Hong Kong MTR stations in Spanish: Ever wondered what would happen if you took Hong Kong’s ultra-efficient subway system and ran it through a literal Spanish translation machine?
The result is a magical journey through “Montaña de Diamantes,” “Vista de Lichi”, and the mysteriously named “Prosperidad del Girasol” station. Welcome toThe Spanish Academy linguistic experiment: the Hong Kong MTR map with all station names literally translated into Spanish!

How This Curious Project Began

As someone fascinated by languages and public transportation, the directors at The Spanish Academy found ourselves staring at Hong Kong’s MTR map one day, wondering about the stories behind those Chinese characters. What exactly does 彩虹 (Choi Hung) mean? Turns out, it’s “Rainbow” (or “Arcoíris” in Spanish)!

This revelation sent us down a rabbit hole of translation that resulted in the map you see here— All stations renamed according to their literal character meanings, not their phonetic pronunciations.

The Most Delightfully Absurd Hong Kong MTR stations in Spanish:

Some station names sound perfectly normal in Chinese but become poetic masterpieces when translated literally:

Truly Poetic Places

• 烏溪沙 (Wu Kai Sha) → “Arena del Arroyo Negro” (Black Stream Sand)
  Just your normal commute through what sounds like the setting of a fantasy novel.
• 天水圍 (Tin Shui Wai) → “Bahía del Cielo Acuático” (Bay of the Aquatic Sky)
  Is this a subway station or the title of a Gabriel García Márquez novel?

Unexpectedly Philosophical

• 樂富 (Lok Fu) → “Felicidad y Riqueza” (Happiness and Wealth)
  Not just a station, but a life goal!
• 啟德 (Kai Tak) → “Activar Moralidad” (Activate Morality)
  Where you go when you need an ethical reset.
• 顯徑 (Hin Keng) → “Sendero Evidente” (Evident Path)
  For when you’re feeling lost in life but the MTR has your back.

Unexpectedly Culinary

• 油麻地 (Yau Ma Tei) → “Tierra de Sésamo Aceitoso” (Oily Sesame Land)
  Sounds delicious, actually.
• 荔枝角 (Lai Chi Kok) → “Rincón del Lichi” (Lychee Corner)
  A fruity destination for your daily commute.

Geographically Ambitious

• 九龍 (Kowloon) → “Nueve Dragones” (Nine Dragons)
  Why have one dragon when you can have nine?
• 馬鞍山 (Ma On Shan) → “Montaña de Silla de Caballo” (Horse Saddle Mountain)
  For when your commute needs more equestrian adventure.
• 牛頭角 (Ngau Tau Kok) → “Esquina de Cabeza de Buey” (Corner of the Ox Head)
  Sounds like a landmark from a Western movie.

What This Tells Us About Language and Place

While creating this map started as a fun project, it reveals something meaningful about Hong Kong’s history and geography. Many station names reference natural features that existed long before skyscrapers dominated the landscape—bays, mountains, streams, and fields that hint at what these urban areas once were.

Others reveal cultural touchpoints, like “Diosa del Cielo” (Tin Hau) named after a goddess important to local fishermen, or “Puerto Fragante” (Hong Kong) referencing the harbor’s aromatic incense trade history.

The Map of the MTR in Spanish

The Complete List

For brave linguistic explorers, I’ve compiled all 101 stations with their original Chinese names, pinyin pronunciations, and Spanish translations. Next time you visit Hong Kong, try asking locals how to get to “Gran Inmortal Wong” instead of Wong Tai Sin—their reactions alone will be worth the trip!

No.	Chinese	Name	Spanish Name
1	天水圍	Tin Shui Wai	Bahía del Cielo Acuático
2	朗屏	Long Ping	Pantalla Brillante
3	兆康	Siu Hong	Gran Prosperidad
4	元朗	Yuen Long	Jefe Alegre
5	錦上路	Kam Sheung Road	Camino Brocado
6	荃灣西	Tsuen Wan West	Bahía de las Hierbas del Oeste
7	屯門	Tuen Mun	Puerta del Campamento
8	荃灣	Tsuen Wan	Bahía de las Hierbas
9	大窩口	Tai Wo Hau	Gran Boca de Nido
10	葵興	Kwai Hing	Prosperidad de Girasol
11	葵芳	Kwai Fong	Fragancia de Girasol
12	茘景	Lai King	Vista del Lichi
13	美孚	Mei Foo	Hermosa Captura
14	荔枝角	Lai Chi Kok	Rincón del Lichi
15	南昌	Nam Cheong	Prosperidad del Sur
16	奧運	Olympic	Olímpico
17	九龍	Kowloon	Nueve Dragones
18	佐敦	Jordan	Jordán
19	柯士甸	Austin	Austin
20	尖沙咀	Tsim Sha Tsui	Punta de Arena
21	東尖沙咀	East Tsim Sha Tsui	Punta de Arena Este
22	紅磡	Hung Hom	Acantilado Rojo
23	黃埔	Whampoa	Llanura Amarilla
24	油麻地	Yau Ma Tei	Tierra de Sésamo Aceitoso
25	何文田	Ho Man Tin	Campos de Ho Man
26	旺角	Mong Kok	Esquina Próspera
27	旺角東	Mong Kok East	Esquina Próspera Este
28	太子	Prince Edward	Príncipe Eduardo
29	石硤尾	Shek Kip Mei	Cola del Valle de la Piedra
30	九龍塘	Kowloon Tong	Gran Cerco
31	樂富	Lok Fu	Felicidad y Riqueza
32	黃大仙	Wong Tai Sin	Gran Inmortal Wong
33	鑽石山	Diamond Hill	Montaña de Diamantes
34	彩虹	Choi Hung	Arcoíris
35	九龍灣	Kowloon Bay	Bahía de los Nueve Dragones
36	牛頭角	Ngau Tau Kok	Esquina de Cabeza de Buey
37	觀塘	Kwun Tong	Estanque de Observación
38	藍田	Lam Tin	Campo Azul
39	油塘	Yau Tong	Estanque de Aceite
40	調景嶺	Tiu Keng Leng	Situación Ajustada
41	將軍澳	Tseung Kwan O	Bahía del General
42	坑口	Hang Hau	Boca del Pozo
43	寶琳	Po Lam	Jade Precioso
44	康城	LOHAS Park	Ciudad de la Salud
45	東涌	Tung Chung	Arroyo del Este
46	機場	Airport	Aeropuerto
47	青衣	Tsing Yi	Ropa Verde
48	欣澳	Sunny Bay	Bahía Soleada
49	迪士尼	Disneyland Resort	Resort Disneyland
50	博覽館	AsiaWorld-Expo	Exposición Mundial de Asia
51	羅湖	Lo Wu	Red del Lago
52	上水	Sheung Shui	Agua Superior
53	粉嶺	Fanling	Cresta Pulverizada
54	大埔墟	Tai Po Market	Mercado de Taipo
55	大學	University	Universidad
56	火炭	Fo Tan	Carbón de Fuego
57	沙田	Sha Tin	Campo de Arena
58	第一城	City One	Ciudad Uno
59	石門	Shek Mun	Puerta de Piedra
60	大水坑	Tai Shui Hang	Gran Foso de Agua
61	恒安	Heng On	Seguridad Perpetua
62	馬鞍山	Ma On Shan	Montaña de Silla de Caballo
63	烏溪沙	Wu Kai Sha	Arena del Arroyo Negro
64	大圍	Tai Wai	Gran Cerco
65	顯徑	Hin Keng	Sendero Evidente
66	啟德	Kai Tak	Activar Moralidad
67	宋皇臺	Sung Wong Toi	Plataforma del Emperador Song
68	土瓜灣	To Kwa Wan	Bahía de la Calabaza de Tierra
69	中環	Central	Central
70	金鐘	Admiralty	Campana Dorada
71	灣仔	Wan Chai	Bahía Pequeña
72	銅鑼灣	Causeway Bay	Bahía del Gong de Cobre
73	天后	Tin Hau	Diosa del Cielo
74	炮台山	Fortress Hill	Colina de la Fortaleza
75	北角	North Point	Punto del Norte
76	鰂魚涌	Quarry Bay	Bahía de la Cantera
77	太古	Tai Koo	Gran Antigüedad
78	西灣河	Sai Wan Ho	Río de la Bahía Oeste
79	筲箕灣	Shau Kei Wan	Bahía del Tamiz
80	杏花邨	Heng Fa Chuen	Aldea de Albaricoques en Flor
81	柴灣	Chai Wan	Bahía de Leña
82	深水埗	Sham Shui Po	Muelle de Aguas Profundas
83	長沙灣	Cheung Sha Wan	Bahía de Arena Larga
84	荔枝角	Lai Chi Kok	Rincón del Lichi
85	上環	Sheung Wan	Anillo Superior
86	香港	Hong Kong	Bahía Fragante
87	海怡半島	South Horizons	Horizontes del Sur
88	利東	Lei Tung	Lengua Oriental
89	黃竹坑	Wong Chuk Hang	Barranco de Bambú Amarillo
90	海洋公園	Ocean Park	Parque Oceánico
91	金鐘	Admiralty	Campana Dorada
92	會展	Exhibition Centre	Palacio de Exhibición
93	灣仔	Wan Chai	Bahía Pequeña
94	銅鑼灣	Causeway Bay	Bahía del Gong de Cobre
95	天后	Tin Hau	Diosa del Cielo
96	銅鑼灣	Fortress Hill	Colina de la Fortaleza
97	北角	North Point	Punto del Norte
98	鰂魚涌	Quarry Bay	Bahía de la Cantera

---