Singlish vocabulary

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Singlish is the English-based creole spoken and written colloquially in Singapore. Although English is the lexifier language, Singlish has its unique slang and syntax, which are more pronounced in informal speech.

Singlish vocabulary formally takes after British English (in terms of spelling and abbreviations), although naming conventions are in a mix of American and British ones (with American ones on the rise). For instance, local media have "sports pages" (sport in British English) and "soccer coverage" (the use of the word "soccer" is not common in British media). Singlish also uses many words borrowed from Hokkien, the Chinese dialect native to more than 75% of the Chinese in Singapore, and from Malay. In many cases, English words take on the meaning of their Chinese counterparts, resulting in a shift in meaning. This is most obvious in such cases as "borrow"/"lend", which are functionally equivalent in Singlish and mapped to the same Mandarin word, "借" (jiè), which can mean to lend or to borrow. For example: "Oi, can i lend your calculator?" / "Can borrow me your calculator?" This is technically incorrect in standard English but is widely used in Singlish.

Singlish dictionaries and publications

There have been several efforts to compile lexicons of Singlish, some for scholarly purposes, most for entertainment. In 2004, an online Singlish Dictionary was launched as an attempt to document actual usage of Singlish in published material, just as the Oxford English Dictionary does for standard English. This online Singlish dictionary has turned out to be one of the most comprehensive and professionally written version of any Singlish dictionary. As of 2006, there has been no officially printed version of any Singlish dictionary.

Various agencies, such as the Singapore Tourism Board, have produced lists of the more commonly used Singlish terms so as to allow foreigners to use as a reference when visiting Singapore so that they will comprehend the local language better. These have been printed as brochures or booklets and published on various websites.

For and Against Singlish

The lack of an officially printed version of a Singlish dictionary is due to the fact that the Singapore government frowns upon the use of Singlish, their official stand being that the speaking of Singlish will make Singaporeans difficult to understand when communicating with foreigners who are not familiar with Singlish. Thus, the government has made an effort to quash the use of Singlish and to promote the use of standard English through the Speak Good English Movement over the past few years. This has resulted in Singlish taking on a bad rap in recent years, further stalling efforts to document actual Singlish usage.

Recently, there has been a resurgence in support for Singlish in Singapore. Many letters contributed to the forum of The Straits Times, the main local newspaper, by readers have called for Singlish to be kept alive in Singapore. The idea of promoting Singlish was raised as part of a larger debate on creating a uniquely Singaporean identity. However, the government has yet to officially change its stand regarding Singlish.

Popular Usage of Singlish

Below is a list of Singlish vocabulary widely used in Singapore. It is not exhaustive and is only meant to provide some representative examples of the usage of Singlish in daily life in Singapore. The origins of the Singlish terms are indicated where possible and literal translations are provided where necessary.

General terms

0 - 9

4D: Local 4 digit lottery game run by Singapore Pools
5Cs: The 5 C's of Singapore, namely Cash, Car, Credit card, Condominium, (Country) Club

A

Aboden / Abuden (ah-buh-den): Thrown in response to remarks stating the obvious. Equivalent to "Isn't it obvious?" or "Duh?". Sometimes shortened to "Aboh?". Derived from "and then...?" as if to say "need I say more?".
Act blur: Pretend to be ignorant, feign ignorance.
Ah?: Expression used like "Lah", but in questions, rhetorics, and in questions where opinions and affirmations are being sought. "This dress looks good on me ah? / Eat what ah? / You going home first ah? / He was there first ah?"
Ah Beng: Hokkien. Hill billy, toughie, redneck. The expression came about because it is a common Chinese male name.
Ah Lian / Ah Huay: Hokkien. Female version of Ah Beng. Common Chinese female names.
Aiyah! / aiyoh!: Malay. Oh, no!
Alamak!: Portuguese origin. An expression of surprise / shock. Lit. "oh my mother!" Possibly carried over from Singapore's neighbour Malaysia, which was previously a Dutch colony.
Ang moh lang: Hokkien. Caucasian. Lit. red hair person Probably a reference to the Dutch invaders to China in the late Ming to Qing dynasty
Angkat buah / bola: Malay. To bootlick Lit. "to carry balls". "bola" is a watered down version since "buah" is usually associated with testicles and of course it is considered vulgar by some
Anything lah!: In answer to a query: 'I have no preference; it's up to you, don't bother me!' or rather 'whatever!' See also "chin chye lah!"
Auntie: Used as a generic title for females who are middle-aged or older, especially those who are not well acquainted. Can be slightly offensive when used on younger women. "Hello Auntie! How are you?"

B

Buaya: Malay. Lit. "crocodile". A womanizer, flirt.
Bodoh: Malay. Ignorant.
Boleh: Malay. Can, possible.

C

Chachat: Malay. Derived from a Malay word meaning retarded. "My boyfriend so chachat one! Always want to buy checkered shirt one. So uncle."
Chin chye lah!: In answer to a query: "I have no preference; it's up to you, don't bother me!"
Chio bu: Hokkien. Good-looking female. Similar to use of "hot chick" in America.
Chiong sua: Hokkien. Gung ho. Lit. "to charge up a hill".
Chope: Reserve. "Don't take this seat, I choped it already."

D

Dey!: Indian. "Hey!"
Dinch: Deliberate mispronunciation of "didn't." Sometimes used sarcastically.
Double confirm: Confirm and reconfirm. Used to emphasis the confirmation.
Dunch: Deliberate mispronunciation of "don't."

E

F

Fee-lim: Deliberate mispronunciation of the word "film".

G

Gabra: Very confused or very disorganized.
Gahmen: Deliberate mispronounciation of the word "government". Used as a substitute for the actual word especially when criticising the government in written form to prevent possible sanctions against the author.
Garang: Malay. Gung-ho. Lit. "fierce"
Gostan: Pidgin English. Go backwards / Reverse. This actually originates from the nautical phrase "go astern".

H

Heng: Hokkien. Lucky, fortunate.
Hosei liao: Hokkien. Very good! Excellent!
Hosei bo?: Hokkien. How are you doing? (Greeting)

I

J

Jakun: Malay. Lit. "natives from the jungle" and implies that one is a mountain tortoise, country bumpkin or unsophisticated person and easily impressed by things they've never seen.
Jiak: Hokkien. Eat.
Jiak jua: Hokkien. Refers to a skiver, or the act of skiving. Lit. "to eat snake".
Jiak hong: Hokkien. To go on vacation. Lit. "to eat air". "John and Mary take 3 weeks leave go Australia jiak hong"
Jia Lat: Hokkien. Oh dear! Lit. "sapping strength". Used to describe a terrible situation. "Ah! You broke your leg!? Jia lat ah! How you play soccer later?"
Jilo: Deliberate mispronounciation of the number "zero".

K

Kilat: excellent - army term referring to someone who shines his boots well. See also "solid"
Kay poh: Refer to a person that is nosey parker or busybody. Eg 'Eh, Don't be so kaypoh leh!'
Kepala bunga: genital warts; gonorrhea.
Kiah su / kiasu: (literally "scared to lose/of loss") somebody who fears losing out (from Hokkien 惊输)
See also: kiasu
Kiah si / kiasi: (literally "scared to die/of death") somebody who fears losing out (from Hokkien 惊死)
See also: kiasi
Kiah sai: (literally "scared of shit") "somebody who fears unpleasant situations"
Kena / kana: to be afflicted with, to suffer (from) (Malay passive auxiliary)
Kope: (copy) to take without permission "eh, don't kope my homework leh"
Kopitiam: 'coffee shop' derived from 'kopi' (Malay) and 'tiam' (Hokkien)
Kuku: stupid/silly; unfashionable

L

Lah!: Most basic and famous of Singlish expressions. Tagged as an exclaimation usually (but not in questions). "Good lah!" / "Go home lah!" / "Ok lah!" / "Eat lah!" / "Cannot do it like this lah!"
Lim peh: Hokkien. Used when demonstrating authority, usually in a sneering manner. Lit. "your father".
Luan hoot!: Hokkien. To bark up the wrong tree; to cast a wide net hoping to catch something. Lit. "randomly hit".

M

Mai siao lah!: Hokkien. Don't be crazy!
Mah-cham: As if; to resemble something in a certain way.
Makan: Malay. Eat.
Mata: Malay. Police. Sometimes used as a quick warning that the police are here. Lit. "eye".
Mati: Malay. Die, be doomed.

N

Ngeow: Hokkien. Someone who is overly merticulous, nit-picky or tries to find fault. Lit. "cat".

O

Orbit / Obiang: 'Someone or something that is gaudy or overly flamboyant in taste.'
ORD loh!: ORD (Operationally Ready Date) is the date on which a National Serviceman completes his 2-year military service. A favourite exultation of those nearing their ORD. Sometimes, ORD is also used as a verb. "I am going to ORD soon!"
OTOT: 'own time/ own target - army reference meaning "to do as you please."' Before shots are fired at the range, usually the commander will give the order "At your own time, at your own target...fire!". More recently shortened to "Own time, own target, carry on!"

P

Pantang: bad luck, being superstitious, superstitions, (Malay)
Pia: to rush or charge "I need to pia for my exam sia" or "I want to pia taxi home"

Q

R

return back: To give back. Direct translation from the Chinese phrase.

S

Sakar: Malay. To flatter, to lick one's boots. Derived from Malay meaning 'sugar', which may have been derived from Hindi 'sakar' or 'Sakkar' meaning 'sugar' and 'sweet words', and ultimately from Persian 'shakar' meaning 'sugar', 'sweet'.
Sekali: Malay. Pronounced SCAR-ly. Lest, what if. "Skali no way to go out, then how?"
Shiok: Punjabi. Great! An expression of satisfaction. Originally "shauk" in Punjabi.
Siam: Hokkien. Get out of the way! Considered rude but effective.
Sian: Hokkien. Bored, tired or sick of something.
Siao / Xiao: Hokkien. Refers to either "crazy" in response to: "You wan to go the haunted hospital tonight anot?" "Siao ah you?" or an offensive term used to address a friend: "Xiao eh! wan to go clubbing tonight anot?" (Not considered offensive if used between close friends.)
Sotong: Malay. Forgetful or not knowing what is going on. Lit. "squid".
Suaku: Hokkien. Not well informed or backward; a country bumpkin. Lit. "mountain tortoise".
Suay: Hokkien. Unlucky.
Sup sup sui: Cantonese. Something that is insignificant or easy to do. Lit. "a little drop of water".

T

Talk cock / tok kok: Talking nonsense / senselessly. Probably originated from the English expression "cock and bull story". "Don't tok kok lah! Where got like that one?"
Thiam: Hokkien. A very rude way of saying "shut up!" "Oi! Thiam lah! I'm trying to study!"
Toot: Stupid / silly. "He wear like that look very toot hor?"
Tombalek: Opposite / Upside-down / Inside-out. "Did you see that? He wear his shirt tombalek leh!"
Tua pai: Hokkien. A big shot; someone of a high status. "You think you got money damn tua pai is it?"

U

Ulu: Malay. Used to describe a rural or remote area. Commonly found in road names around Singapore as well.
Uncle: Used as a generic title for males who are middle-aged or older, especially those who are not well acquainted. "Uncle! One teh-c and one milo-peng!"

V

Very the: Same meaning as just saying "very" but is usually used with a clearly sarcastic tone. "Wah! You like that also cannot do? You very the good leh!"

W

Wah lao! / Wah piang! / Wah seh!: Hokkien. Exclamation of shock.

X

There are currently no entries in X because in Singlish, 'X' can always be replaced by 'S'.

Y

Ya ya papaya: An arrogant person.
Your head: Mild curse used to disabuse someone of his or her erroneous assumption. "He get first in class? Your head lah!"

Z

There are currently no entries in Z because in Singlish, 'Z' can always be replaced by 'J'. E.g. "Jilo" as opposed to "zero".

Food and drinks

Singlish is prominently used in local coffee shops, or Kopi tiams, and other eateries. Local names of many food and drink items consist of words from different languages and are indicative of the multi-racial society in Singapore. For example, teh is the Malay word for tea which itself originated from Hokkien, peng is the Hokkien word for ice, kosong is the Malay word for zero to indicate no sugar, and C refers to Carnation, a brand of evaporated milk.

Drinks

Types of Tea

Teh: (Hokkien/Malay) Tea
Teh-O: (Hokkien) Tea without milk
Teh-O-ice-limau: (Hokkien-English-Malay) Home brewed iced lemon tea
Teh-C: (Hokkien/Malay-Roman alphabet) Tea with evaporated milk. The C refers to the Carnation brand of evaporated milk.
Teh-cino: Tea version of cuppucino
Teh-Peng: (Hokkien) Tea with ice.
Teh-Poh: Weak or thin tea.
Teh-kah-dai: Tea with more sugar.
Teh-siu-dai: Tea with less sugar.
"Teh-packet" or "Teh-pao": Tea to go.
Teh-Tarik: 'Pulled' tea with milk, a Malay speciality.

Types of Coffee

Kopi: (Hokkien) Coffee
Kopi-O: Coffee without milk
Kopi-C: Coffee with evaporated milk. The C refers to the Carnation brand of evaporated milk.
Kopi-Peng: (Hokkien) Coffee with ice.
Kopi-packet or Kopi-pao: Coffee to go.
Kopi-gao: Thick coffee.
Kopi-poh: Weak or thin coffee.
Kopi-kah-dai: Coffee with more sugar.
Kopi-siu-dai: Coffee with less sugar.

Others

Ice kosong: (English-Malay) Iced water
Horlick-dinosaur: Iced Horlicks with extra scoop of Horlicks powder on top
Horlick-sio: Hot Horlicks
Horlick-peng: Iced Horlicks
Meelo-sio: Hot Milo.
Milo-dinosaur: Iced Milo with extra scoop of undisolved Milo powder on top
Milo-Peng: Iced Milo
Tak Kiu: (Hokkien; literally means football or soccer) Milo; Nestlé Milo often uses soccer and other sports as the theme of its advertisement.
Tak Kiu-Peng: Iced Milo
Tiau Herr: (Hokkien; literally means fishing). Takeaway beverage packed in a used condensed/evaporated milk can. Carried around with a raffia string looped through the half open cover of the tin can. Resembles going fishing with a can of worms

The above list is not complete; for example, one can add the "-peng" suffix to form other variations such as Teh-C-peng (tea with evaporated milk with ice) which is a popular drink considering Singapore's warm weather.

Food

Roti - Toasted bread (only place orders for 2 or more slices).
Kaya-roti - Toasted bread with Kaya (only place orders for 2 or more slices).
"Neng" or "Half-boiled eggs" - Half boiled eggs, usually served uncooked. Wait about 5 minutes for the eggs to be half boiled before cracking it on the plate. Usually eaten with toasted bread with Kaya.
Cai Tao Kway - Fried Carrot Cake. Fried steamed rice cakes with eggs, small turnip and white carrot pieces. Can be ordered plain or with black sweet sauce, with or without chilli.
Char Kway Teow - Fried flat rice noodles with bean sprouts, Chinese sausages, eggs and cockles, in black sweet sauce, with or without chilli.
Hum - (Hokkien) Cockles. Boiled or raw. Served with chilli.
Hang her - (Hokkien) BBQ sting ray in sambal chilli.

Jia Hiam Jio - (Hokkien) Add Chilli
Hiam Jio Gao - (Hokkien) More Chilli
Mai Hiam Jio - (Hokkien) No Chilli

Pang Keo Chap - (Hokkien) Add ketchup
Keo Chap Gao - (Hokkien) More Ketchup

Mai Chong - (Hokkien) No Spring Onions
Mai Zar Chong - (Hokkien) No Fried Onions

Da Bao - (Mandarin) Take away

English words with different meanings in Singlish

arrow - pinpoint/pick on; To assign someone to an unwanted duty; "Why he arrow me to do this?"
cock (it) up - to make a mistake or to mess up - "Don't cock up your evaluations." "This job is important, don't cock it up." Similar to British usage.
ever - once - I ever see him - from Malay "pernah"
follow - to come along/accompany - Can I follow?
hammer - ' 'to beat up/whack/pummel' - Pay up, or I am going to hammer you!'
heartlander - person from working class HDB estate, government housing refer to Singapore
having here - "to eat in at a restaurant. The antonym is "take away" or "tah-bao"."
help, lah - please, do lend me a hand by desisting from whatever it is you are doing - "Help lah, stop hitting on my sister"
mug - to study
on, off - to switch on/off "I on the TV"
on ah - 'It's settled then?'
open - to turn on a light - "I open the light." (Derived from Chinese, which uses the verb "to open" in this manner. Use of "open" to mean "turn on" is limited specifically to lamps or lights.)
pass up - to hand in "Pass up your assignments"
roadsweeper - 'used in context of parents warning kids to study hard - "Eh you better study hard, else next time become roadsweeper then you know!" '
scully - what if - "scully, we win this game?" (This is actually from Malay sekali - see above.)
send - to take somebody to somewhere - "I'll send you to the airport."
shagged - tired (derived from the British colloquialism "shagged out" which means roughly the same thing. Note that this is the only use of the word "shag" in Singaporean English and it does not have the same sexual connotation that it does in British English. A young lady might say I am so shagged after last night's party without implying any sex was involved.) Shagged may also be pronounced as 'shag', 'shacked' or 'shack', again similar to the colloquialism "shacked up".
solid/steady - excellent - "Solid sia, that movie." See also "Kilat"
sabo - short for "sabotage", also meaning to betray or jeopardise - "Because he sabo me, now boss mad at me!"
spoil - to be damaged "This one, spoil."
stay - to live (in a place) - from Malay "tinggal". "She stay in Ang Mo Kio."
steady - attached (in relationships) - "Eh u two steady liao ah?"
shy (don't shy!) - come on! - from Malay "jangan malu-malu!"
stoned - to daze out
switch on - to be alert, on your toes. Origins from National Service colloqualisms.
take - '"eat": have you taken your lunch? i dont take pork.'
tok kok - (talk cock) - Probably from the English "cock and bull story". Talking senselessly/rubbish; "Don't tok kok lah!"
trow/throw - to dispose of "I trow it already."
upgrade - to improve, renovated - "The service has been upgraded."
what? - eh? huh? - "You never give me, what?"

Expressions

Don't fly my kite - a singlish expression which means 'Please do not go back on your words'
Eye-power - 'refers to someone who sits back and watches others do the work. The comic book character "Cyclops" of the X-Men is sometimes synonymous with the idiom "Eye-power".'
Got problem is it? - 'an aggressive, instigatory challenge.'
He still small boy one - 'a remark (Often offensive) made against someone who is not of a legally median age allowed by the law.'
Issit? - lazy/bastardised form of "isn't it?" at the back of a sentence. Eg: You going home now issit?
Last time police wear short pants! - a retort made to someone who refers to how policies were made in the past. Refers to the British colonial police forces who wore three-quarter khaki pants in the 1950's and 60's.
My England not powderful! - 'A sarcastic response made when a Singlish speaker is being corrected for his grammar, or lack thereof.'
no fish prawn oso can - accepting a lesser alternative (direct translation of the Hokkien idiom "bo hir hay mah hoh.")
Taiji king/queen - A buck-passer, someone adept at handing off responsibility.
..then you know! - Expression used at the back of a sentence to emphasise consequence of not heeding advice. 'Tell you not to park double yellow line, kena summon then you know!'
toast bread - toast
Why you so liddat ar? - (English - Why are you so "like that"?) 'an appeal made to someone who is being unreasonable.'
You got telephone me that time? - replacement phrase for - "Did you call me some time ago?"
You think, I thought, who confirm? - army expression used during organisational foul ups.
You want 10 sen? - Means to "buzz off!" Refers to public phones that require 10 cents per call.

References

Ho, Mian Lian and Platt, John Talbot (1993). Dynamics of a contact continuum: Singapore English. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-824828-8.
Lim, Lisa (2004). Singapore English: a grammatical description. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins. ISBN 1-58811-576-3.
Newbrook, Mark (1987). Aspects of the syntax of educated Singaporean English: attitudes, beliefs, and usage. Frankfurt am Main; New York: P. Lang. ISBN 3-8204-9886-9.
Platt, John Talbot and Weber, Heidi (1980). English in Singapore and Malaysia: status, features, functions. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-580438-4.

External links