<p>Wikipedia has a page entitled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_names_of_Hong_Kong" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Place names of Hong Kong</a>, which mentions:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Kok (角) - point (of land), horn, angle</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>Point is also a common term in English place names.</p>
<hr />
<p>A good example of this can be found on another Wiki page: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_names_of_cities_and_towns_in_Hong_Kong" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Origins of names of cities and towns in Hong Kong</a>. Here they have the example of 沙頭角:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>City</strong> | <strong>Language Origins</strong> |  <strong>Meaning</strong></p>
<p>Sha Tau Kok    | Chinese   | sandy head point</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>Another good example might be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Point" rel="nofollow noreferrer">North Point</a> (北角). As this <a href="http://www.ejinsight.com/20150130-north-point-hong-kongs-living-history/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ejinsight</a> article examplains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Many of Hong Kong’s geographical place names have been in use for more than 150 years. Some describe their specific locations. North Point is one of them.</p>
<p>North Point sits on the northernmost tip of Hong Kong Island, a major cross-harbor interchange on the MTR line.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-09T14:13:52.530Z
Thanks! I actually know about that Wikipedia article but it is not comprehensive enough. It would be interesting to know why 角 is common.
udidosa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-09T15:03:58.120Z
@udidosa The same reason bay is so common, HK is on the water, there are bound to be many headlands.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-10T07:18:58.993Z
You might also want to check those olds maps drawn before land reclamations.
KH.Lee
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-09T11:52:54.817Z
2019-06-10T08:29:54.440Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>I've been in Hong Kong long enough to notice some patterns appearing in the names of Hong Kong's places. Most of the places had 角 or 灣 in them.</p>

<p>For example:
角: 旺角, 大角嘴, 北角, 沙頭角</p>

<p>灣: 灣仔, 西灣河,  銅鑼灣, 荃灣</p>

<p>Is there a reason why 'corner' and 'bay' are used very commonly for place names in Hong Kong? I can guess for 'bay' because Hong Kong is a harbor with coasts, quarries and bays.</p>

<p>But for 角, why would so many places be named after corners?</p>

<cantonese><names><place-names><hong-kong>
Commonalities in Hong Kong place names
# Commonalities in Hong Kong place names

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-09)

I've been in Hong Kong long enough to notice some patterns appearing in the names of Hong Kong's places. Most of the places had 角 or 灣 in them.

For example:
角: 旺角, 大角嘴, 北角, 沙頭角

灣: 灣仔, 西灣河, 銅鑼灣, 荃灣

Is there a reason why 'corner' and 'bay' are used very commonly for place names in Hong Kong? I can guess for 'bay' because Hong Kong is a harbor with coasts, quarries and bays.

But for 角, why would so many places be named after corners?

**Tags:** cantonese, names, place-names, hong-kong


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-06-09. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Wikipedia has a page entitled [Place names of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_names_of_Hong_Kong), which mentions:

> * Kok (角) - point (of land), horn, angle

Point is also a common term in English place names.

---

A good example of this can be found on another Wiki page: [Origins of names of cities and towns in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_names_of_cities_and_towns_in_Hong_Kong). Here they have the example of 沙頭角:

> **City** | **Language Origins** | **Meaning**
>
> Sha Tau Kok | Chinese | sandy head point

---

Another good example might be [North Point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Point) (北角). As this [ejinsight](http://www.ejinsight.com/20150130-north-point-hong-kongs-living-history/) article examplains:

> Many of Hong Kong’s geographical place names have been in use for more than 150 years. Some describe their specific locations. North Point is one of them.
>
> North Point sits on the northernmost tip of Hong Kong Island, a major cross-harbor interchange on the MTR line.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! I actually know about that Wikipedia article but it is not comprehensive enough. It would be interesting to know why 角 is common.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 The same reason bay is so common, HK is on the water, there are bound to be many headlands.  
> **username_2**: You might also want to check those olds maps drawn before land reclamations.  

---

