Kowloon

American  

[kou-loon] / ˈkaʊˈlun /

(Pinyin) Kaulun;

noun

1. a peninsula in southeastern China, opposite Hong Kong Island: a part of the Hong Kong special administrative region of China. 18 sq. mi. (47 sq. km).

2. a seaport on this peninsula.

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Kowloon British  

/ ˈkaʊˈluːn /

noun

1. a peninsula of SE China, opposite Hong Kong Island: part of the former British colony of Hong Kong. Area: 10 sq km (3.75 sq miles)

2. a port in Hong Kong, on Kowloon Peninsula. Pop: 2 019 533 (2006 est)

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Etymology

Origin of Kowloon

First recorded in 1845–50; from Chinese (Guangdong dialect) Gáu Lùhng “Nine Dragons,” in allusion to the eight mountains in Hong Kong and Zhao Bing ( 1272–79 ), the last emperor of the Song dynasty

Example Sentences

Around 70 people braved the cold to queue outside the West Kowloon court at daybreak, while dozens of journalists gathered outside the building's entrance.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

Now slightly askew, we ascend many stairs and descend many hills from The Old Man and cross the harbor toward Kowloon.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025

Five of these new, large-scale works were commissioned by a department of Hong Kong’s government for its outdoor art project, “Art@Harbour,” the harbor being Victoria Harbor, which separates Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon Peninsula.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024

Activist Alexandra Wong, holding a British flag, shouts behind a police line set up outside West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, as activist publisher Jimmy Lai’s trial opens in Hong Kong.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Area of Old Kowloon is 3 square miles.

From The Opium Monopoly by La Motte, Ellen Newbold