haak1 sik1 sing1 kei4 ng5黑色星期五
Jyutpinghaak1 sik1 sing1 kei4 ng5
Yalehāak sīk sīng kèih ńgh
Definition
Friday the 13th, considered an unlucky day; or Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
- Friday the 13th, traditionally considered an unlucky day
- Black Friday; the Friday after Thanksgiving known for major shopping sales
colloquialtimeshopping
How it's used
While originally referring to the superstitious day of bad luck, the term is now frequently used in Hong Kong to describe the massive shopping sales that occur the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Context is key to determining whether someone is talking about a streak of bad luck or a shopping spree. It is common to use this term metaphorically to describe any day where everything seems to go wrong.
Examples
Everything has been going wrong today, it's just like Friday the 13th.
Do you know why Westerners are afraid of Friday the 13th?
Related words
Common phrases
Black Friday sales
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the shopping event known as Black Friday in the United States, which is also called 黑色星期五 in Cantonese. If someone says they are going to buy things on 黑色星期五, they are referring to the sales, not a day of misfortune.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
