<p><a href="https://cantoneseplus.com/word/25228" rel="nofollow noreferrer">冧把</a>/lam1 baa2/ is a loanword for &quot;Number&quot; In Hong Kong</p>
<p>If a term is used in Hong Kong, it would inevitably spear to Guangdong</p>
<p>冧把 is the noun for 號碼 or 號數. Wherever you can use the word &quot;號碼/號數&quot;, you can replace it with 冧把. That makes the sentence more colloquial</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>工作證<strong>號碼</strong> = 工作證<strong>冧把</strong></p>
<p>你的電話<strong>號碼</strong>是什麼？ = 你嘅電話<strong>冧把</strong>係幾號？</p>
<p>攞個<strong>冧把</strong>之後等叫名 = Take a <strong>number</strong> and wait to be called</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-05T17:06:12.783Z
2023-08-05T17:31:38.777Z
2023-08-05T17:31:38.777Z
Tang Ho
<p>Most &quot;Hong Kong Chinese&quot; actually came from Guangzhou. Guangzhou was the economic and cultural centre of South China. Hong Kong didn't start developing until somewhere around the 1960s, and then picked up speed in 1970s.</p>
<p>冧把 is a transliteration of the English word &quot;number&quot; and is used the same way as 號碼, but it's fading out.</p>
<p>You may sometimes see a Taiwanese saying 南波萬. 南波 is number in English and 萬 is one in English. It's generally used in a sacarstic fashion.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-06T04:23:21.857Z
2023-08-06T04:23:21.857Z
fat penguin
<p>To my ear, 冧巴 (<em>lam1baa2</em>, meaning &quot;number&quot;) sounds a lot like the English word &quot;number&quot;. Is this a coincidence, or is this a loanword from English?</p>
<p>If it is a loanword, what word was used in its place before Chinese contact with the English-speaking world? Is 冧巴 only used in Hong Kong, or is it used in Guangdong as well?</p>

<etymology><cantonese><loanwords>
Is the Cantonese word 冧巴 a loanword from English?
# Is the Cantonese word 冧巴 a loanword from English?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-08-05)

To my ear, 冧巴 (*lam1baa2*, meaning "number") sounds a lot like the English word "number". Is this a coincidence, or is this a loanword from English?

If it is a loanword, what word was used in its place before Chinese contact with the English-speaking world? Is 冧巴 only used in Hong Kong, or is it used in Guangdong as well?

**Tags:** etymology, cantonese, loanwords


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-08-05. Score: 4

[冧把](https://cantoneseplus.com/word/25228)/lam1 baa2/ is a loanword for "Number" In Hong Kong

If a term is used in Hong Kong, it would inevitably spear to Guangdong

冧把 is the noun for 號碼 or 號數. Wherever you can use the word "號碼/號數", you can replace it with 冧把. That makes the sentence more colloquial

Example:

工作證**號碼** = 工作證**冧把**

你的電話**號碼**是什麼？ = 你嘅電話**冧把**係幾號？

攞個**冧把**之後等叫名 = Take a **number** and wait to be called


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-08-06. Score: 1

Most "Hong Kong Chinese" actually came from Guangzhou. Guangzhou was the economic and cultural centre of South China. Hong Kong didn't start developing until somewhere around the 1960s, and then picked up speed in 1970s.

冧把 is a transliteration of the English word "number" and is used the same way as 號碼, but it's fading out.

You may sometimes see a Taiwanese saying 南波萬. 南波 is number in English and 萬 is one in English. It's generally used in a sacarstic fashion.


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