Ferreting Out Cantonese Natives

Long ago, in the Cantonese beginner class at Komaba on the University of Tokyo campus, there was a ritual called "ferreting out Cantonese natives." At the start of class, the instructor would lock eyes with each student one by one and chant some utterly vulgar word repeatedly, and if you cracked up and burst out laughing, you'd be dismissed right then and there. Even returnees from Hong Kong apparently got easily tripped up and barred from enrolling.

A screenshot of an English-language social media post describes a bizarre alleged ritual in a Cantonese beginner class at the University of Tokyo, where students had to avoid laughing at a vulgar word. The joke is the absurd premise that even native Cantonese speakers could be exposed by instinctively recognizing the word, making it a reaction meme about hidden language knowledge and being caught off guard.

• @pokupkabitka / 56724 2026-06-21