The traditional Chinese characters used in Hong Kong may look similar to the old Japanese characters, but the differences are often confusing

At an intersection in Wan Chai, a tram sat waiting for the light to change.

It's a familiar sight in the streets of Hong Kong — the slow-moving double-decker tram, boxed in by high-rises and neon signs. But what caught my eye this time wasn’t the tram itself, but the ad painted on its side.

The characters read: 「無濕輕」.

They looked familiar, yet their meaning didn’t come to me right away.

Hong Kong’s use of traditional Chinese characters often reminds me of Japan’s old-style kanji. There's a certain nostalgic elegance in the dense brush strokes, but that similarity is also deceptive. Characters that look nearly the same can carry entirely different meanings, wrapped in nuances I haven’t quite mastered.

I could read the characters — but couldn’t quite grasp what they were saying.

In the driver’s seat, a masked operator gripped the controls quietly. Inside, passengers sat in silence, gazing out the window or scrolling through their phones.

From outside, I watched them — framed by layers of paint and meaning I was still trying to decode.

"無濕輕" — what could it mean?

Taken literally, perhaps "free from dampness, light in feeling"?

But considering it’s likely a herbal remedy ad, it might be referring to a formula that dispels internal moisture — a common concept in traditional Chinese medicine.

A message both simple and layered, just like the city it rolls through.

Wan Chai on Google Map

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