Weibo tops most popular borrowed mainland words: HK  

香港回归15年“南下词语”多 “微博”最热

香港教育学院(教院)27日公布香港回归15年内10个最有代表性和使用频率最高的内地“南下词语”，“微博”一词高居榜首，“黄金周”、“自由行”等与香港发展密切相关的词汇同时上榜。

Hong Kong (CNS) -- Hong Kong residents have borrowed a lot of words from the mainland in the 15 years since the island was returned to China, and its Institute of Education on Wednesday released a list of the most popular and representative words or phrases. The list is led by "Weibo."

The top 10 terms include "golden week" and "freestyle travel" which saw their peaks of use during June 2003 and July 2004.

The Internet has likely contributed to the spread, as it provides a convenient and fast channel for two-way communication between the mainland and the SAR, commented Professor Zou Jiayan (mandarin translation) with the institute.