Global competence has gained momentum in international policy and scholarly discourses. As a multidimensional construct, its conceptualisation has been ambiguous. So far, the OECD Global Competence Framework has been the most updated and comprehensive framework for understanding global competence. However, all current conceptualisations, including that of the OECD, have been developed in the Western context, and their applicability in non-Western contexts is questioned. In this paper, we conduct a prototype study to examine how local university students in Hong Kong understand global competence and to explore how their conceptualisations shed light on cross-cultural similarities and differences in their understanding of global competence. Based on three sub-studies (n = 276), this prototype study showed that certain features appear more frequently, are more central to global competence and are seen as more salient in people viewed globally as more competent by the participants. It provides lay (university students) cross-cultural conceptions of global competence beyond definitions and frameworks provided by scholars and international organisations. Local Hong Kong university students' conceptions of global competence not only display an assemblage of multiple dimensions resonating with the international literature but also extend it to other dimensions and features shaped by local social and cultural dynamics. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).