View source for Languages of Hong Kong

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Refimprove|date=December 2016}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Languages of
|country=Hong Kong
|image= HK Central 146 Queen's Road shop signs 莎巴馬來西亞餐廳 Sabah Malaysian Cuisine restaurant Nov-2013.JPG

|caption=English and Chinese signage on [[Queen's Road, Hong Kong|Queen's Road]]
|official   = [[English_language|English]] and [[Chinese_language|Chinese]]
|unofficial = 
|main       = [[Yue Chinese]] ([[Cantonese]])
|indigenous = 
|minority   =   [[Hakka language|Hakka]], [[Southern Min]] ([[Hokkien]], [[Teochew Min|Teochew]], [[Haklau Min|Haklau]]), [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], [[Shanghainese]]
|immigrant  = [[Filipino language|Filipino]], [[Thai language|Thai]], [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Hindi]], [[Urdu]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|foreign    = [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]]
|sign       = [[Hong Kong Sign Language]]
|keyboard   = [[QWERTY]], [[Cangjie_input_method|Cangjie]], [[Dayi method|Dayi]], [[Bopomofo]]
|keyboard image = [[File:Mtr keyboard 1.jpg|200px]]
|source     =
|vernacular=  [[Hong Kong Cantonese]], [[Hong Kong English]]
|semi-official= }} During the [[British Hong Kong|British colonial era]], English was the sole official language until 1978. Today, the [[Hong Kong Basic Law|Basic Law of Hong Kong]] states that [[English_language|English]] and [[Chinese_language|Chinese]] are the two [[official language]]s of [[Hong Kong]].<ref name=blm>{{cite web |url=http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/chapter_1.html |title=Hong Kong Basic Law: Chapter I |access-date=17 March 2008 |publisher=[[Hong Kong Basic Law]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123110932/http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/chapter_1.html |archive-date=23 November 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> All roads and government signs are bilingual, and both languages are used in academia, business and the courts, as well as in most government materials today.

== Cantonese Chinese ==
As the majority of the population in Hong Kong are descendants of migrants from China's [[Guangdong|Canton Province]], the vast majority speak standard [[Cantonese]] or other [[Yue Chinese]] varieties as a first language, with smaller numbers of speakers of [[Hakka Language]] or the [[Teochew dialect]] of [[Southern Min]]. 

== Multilingual Hong Kong ==
In addition, immigrants and expatriates from the West and other Asian countries have contributed much to Hong Kong's linguistic and demographic diversity. The geographical element of this diversity can be seen in the Hong Kong Language Maps, which shows oral languages from the 2011 Census, and oral and written languages from the 2016 Census.<ref name=HKLM>{{cite web |url=http://hkmaps.org/ |title=Hong Kong Language Maps |access-date=8 March 2019 |publisher=[[SSRC, HKU]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313043100/http://www.ssrc.hku.hk/hklangmaps/ |archive-date=13 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Statistics for the 27 self-reported spoken languages/dialects reported in the 2011 Census, can be found in the report: Language Use, Proficiency and Attitudes in Hong Kong<ref name=LUPAHK>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssrc.hku.hk/files/language_2/HK_lg_survey_Final.pdf |title=Language Use, Proficiency and Attitudes in Hong Kong |access-date=8 March 2019 |publisher=[[SSRC, HKU]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085656/http://www.ssrc.hku.hk/files/language_2/HK_lg_survey_Final.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and for the spoken and written languages in the 2016 By-Census in the report: The Contribution of Minority Languages and Dialects to Hong Kong’s Linguistic Landscape <ref name=CMLDHK>{{cite web |url= https://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/324930/1/content.pdf |title=The Contribution of Minority Languages and Dialects to Hong Kong's Linguistic Landscape }}</ref>
{{Demographics and culture of Hong Kong}}

==Official languages==
{{bar box
|title=Native languages of Hong Kong (2021)<ref name="CIATONGA">{{cite web|url=https://www.census2021.gov.hk/en/main_tables.html/ |title=2021 Hong Kong Census |publisher=Hong Kong Census }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] (official) |Blue| 88.2}}
{{bar percent|[[English language|English]] (official) |Red|4.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] (official) |brown|2.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Chinese dialects|Other Chinese varieties]] |Yellow|2.8}}
{{bar percent|Other languages|gray| 2.1}}
}}
{{bar box
|title=Language proficiency in Hong Kong (1996, 2016)<ref name="langlog">{{cite web |url=http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=33511 |title=Cantonese: Still the Native Language of Hong Kong |publisher=[[Language Log]] |date=July 1, 2017 |last=Mair |first=Victor |access-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704223416/http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=33511 |archive-date=4 July 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Language
|left2=Year
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent 2|[[Cantonese]]|1996|Blue|95.2|2016|Blue|94.6|−0.6%}}
{{bar percent 2|[[English language|English]]|1996|Red|38.1|2016|Red|53.1|+15%}}
{{bar percent 2|[[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]|1996|Brown|25.3|2016|Brown|48.6|+23.3%}}
}}

English was the sole official language of Hong Kong from 1883 to 1974. Only after demonstrations and petitions from Hong Kong people demanding equal status for Chinese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cusu.hk/archive/cu40.htm|title=cu40 《中大四十年》|date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721085840/http://www.cusu.hk/archive/cu40.htm|archive-date=21 July 2011|access-date=28 January 2018|lang=zh}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2020}} did the language become official in Hong Kong from 1974 onward. Annex I of the 1984 [[Sino-British Joint Declaration]] provided that English may be used in addition to Chinese for official purposes in the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In March 1987, the [[Official Languages Ordinance]] was amended to require all new legislation to be enacted bilingually in both English and Chinese. In 1990, the Hong Kong Basic Law affirmed English's co-official language status with Chinese after [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|the 1997 handover]]. No variety of Chinese has been specified to be official in Hong Kong; while it is usually understood that by ''Chinese'' Modern Standard Chinese is meant, Cantonese is the vernacular variety spoken by most of the population.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Chung Lung Shan |first=Peter |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/29833949 |title=Official Language Policy in Hong Kong, with particular reference to the Legislative Council |publisher=Master’s Thesis. University of Hong Kong |year=2003}}</ref>

== Chinese languages ==
As a result of immigration into Hong Kong from Canton Province, Cantonese is the dominant Chinese variant spoken in the territory with smaller numbers of speakers of other dialects. There are also numerous Chinese languages spoken by the native peoples of the [[New Territories]], many of which are mutually unintelligible. 

The written language used in official and formal settings is a less standardized form of [[Modern Standard Chinese]] that is read with Cantonese phonology. There is also a written language based on the vocabulary and grammar of spoken Cantonese known as [[written Cantonese]]. Although the "biliterate and trilingual" policy implies an absence of support for written Cantonese, it has gained popularity in news media where entertainment and local news are related. Written Cantonese is unintelligible to non-Cantonese speakers and is considered nonstandard by some educators despite its widespread usage in Hong Kong. Some have also credited written Cantonese for solving the challenges that standard written Chinese had faced in popular culture.

[[Traditional Chinese character]]s are widely used, and are the ''de facto'' writing standard in Hong Kong. Simplified Chinese is seen in some posters, leaflets, flyers and signs in the tourist areas.

=== Modern written Chinese ===
{{Main articles|Hong Kong written Chinese}}
In Hong Kong, [[Modern Standard Chinese]] has traditionally been an exclusively written language, used for official and formal purposes, just as [[Classical Chinese]] had been in China prior to the 20th century. With the establishment of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] in 1912, educational materials were imported into the then British colony and schools teaching Modern Standard Chinese, the official language of the Republic, were established there as well. Yet, due to the British colonial government favouring English over Chinese for most of its rule, there was not much official effort to further regulate the language.<ref name=":1" />

The local name for written Chinese is 書面語 ({{Zh|j=syu<sup>1</sup> min<sup>6-2</sup>jyu<sup>5</sup>|l=Written language}}) in contrast to 口語 ({{Zh|j=hau<sup>2</sup>jyu<sup>5</sup>|l=Spoken language}}), i.e. Cantonese.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Siu-lun |title=The Learning and Teaching of Cantonese as a Second Language |publisher=Routledge |year=2023 |isbn=9781000889895 |location=Abingdon/New York |language=en}}</ref> This form of written Chinese must be distinguished from written Cantonese on the one hand and from [[Putonghua]], the standard language/national variety of [[Mainland China]], on the other. Thus it has also been called ''Hong Kong-style Chinese'' ({{Zh|c=港式中文|p=gǎngshì zhōngwén}}) to distinguish it from Putonghua. Although texts in Hong Kong-style Chinese are read in [[Cantonese phonology]], its grammar and lexicon are largely derived from the Mandarin-based Modern Standard Chinese. Consequently, people proficient in other varieties of Standard Chinese, like [[Beijing Mandarin (division of Mandarin)|Beijing Mandarin]] or [[Taiwanese Mandarin]], are able to understand it at least in writing.

=== Standard Cantonese ===
{{Main article|Hong Kong Cantonese}}
The principal vernacular language of Hong Kong is [[Cantonese|standard Cantonese]] ({{Zh|t=粵語, 廣州話, 廣東話, 廣府話, 白話, 本地話}}),<ref name="census2011.gov.hk">{{cite web|url=http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/main-table/A124.html|title=Population Aged 5 and Over by Duration of Residence in Hong Kong, Ethnicity and Usual Language, 2011 (A124)|website=Census2011.gov.hk|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231171225/http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/main-table/A124.html|archive-date=31 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> spoken by 88.9% of the population. It is used as a colloquial language in all areas of daily life, government, and administration. As a written language, Cantonese became more popular with the boom of the Cantonese-language Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s. Movie subtitles, magazines, popular literature, and comics have been published in written Cantonese. The publication of the ''Government Common Character Set'' (GCCS) in 1995 and the ''Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set'' (HKSCS) in 1999 by the Information Technology Services Department further helped with standardizing the Chinese character set used for writing Cantonese.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Shi |first=Dingxu |date=2006-10-12 |title=Hong Kong written Chinese: Language change induced by language contact |url=http://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/japc.16.2.09shi |journal=Journal of Asian Pacific Communication |language=en |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=299–318 |doi=10.1075/japc.16.2.09shi |issn=0957-6851 |s2cid=143191355|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Yet it still has the status of ''spoken language'', 口語 ''hau<sup>2</sup> jyu<sup>5</sup>'', and students are corrected by their teachers for using it as a literary language.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:welcoming signboard KCR.jpg|thumb|250px|Part of a multilingual welcoming signboard at the former [[Kowloon–Canton Railway|KCR]] [[East Tsim Sha Tsui station]]. (From the top: French, Japanese, Spanish and Korean).]]
[[File:NathanRoadSign.jpg|thumb|250px|Road signs in Hong Kong are written in both Chinese and English.]]

===Native Yue dialects===
A few closely related dialects to standard Cantonese continue to be spoken in Hong Kong. Most notable is the [[Weitou dialect]] (圍頭話), which is mostly spoken by the older generation living in [[walled villages of Hong Kong|walled villages]] in New Territories. Additionally, the [[Tanka (ethnic group)|Tanka people]] ({{Zh|t=蜑家人, 疍家人, 水上人}}) from the fishing [[list of villages in Hong Kong|village]]s on outlying islands speak their own variant of Cantonese. However, this dialect is now largely limited to those middle aged and above.

===Hakka===
[[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]] is indigenous to many villages in the [[New Territories]] and within [[Hakka people|Hakka communities]] in Hong Kong. Nowadays, outside these rural villages and older populations, younger Hakka Chinese populations communicate primarily in Cantonese.<ref name="hkilang.org">http://www.hkilang.org (''in Chinese Traditional'')</ref><ref>http://podcast.rthk.hk/podcast/item_epi.php?pid=315&lang=zh-CN&id=16160 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102800/http://podcast.rthk.hk/podcast/item_epi.php?pid=315&lang=zh-CN&id=16160 |date=18 May 2015 }} [[RTHK]]《漫遊百科 - Ep. 17》(''in Cantonese'')</ref>

===Southern Min===
[[Hokkien]] (especially [[Quanzhou Hokkien]]), [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]], [[Haklau Min|Haklau]] are the [[Southern Min]] varieties commonly found in Hong Kong. However, their usage is largely limited to the migrant families from the around the 20th century or so, especially the [[Cold War|cold war]] era after the [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|communist takeover of China in 1949]], to the 21st century, such as middle aged descendants of immigrants from native Chinese regions of these variants, specifically for [[Haklau Min|Haklau]] speakers from [[Swabue]], [[Teochew Min|Teochew]] speakers from the [[Chaoshan|Teoswa region]] (such as [[Chaozhou]], [[Chaoyang, Shantou|Chaoyang]], etc.) of Southeast [[Guangdong]], and [[Hokkien]] speakers from [[Southern Fujian|Southern]] [[Fujian]] (such as [[Quanzhou]], [[Xiamen]], [[Zhangzhou]]) and [[Cold War|cold war]]-era returnee migrants from [[Southeast Asia]], such as the [[Philippines]], [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], etc. since many of them migrated out to the aforementioned Southeast Asian countries during the late 20th century before the [[Handover of Hong Kong]] but some also remained or came back to Hong Kong, especially around [[North Point]] and nearby areas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=徐宇航 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4NUwEAAAQBAJ |title=香港閩南方言生態研究 |publisher=中華書局(香港)有限公司 |year=2020 |isbn=978-988-8674-83-1 |location=香港北角 ([[North Point]], Hong Kong) |trans-title=On the Ecology of Southern Min Dialects in Hong Kong}}</ref>

=== Taishanese ===
[[Taishanese]] originates from migrants from [[Taishan, Guangdong|Taishan]] County in Mainland China. The variant can still be found in some areas in Hong Kong where migrants concentrated, such as [[Sai Wan]].

=== Shanghainese ===
[[Shanghainese]], or [[Wu Chinese]] in general, was commonly spoken by migrants who escaped Shanghai after the [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|communist takeover of China in 1949]]. Their descendants assimilated into mainstream Cantonese-speaking society. However there is still a sizeable immigrant community after [[Chinese economic reform|China's economic reform in 1978]], and about 1.1% of the population speaks Shanghainese according to a 2016 census.<ref>{{cite web |title=香港人口概況 {{!}} 2016年中期人口統計 |url=https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/tc/Snapshot-08.html |website=www.bycensus2016.gov.hk |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref>

===Mandarin===
When Hong Kong was a colony of the [[United Kingdom]], [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]] ({{Zh|t=普通話, 現代標準漢語, 國語, 北方話}}) was not widely used in Hong Kong. Since the [[Handover of Hong Kong|1997 handover]], the huge increase in inbound tourism from the mainland has led to much more widespread use of Mandarin, particularly in tourism-related commerce, though little impact has been seen in locally based commerce or public services.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}} 

In addition, the large number of ''soeng1 fei1'' (雙非) children (children born in Hong Kong whose parents are both from the Mainland) has increased the number of Mandarin-speaking people, particularly in districts close to the border, such that Mandarin-speaking children make up large proportions or even the majority of primary-school students in those districts, causing the beginnings of a [[language shift]] in those areas.{{fact|date=May 2018}}

==English==
[[File:Banner Causeway Bay.jpg|thumb|250px|A bilingual sale banner hung in front of a shop in Causeway Bay.]]
{{details|Hong Kong English}}
English is a major working language in Hong Kong, and is widely used in commercial activities and legal matters. Although the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the [[People's Republic of China|PRC]] by the [[United Kingdom]] in 1997, English remains one of the [[official language]]s of Hong Kong as enshrined in the [[Basic Law of Hong Kong|Basic Law]].

===Code-switching between Cantonese and English===
{{details|Code-switching in Hong Kong}}
Many [[Hong Kong people]] [[code-switching|use both Cantonese and English]], or "code-switch", in the same sentence when speaking. For example, "{{lang|zh-hk|唓，都唔}} make sense!" ("Wow, it does not make sense!"). The code-switching can freely mix English words and Chinese grammar, for instance "{{lang|zh-hk|你}} un {{lang|zh-hk|唔}} understand?" ("Do you understand?") which follows the Chinese grammar syntax 'verb - not - verb' to ask "Do you ''(verb)''?".

Some code-switched words are used so often that they have become [[loanword]]s in Cantonese,<ref>Chan, Mimi and Helen Kwok (1982). ''A Study of Lexical Borrowing from English in Hong Kong Cantonese''. Hong Kong: Centre of Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong.</ref> for example,
*"like", pronounced "lai-kee" /laːi<sup>55</sup>kʰi<sup>35</sup>/.
*"Partner", pronounced "pat-la" /pʰaːt̚<sup>55</sup>laː<sup>21</sup>/.
*"File", pronounced "fai-lo" /faːi<sup>55</sup>lou<sup>35</sup>/.
*"Number", pronounced "lum-ba" /lɐm<sup>55</sup>pa<sup>35</sup>/.
*"Case", pronounced "kei-see" /kʰei<sup>55</sup>si<sup>35</sup>/.

==Other European languages==

===French===
In Hong Kong, [[French language|French]] is the second most studied foreign language after Japanese. Many institutions in Hong Kong, like [[Alliance française]], provide French courses. Local universities, such as the [[University of Hong Kong]], the [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]] and [[Hong Kong Baptist University]], offer programmes which aim at developing proficiency in French language and culture. The language was included as a subject in the [[HKCEE]], but not in [[HKALE]], the two former public exams that Hong Kong high school students take, with accordance to British [[International General Certificate of Secondary Education]] (IGCSE) standards. The IGCSE French syllabus used by the [[University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate]] (UCLES) is adopted in the examination. The only French book store, [[Librairie Parentheses]], in Hong Kong is located on [[Wellington Street, Hong Kong|Wellington Street]], [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.oag.com/Cities/Detail?city%3D86%26cat%3D28%26item%3D132544 |title=Librairie Parentheses Central Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR, PRC the only French bookstore |access-date=2007-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930224211/http://www3.oag.com/Cities/Detail?city=86&cat=28&item=132544 |archive-date=2007-09-30 }} Librairie Parentheses, "only French bookstore"</ref>

[[Real estate]] developers in Hong Kong sometimes name their buildings in French, such as ''Bel-Air'', ''Les Saisons'' and ''Belle Mer''. This kind of [[foreign branding]] is also used in [[boutique]]s and [[restaurant]]s. An example is [[Yucca de Lac]] in [[Ma Liu Shui]]. Sometimes only French elements such as [[grammatical article|article]]s and [[preposition]]s are added to the name, as in the case of the restaurant chain [[Café de Coral]]. Similar mixing of English and French can be seen on the menu of [[Délifrance]], a French-style restaurant chain in Hong Kong.

===German===
The number of [[German language|German]] speakers in Hong Kong is about 5 thousand, significant enough for the establishment of the [[German Swiss International School]] (''Deutsch-Schweizerische Internationale Schule''), which claims to number more than 1,000 students, at [[Victoria Peak|The Peak]] of [[Hong Kong Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mygsis.gsis.edu.hk/AboutUs_principal_welcome.aspx |access-date=2007-01-12 |publisher=German Swiss International School |title=Principal's Welcome |date=2006-12-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111060419/http://mygsis.gsis.edu.hk/AboutUs_principal_welcome.aspx |archive-date=2007-01-11 }}</ref> Many institutions in Hong Kong provide German courses. The most well-known one is the [[Goethe-Institut]], which is located in [[Wan Chai]]. After spending a certain period in learning German, students can take the German Test as a Foreign Language (''Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache''; ''TestDaF'' for short) and Start German A1-C2. There are currently two test centres for TestDaF in Hong Kong: the Goethe-Institut and the [[Hong Kong Baptist University]](HKBU). The latter one also offers a European Studies degree course of German Stream, [[Bachelor of Social Science]] in European Studies (German Stream), in parallel with the French stream. A minor programme of German is offered at the Language Centre of HKBU. The [[University of Hong Kong|Hong Kong University]] offers a Major in German. The [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]] offers a Minor in German and popular summer courses. The [[Hong Kong University of Science and Technology]] offers German for science and technology.

==Other East Asian languages==

===Japanese===
{{See also|Japanese people in Hong Kong}}
There are over 25,000 [[Japanese people in Hong Kong]], so it is not uncommon to hear [[Japanese language|Japanese]] conversations. More than 10,000 people in Hong Kong had taken the [[JLPT]] in 2005.<ref>[http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt/j/not.html "Number of Applicants and Examines by Test Site of the JLPT 2005"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113202940/http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt/j/not.html |date=2007-01-13 }}, The Japan Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.</ref> Hong Kong-based [[R by R|R by R Production]] produces a television travel show set in Japan, which, as of April 2016, is broadcast on [[ViuTV]]. However, the language is often misused.<ref>[http://colorfulland.hp.infoseek.co.jp/nihonkongo.html "{{lang|ja|2005年10月　ニホンコンゴ★ ついに映像化！}}"], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218103327/http://colorfulland.hp.infoseek.co.jp/nihonkongo.html |date=February 18, 2007 }} R by R Production. Retrieved on 2007-02-25. (in [[Japanese language|Japanese]])</ref>


Japanese culture, especially the popular culture, has been popular in Hong Kong for decades. Hong Kong people occasionally replace [[Chinese characters]] with Japanese [[kanji]]. In addition, the Companies Registry also permits the [[hiragana]] {{lang|ja|の}} ‘''no’'' in Chinese business names that are registered in Hong Kong.<ref>[http://www.ird.gov.hk/eng/tax/bre_abr.htm#4 "Business" Required to be Registered and Application for Business Registration: Business Name] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031318/http://www.ird.gov.hk/eng/tax/bre_abr.htm#4 |date=1 December 2017 }}, Inland Revenue Department</ref> The hiragana の is usually used in place of the Chinese character {{lang|zh-hk|之}} ({{zh|j=zi1|sl=ji<sup>1</sup>}}) and is read as such in Hong Kong. In fact, [[Aji Ichiban]] has adopted の in their company name ({{lang|zh-hk|優の良品}}). 

The Japanese [[shinjitai]] [[kanji]] {{langx|ja|駅|translit=eki|translit-std=ISO|label=none}}, has been used to substitute {{lang|zh-hk|站}} ({{zh|sl=jaam<sup>6</sup>|j=zaam6}}) (both 站 and 駅 mean "station" in their respective languages), as in Nu Front ({{lang|zh-hk|東角駅}}), a shopping mall for Hong Kong youngsters in [[Causeway Bay]]. There are also some private estates named with the kanji {{lang|zh-hk|駅}}. The Japanese {{lang|zh-hk|駅}} is the [[shinjitai]] of the hanzi {{lang|zh-hk|驛}} ({{zh|j=jik6|sl=yik<sup>6</sup>}}). However, 驛 has fallen out of usage to {{lang|zh-hk|站}} in modern Cantonese and become obsolete. Therefore, it is not uncommon to mispronounce {{lang|zh-hk|駅}} as its phonetic compound {{lang|zh-hk|尺}} ({{zh|sl=chek<sup>3</sup>|j=cek3}}).

===Korean===
{{See also|Koreans in Hong Kong}}
[[Koreans in Hong Kong]] only make up a small minority while [[Korean culture]] has gained popularity since the early 2000s. [[Korean pop music]] was the first Korean media to enter Hong Kong's market. Since then, several Korean TV series such as [[Dae Jang Geum]] have been broadcast to numerous audiences.<ref>[http://www.centajob.com/chr/whatsnew/read.asp?com_id=610&page=1&rp_type=study "學習韓語秘技傍身"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928043531/http://www.centajob.com/chr/whatsnew/read.asp?com_id=610&page=1&rp_type=study |date=2007-09-28 }}, Centaline Human Resources Consultants Limited, 2005-03-03. Retrieved on 2007-02-25. (in [[Traditional Chinese]])</ref> There are roughly 1,000 students that took Korean courses at the [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]] each year, including undergraduates as well as professionals who enrolled in continuing education programs. Roughly 3,000 people have taken the [[TOPIK|Test of Proficiency in Korean]] since its introduction to Hong Kong in 2003.<ref>{{citation|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/01/28/2010012800200.html|periodical=Chosun Ilbo|date=2010-01-28|access-date=2010-01-28|title=The Woman Who Taught Hong Kong to Speak Korean|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130122125/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/01/28/2010012800200.html|archive-date=30 January 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Surveys and statistics from course enrolments have shown that nine-tenths of the students studying Korean in Hong Kong are female.<ref name="Kim2010">{{citation|last=Kim|first=Hyewon Kang|journal=Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching|volume=7|issue=1|pages=141&ndash;153|url=http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v7sp12010/kim.htm|title=Korean Language and Korean Studies in Hong Kong (1998–2009)|year=2010|access-date=15 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114213651/http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v7sp12010/kim.htm|archive-date=14 January 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Southeast Asian languages==

===Filipino===
{{See also|Filipinos in Hong Kong}}
[[Filipino language|Filipino]] ([[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]) and other [[Languages of the Philippines|Philippine languages]] are used by [[Filipinos in Hong Kong]], most of whom are employed as [[Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong|foreign domestic worker]]s.

Newspapers and magazines in Filipino can also be easily found in [[Central, Hong Kong]]. There are also a small number of [[church (building)|church]]es in Hong Kong that have [[Mass (liturgy)|masses]] or [[Church service|services]] in Filipino, for example the afternoon masses provided by the [[St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong|St. John's Cathedral]] in Central.

===Indonesian===
{{See also|Indonesians in Hong Kong}}
[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] is the common language for the significant number of [[Indonesians in Hong Kong|Indonesians working in Hong Kong]], though [[Javanese language|Javanese]] is also widely spoken. Most are domestic workers; On their days off, they often gather at [[Victoria Park, Hong Kong|Victoria Park]] in [[Causeway Bay]] where Indonesian languages can be heard.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rsi.sg/english/indonesiamediawatch/view/20060225104359/1/.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004011/http://www.rsi.sg/english/indonesiamediawatch/view/20060225104359/1/.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-09-28 |date=2006-02-25 |access-date=2007-01-09 |title=Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong |publisher=Radio International Singapore }}</ref>

===Thai===
{{See also|Thais in Hong Kong}}
[[Thai language|Thai]] prevails among the [[Thais in Hong Kong|Thai population in Hong Kong]], who mostly work as domestic workers. The Thai language is found in many shops and restaurants owned by Thais in [[Kowloon City]]. A number of Thai movies have been imported since the early 2000s, such as ''The Wheel'' in the medley ''[[Three (2002 film)|Three]]'', ''[[Jan Dara (2001 film)|Jan Dara]]'', the ''[[Iron Ladies]]'', ''[[My Little Girl]]'', and ''[[Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior]]'' and ''[[Tom-Yum-Goong]]'' starring [[Tony Jaa]].

===Vietnamese===
{{See also|Vietnamese people in Hong Kong}}
[[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] is used in Hong Kong among the [[Hoa people|ethnic Chinese from Vietnam]] who had initially settled in [[Vietnam]] and returned to Hong Kong. The language is also used by Vietnamese [[boat people|refugees]] who left their home during the [[Vietnam War]].

==South Asian languages==
{{Main article|South Asians in Hong Kong}}
{{See also|Indians in Hong Kong|Pakistanis in Hong Kong|Nepalese in Hong Kong}}
In 2006, there were at least 44,744 persons of South Asian descent living in Hong Kong.<ref name="2006Census">{{cite journal|title=Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities|url=http://www.bycensus2006.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_962/06bc_em.pdf|date=2007-12-28|access-date=2008-01-23|issue=xvi|journal=Publications and Products of the 2006 Population By-census|publisher=Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721092021/http://www.bycensus2006.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_962/06bc_em.pdf|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Signboards written in [[Hindi]] or [[Urdu]] can be seen, and conversation in South Asian languages including [[Nepali language|Nepali]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] and [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], as well as Urdu, Hindi and Tamil can be heard.

Hong Kong has two [[Nepali language|Nepalese]] newspapers, ''The Everest'' and the ''Sunrise Weekly Hong Kong''. In 2004, the [[Home Affairs Bureau]] and Metro Plus [[AM broadcasting|AM]] 1044 jointly launched radio shows ''Hong Kong-Pak Tonight'' in [[Urdu]] and ''Hamro Sagarmatha'' in [[Nepali language|Nepalese]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/041119/html/041119en05003.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20050317163405/http://news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/041119/html/041119en05003.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-03-17|title=Urdu and Nepali radio programmes to launch|date=2004-11-19|access-date=2007-01-12|publisher=Hong Kong Information Services Department}} </ref>

===Hindi===
{{See also|Indians in Hong Kong}}The history of Indians in Hong Kong can be traced back to the early days of British Hong Kong. When the Union flag of the United Kingdom was hoisted on 26 January 1841, there were around 2,700 Indian troops that participated, and they played an important role in the development of Hong Kong in the early days. The most prominent contributions were the founding of the [[University of Hong Kong]] (HKU), the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and the Star Ferry.

Although nearly all of the Indian people who live in Hong Kong speak and write Indian English, some have maintained the usage of Hindi as a second language.

==Middle Eastern languages==

===Arabic===
[[Arabic language|Arabic]] is used frequently among members of [[Muslim]] communities in Hong Kong. Some Islamic organisations do teach the language as well, but the current status can best be described as developing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://210.0.141.99/big5/news/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=2292&BigClassName=&BigClassID=51&SmallClassID=64&SpecialID=5|access-date=2007-01-12|date=2006-04-03|title=古蘭經及阿文新課程 (Qur'an and Arabic language class)|publisher=Islam.org.hk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629221850/http://210.0.141.99/big5/news/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=2292&BigClassName=&BigClassID=51&SmallClassID=64&SpecialID=5|archive-date=29 June 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Sign language==
[[Hong Kong Sign Language]] is used by the [[Deaf community]] of Hong Kong; it is derived from the southern dialect of [[Chinese Sign Language]], but is now an independent, mutually unintelligible language.<ref>Fischer, S.; Gong, Q. (2010). "Variation in East Asian sign language structures". In Brentari, Diane. Sign Languages. p. 499. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511712203.023. {{ISBN|9780511712203}}.</ref>
==See also==
* [[Bilingualism in Hong Kong]]
* [[Code-switching in Hong Kong]]
* [[Debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters]]
* [[Hong Kong Cantonese]]
* [[Hong Kong English]]
* [[Hong Kong Sign Language]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Bruce, Nigel (1996). [https://web.archive.org/web/20050908172246/http://ec.hku.hk/njbruce/LANGBIBF.htm ''Language in Hong Kong Education & Society: A Bibliography'']
* Pennington, Martha C. ed. (1998). ''Language in Hong Kong at Century's End''. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. {{ISBN|962-209-418-X}}.
* {{cite book|url=http://www.cbs.polyu.edu.hk/ctdso/paper/lang%20in%20ed%20hk%20.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219055252/http://www.cbs.polyu.edu.hk/ctdso/paper/lang%20in%20ed%20hk%20.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-12-19|chapter=Hong Kong Language Policy|editor1=Dickson, Peter |editor2=Alister Cumming|title=National Profiles of Language Education in 25 Countries|place=Berkshire, England|publisher=[[National Foundation for Educational Research]]|year=1996}}
* {{Cite web |last=Law Drafting Division |date=1998 |title=Interpretation of Bilingual Legislation – A Paper Discussing Cases Where the Two Language Texts of an Enactment are Alleged to be Different |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/checkconfig/checkClientConfig.jsp?applicationId=RA001 |access-date=2020-12-23 |via=Hong Kong e-Legislation}}

==External links==
* [http://www.csb.gov.hk/english/aboutus/org/scsd/1470.html Website of Official Languages Division], Civil Service Bureau.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050829092432/http://www.britishcouncil.org.hk/ The British Council], [[British Council]] of Hong Kong.
* [http://www.alliancefrancaise.com.hk/ Alliance Française], Hong Kong.
* [http://www.hku.hk/french/ French at The University of Hong Kong], Hong Kong
* [http://www.goethe.de/ins/cn/hon/enindex.htm Goethe-Institut], Hong Kong.
* [https://dialects.hku.hk HKU HK dialects website], Hong Kong. 

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