The generic forms of Hong Kong place names are mainly Cantonese, Hakka and British English, although other languages also contribute to Hong Kong place names.
The majority of generic forms are suffix such as Chung in Kwai Chung. Some indicators of ordering and direction could be as prefixes, for example, Tai Pai (大白, lit. first white), Yi Pai (二白, second white).
It is common practice in Cantonese communities to change and swap Chinese characters of similar pronunciations because of misinterpretation by different ruling governments over time or visitors from foreign villages and cities, illiteracy of local villages before the economic boom, seeking of good fortune and to replace 'bad sounding' words by using characters with a more positive meaning.
| Name | Character | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am, Ngam | 岩 | rock, rock face, crag | |
| Au | 坳 or 凹 | mountain pass | |
| Chai/Tsai | 仔 | small/minor, word suffix indicating a diminutive. | |
| Chai | 寨 | defensed village | |
| Chau | 洲 | islet, island | |
| Che | 輋 | place near hill/mountain | |
| Chung | 涌 | estuarial lagoon at mouth or confluence of stream, stream | |
| Ha | 下 | lower | |
| Hang | 坑 | valley | |
| Hau | 口 | opening | |
| Heung | 鄉 | village, rural area | |
| Ho | 河 | river | |
| Hoi | 海 | sea | |
| Hom | 磡 | pillar, mill-stone | |
| Hui | 墟 | market, locality within a town | |
| Kai | 街 | street | |
| Kan | 澗 | stream | |
| Kap | 甲 | something that sticks out, bulge, appendage. | |
| Kau | 滘 | basin | |
| Kiu | 橋 | bridge | |
| Ko Tan | 高灘 | elevated plain | |
| Kok | 角 | point (of land), horn, angle | |
| Kuk | 谷 | valley | |
| Lam | 林 | wood or forest | |
| Leng/Ling | 嶺 | hill-top, ridge | |
| Long | narrow elongated valley between hills | ||
| Lo Wai | 老圍 | old walled village | |
| Mei | 尾 | tail (of a place) | |
| Mun | 門 | door/gate, opening, channel | |
| O | 澳 | cove, small bay or harbour | |
| Pai | 排 | slab (of rock), (rocky) reef. | |
| Pik | 壁 | cliff | |
| Ping | 坪 | plain | |
| Po | 埗 | pier | |
| Po | 埔 | plain (?) | |
| Pun | 盤 | basin | |
| San Tsuen | 新村 | new village | |
| Sha | 沙 | sand, sandy beach, sandy cay or shoal | |
| Shan | 山 | hill, mountain, mountainous island/islet | |
| Shek | 石 | rock | |
| Sheung | 上 | upper | |
| Shing | 城 | walled city | |
| Shui | 水 | water, stream | |
| Tam | 潭 | pool | |
| Tan | 灘 | beach or shallow band | |
| Tau | 頭 | head (of a place) | |
| Tei | 地 | land, place | |
| Tin | 田 | field (flooded or dry) | |
| To | 島 | island | |
| To | 肚 | valley | |
| Tong | 塘 | pond, plain | |
| Tong | 堂 | hall | |
| Tun | 墩 | small (usually rounded) hill | |
| Tung | 洞 | cave (and ?) | |
| Tung | 峒 | ||
| Tsim | 尖 | sharp, sharp peak | |
| Tsui | 咀/嘴 | pointed headland | |
| Tsuen | 村 | village | |
| Tuk | 篤 | the very end (of a place) | |
| Wai | 圍 | Walled villages of Hong Kong | walled village |
| Wan | 灣 | bay | |
| Wan | 環 | district | |
| Wo | 窩 | basin, hollow, coombe | |
| Yiu | 窰 | kiln |
Most common Chinese translation in brackets.
Most common Chinese translation in brackets.