“唔該,” "thank you" in Cantonese, directly translates to “[one] should not [have helped or done the favor].” It denotes that asking for help is discouraged as a bother with the priority of self-sufficiency. I was looking at the font used for MTR stations when contextualizing a no-nonsense environment.

"M Goi"
Screenprint, 14" x 11", 2025

Image made for "Lessons from Our Mother Tongues" portfolio exchange organized by Danqi CSI for SGCI 2025