The Hong Kong sounds that we all definitely recognise

The steady boops that accompany waiting at a pedestrian red light, eventually changing into rapid beeps in sets of four. Whoever created the sound of these lights really hit the nail on the head because the beeps do seem to mirror the urgency of busy Hongkongers making their way across crowded streets. Iconic.

‘請勿靠近車門, 請不要靠近車門, please stand back from the doors’. Cue intense beeping. Even if not familiar with Cantonese or Mandarin, all Hongkongers know the MTR audio announcement for the closing doors. The big mystery here is how many beeps follow the woman’s lines. Has anyone successfully counted them?

Taxi drivers are often tuned in to their internal comms channels where the locations and destinations of waiting passengers are broadcast for nearby drivers to pick up. Admittedly, we only understand these broadcasts about 70 percent of the time, but hearing that burst of static before a crackly woman’s voice hurriedly mumbles repeating phrases is a mainstay in almost every Hong Kong taxi journey.

It becomes evident after your first ride on a tram why the locals call it the ‘ding ding’. Instead of a horn, Hong Kong trams come equipped with a ringing system instead, often heard when they are pulling up to a stop or when people make a dash across the road in front of a tram. This is one of Hong Kong’s most romantically nostalgic modes of transportation, and even the ‘ding ding’ of annoyed drivers sounds relatively peaceful among the city bustle.

Real ones will be able to hum along to the jingle from the TVB dinner time news. Retro-sounding with a Morse code-like beginning, a dramatic build-up, and a banging bridge before the jingle repeats, this is Hongkongers’ version of how everyone knows the music to 21st Century Fox’s movie intros. 

Swiping through the MTR barriers is an obnoxiously loud business, and as a result, the beeps and doots have been firmly ingrained in the minds of Hongkongers. Extra local points if you can tell which types of beeps signify different types of passengers! Tip: the two most commonly heard special beeps signpost a children’s concessionary Octopus card, and a same-day return trip – now go and listen out to see which they are.

There’s something about an ice cream truck that awakens the inner child in us, and for Hongkongers, there’s no one better than Mister Softee. Find this iconic ice cream van with its white, red, and blue design by listening out for its musical box-like version of Blue Danube – you’ll usually have the most luck near the Central pier, Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry pier, Golden Bauhinia Square, or further afield around HomeSquare in Sha Tin.

Yeah, Hongkongers can be a surly bunch. Drivers in particular are notorious for having short fuses, most likely due to our congested roads and plethora of aggressive cabbies and bus drivers. That’s why it comes as no surprise when sudden bouts of angry honking starts up through the day, sometimes with a driver leaning fully on the horn for minutes to make sure the world knows he is displeased.

There’s something to be said about going out to buy groceries and being praised as a pretty girl or a handsome lad. Locals in the service industry – usually aunties of a certain age – have the tendency to refer to everyone they come across as ‘leng lui’ or ‘leng zai’, which we have to say is a great marketing technique. Is it giving a sense of false intimacy? Yes. Is it working to make us feel an emotional connection to whatever market stall, street vendor, or eatery these aunties work for? Also yes.

We snuck this one in as a joke but seriously, we hear this everywhere and are you not sick of being asked it by now? No, I’m not a yuu member, just let me get my cup noodles and go!

We’ve compiled a collection of Hong Kong’s sounds for your enjoyment. Does it sound like home?

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