei Wan
g/kʰ	k	Tai Kok Tsui
kw	kw	Kwai Chung
gw/kʰw		Kwun Tong
m	m	Yau Ma Tei
n	n	Nam Cheong
ŋ	ng	Ngau Tau Kok
l	l	Lam Tin
f	f	Fo Tan
s	s sh	So Kon Po Shau Kei Wan
h	h	Heng Fa Chuen
j	y	Yau Tong
w	w	Wong Tai Sin
ts		Heng Fa Chuen Yau Yat Tsuen
tsʰ/dz		Chung On Estate Tai Kok Tsui

Finals

IPA	Romanisation	Example
p	p	Ap Lei Chau
t	t	Yau Yat Tsuen
k	k	Shek O

Vowels

auaung

IPA	Romanisation	Example
ɑ	a	Yau Ma Tei
ɛ/e	e	Che Kung Miu
i/ɪ	i ze z ee	Tsing Yi Sheung Sze Wan Tsz Wan Shan Tat Chee Avenue
u/ʊ	u oo	Kwun Tong Mei Foo
œ	eu/eo	Sheung Wan Nam Cheong
y	u ue	Yu Chau Street Lei Muk Shue
ɑɪ	ai	Sai Wan Ho
ɐɪ	ai	Mai Po
ɑʊ/ɑu		Shau Kei Wan
ɐʊ/ɐu		Sau Mau Ping
eɪ	ei ee ze	Lei King Wan Lee On Shap Sze Heung
ɪʊ	iu	Yiu Tung Estate
ɔɪ	oi oy	Choi Hung Choy Yee Bridge
ʊɪ/uɪ	ui	Pui O
œy	ui	Sham Shui Po
əʊ	o	Tai Mo Shan Tung Chung
m	m	(no geographical name)
ŋ		Ng Tung River

See also

• Jyutping