OK

Whether you are good at English or not, you might find the expression “OK” very easy to use. This two-letter word is so popular around the world that a lot of non-English speakers even mix it with their own mother tongue. Thus, it is not surprising that you often hear this expression uttered by Hong Kong people from all walks of life. 

你OK嗎? ( Are you OK? ) 

What do the two letters stand for? There are many explanations, and one of the most accepted stories originated in the middle of the 19th century. According to Allen Walker Read, an etymologist, the word “OK” was a shortened version of “oll korrect”, a playful misspelling of “all correct”. He noted that at that time, there was a fad where people deliberately formed acronyms from comical misspellings. 

Its written form first appeared in “Boston Morning Post”, an American newspaper, in 1839: 

“He … would have the ‘contribution box’, et ceteras, o.k.—all correct—and ….” 

Nowadays, the saying “OK” means acceptable or satisfactory. It has several written forms and grammatical functions. 

O.K. (好) Let’s start the talk now. (interjection) 

Luckily our apartment was ok (沒事) after the typhoon. (adjective) 

The manager gave an o.k. (批准) to the proposal. (noun) 

I did okay (不錯) in the test. (adverb) 

Despite being frequent in daily conversation, you seldom find this expression in formal writing, such as speeches, announcements and official correspondences. Thus, your teacher may not consider it OK if you use it in your homework. 

Glossary