The 7 street names in Hong Kong that will leave you confused

In the neighbourhood of Tai Kok Tsui lies a cluster of roads named after trees, such as Willow Street and Maple Street. They all have a literal translation in their Chinese names, with the sole exception of Sycamore Street. One popular theory suggests that its direct translation would be ‘Fruitless Tree Street’ (無花果樹街), after the sycamore fig – a name that might be considered inauspicious. Urban planners have therefore dubbed it si gor mo gai (詩歌舞街) to make it sound like the English word ‘sycamore’, so now it also carries the rather poetic meaning of ‘Poetry, Song, and Dance Street’ in Chinese.

The bilingual kids among us might notice that Lily Street in Tai Hang is not rendered correctly in Chinese. 蓮花 (lin faa) is the lotus, so it stands to reason that this street should either be Lotus Street in English, or 百合街 (Lily Street) in Chinese. 蓮花街 was most likely named for Tai Hang’s Lotus Temple, but it’s not quite certain who thought the lotus flower equated to the lily.

Chai Wan Kok Street – must be in Chai Wan, right? Wrong! While the words 'Chai Wan' are written the same way in both English and Chinese as Chai Wan on Hong Kong Island, this street is actually located in the west of Tsuen Wan in an area called Chai Wan Kok. There are no clear explanations for its name, aside from it referring to the edge of Tsuen Wan. Just remember not to get the two confused or you'll end up on the complete opposite side of town.

Technically, Tai Po Tsai is a village and not a street name, but surely, it must be in Tai Po, right? Sorry, wrong again. Perched along Clear Water Bay Road, Tai Po Tsai is actually the name of an old Punti village located next to HKUST. There's also a beautiful quiet beach near the village called Pak Shui Wun, and a boutique organic farm that's open for anyone who's looking to get some healing through nature. If you ever plan to visit, make sure you're going to Tai Po Tsai in Clear Water Bay in the Sai Kung District, not Tai Po District.

Fir Street and Pine Street are not the only streets in Hong Kong named after plants and trees, but what's strange about these two streets are their translations. The Chinese street name for Fir Street actually translates to Pine Street, while the Chinese street name for Pine Street, is actually Fir Street. Confusing, right? Luckily, both streets are located in Tai Kok Tsui not too far away from each other, so even if you get it mixed up, you won't have to trek too far.

We're sure most of you are familiar with this one. There are many explanations as to why it's called Rednaxela, with the most common one being that the name 'Alexander', was actually spelt backwards. Traditionally, Chinese is read from right to left as opposed to English, so, when it came to writing down the name the road, the name Alexander was written as Rednaxela instead!

Disappointingly, Magazine Gap Road has nothing to do with actual magazines that you flip through. The road was named after a military term used for an armaments store. Some say that Magazine Gap used to be the site of a military bungalow in the early 1900s. Now, roughly a century later, Magazine Gap Road is a long and winding road that runs through some of the city's most expensive residential properties.