Singlish is the English-based contact language spoken colloquially in Singapore. English is one of Singapore's official languages, along with Malay (which is also the National Language), Mandarin, and Tamil. Although English is the lexifier language, Singlish has its unique slang and syntax, which are more pronounced in informal speech. It is usually a mixture of English, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, and Tamil, and sometimes other Chinese languages like Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka, Hockchew, and Mandarin. For example, means to be annoyed or frustrated, and originates from Singaporean Hokkien 迫促 (POJ: pek-chhek). It is used in casual contexts between Singaporeans, but is avoided in formal events when certain Singlish phrases may be considered unedifying. Singapore English can be broken into two subcategories: Standard Singapore English (SSE) and Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) or Singlish as many locals call it. The relationship between SSE and Singlish is viewed as a diglossia, in which SSE is restricted to be used in situations of formality where Singlish/CSE is used in most other circumstances.
Some of the most popular Singlish terms have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) since 2000, including wah, sabo, lepak, shiok and hawker centre.New Singapore English words - OED , March 2016 On 11 February 2015, kiasu was chosen as OED's Word of the Day.Singapore terms join Oxford English Dictionary - BBC, 12 May 2016
Word origins
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 "" ( in British English) and "" (soccer—originally slang for association football—while used in Britain, is more usually called just ). Singlish also uses many words borrowed from Hokkien, the non-Mandarin Chinese language 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. Vocabulary is also taken from Indian words such as meaning 'hey', meaning 'fat', etc. This is most obvious in such cases as /, which are functionally equivalent in Singlish and mapped to the same Chinese word, (Hokkien , Cantonese , Mandarin ), which can mean to lend or to borrow. For example: "" / "Hey, can you lend me your calculator?"
Singlish dictionaries and word lists
There have been several efforts to compile lexicons of Singlish, some for scholarly purposes, but most for entertainment. Two early humorous works were Sylvia Toh Paik Choo's Eh, Goondu! (1982) and Lagi Goondu! (1986). In 1997 the second edition of the Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary was published.
2002 saw the publication of the Coxford Singlish Dictionary, a light-hearted lexicon which was developed from material posted on the website Talkingcock.com. In 2004, the website A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, was launched to document the actual usage of Singlish and Singapore English in published material, in the way that the Oxford English Dictionary does for standard English. Compiled by Jack Lee, an amateur lexicographer, the Dictionary was one of the first dictionaries to deal exclusively with Singlish and Singapore English in a professional or academic voice.
In 2024, a much more modern and updated web project was launched by Daniel Goh, another amateur lexicographer. Known as the Chimbridge Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, it is (among other features) also the first to contain fully-researched etymologies of all its terms. While it is also written in a professional and academic style, the dictionary documents usage in not just published material, but also casual contexts such as online forums. It is, to date, the most complete and comprehensive dictionary of Singlish terms ever compiled, with up to several thousands more entries than its predecessors.
List of Singlish words A list of Singlish terms and expressions widely used in Singapore is set out below. It is not exhaustive nor fully accurate, and is meant to provide some representative examples of Singlish usage in Singapore. The origins of the Singlish terms are indicated where possible, and literal translations are provided where necessary. More comprehensive and accurate information may be found in the various dictionaries and compilations previously mentioned above.
0–9
– Local 4 digit lottery game run by Singapore Pools. – Refers to the 5 Cs of Singapore (cash, car, credit card, condominium, country club membership). Commonly associated with materialistic success in modern Singapore. – Official Singapore Army vernacular meaning '11 basic information'. Refers to the Singapore Armed Forces identity card held by servicemen during their National Service.
A
abit – A little bit. Usually used sarcastically. As in "" when the person in question is deemed to be slow (sarcasm). abuden – Obviously; what else could it have been? Equivalent to "duh". ACBC – Acronym for "act cute, buay cute." Refers to a person who is behaving in an exaggeratedly cutesy manner, but instead comes across as annoying. (buay – see entry below – is a negative prefix, conveying 'not' or 'un-'.). act blur – To feign ignorance. act cute – A phrase which describes behaving in a cutesy manner. Can be used as both a verb and an adjective. See also ACBC above. action – Refers to a person who is perceived as arrogant or haughty. / agak-agak – An estimate.Brown, Adam (1999) Singapore English in a Nutshell, Singapore: Federal, p. 3. Not to be mistaken as "" which means jelly/jello. agak-ration – An estimate or estimation. Also pronounced as "agar-ration". Ah Beng – A hillbilly, or someone with poor dress sense. Also used to refer to a gangster.Brown, Adam (1999) Singapore English in a Nutshell, Singapore: Federal, p. 5. Originates from the common Chinese male name 'Ah Beng'. Ah Seng – Ah Beng's sidekick. Also used to refer to a gangster. Originates from the common Chinese male name 'Ah Seng'. ah – 1. Exclamation. E.g. "Heng ah!" (How lucky!) 2. (... ah?) An alternative spelling of "ar". Used at the end of a sentence to express doubt. ah gua / ah kwa / ah qua – A transvestite, often assumed to be a Thai transsexual. Used to refer to men who appear to be effeminate. Ah Lian – A hillbilly, someone with little dress sense; female form of Ah Beng. Also used to refer to a gangster. The expressions came about because Ah Lian is a common Chinese female name. Ah Huay – Ah Lian's sidekick; female form of Ah Seng. Also used to refer to a gangster. The expressions came about because Ah Huay is a common Chinese female name. Ah Long – 1. Slang term for a loan shark. 2. Sometimes used to mistranslate Lee Hsien Loong. – means older brother; a shortened version of a racial slur (see below). ah pu neh neh – A racial slur for Indians. ah tiong – Sometimes used simply as Tiong. A derogatory term for Chinese nationals. ai see – Used to describe someone on thin ice. ai see buay see – Used to describe someone on thin ice. aiseh - An exclamation made in awe of something. E.g. "Aiseh, he driving a Ferrari sia." ai swee mai m'niah – Used on a person who is so vain their life or wellbeing is compromised ai sui – Refers to a person who is beauty conscious. (Usually used of women.). ai tzai / ai zai – Used in a reassuring manner to calm people down. Aiya(h) / Aiyo(h) – "Oh no!" "Oh dear!" Also used in 'Aiyo(h), so embarrassing!', a catchphrase popularized by Aunty Lucy, a role Mediacorp artiste Dennis Chew portrayed in Paris and Milan. Aiyoyo / Ai-yoh-yoh – Extreme version of Aiyo(h), popularized by the role played by Chen Liping in the SBC drama series Good Morning, Sir! akan datang – Means 'coming soon', as seen in movie trailers. Used to reassure an impatient person. alamak – Phonetically close to the Chinese term "Oh, my mother!" It expresses shock or surprise, and also dismay. Popularized by the catchphrase Henry Thia's court clerk character used in the popular TV variety show Comedy Nite. alibaba – Means 'missing' or 'stolen', a reference to the book Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, in which Ali Baba, a woodcutter, discovers a group of thieves with a secret stash of riches that can only be accessed by saying a magic word to open a secret door. amacam – A contraction of the Malay word 'Apa macam', which is used as a greeting, similar to "What's up?" ang mo(h) – A term for people of European descent. Based on the perceived hirsutism of Europeans with red or blonde-colored bodily hair. The term is neutral, but some may perceive it as mildly derogatory. ang mo(h) pai – A term used among Chinese Singaporeans to insult those who speak good English but whose Chinese language skills are lacking, or whose mannerisms are perceived as too Western. The term suggests they are more "Red Hair"/Westernised than Chinese. ang pau / – Red packet with money to be given on Chinese New Year or during some occasion like wedding, birthday party and so on as a wish to the receiver. Also hong bao. an zhua? – Hokkien equivalent of "What's up?" ar – 1. (... ar?) Used at the end of a sentence where opinions and affirmations are being sought. 2. Used as either a noun or a verb to denote a very cozy, non-sexual relationship with someone that might result in special considerations or leeway not available to anyone else without such a relationship. As in "I ar with the boss because I'm his golf buddy so I can occasionally come to work later without getting into trouble with him." Or "You got ar with him or not?" to inquire as to the status of the relationship between two people. Similar to the American slang expression "having juice with someone." ar bo – Means "What else?" or "How else?" Usually used as an answer to a question with an obvious answer. atas – 1. Used to describe a snobbish and arrogant person. 2. Used to describe a "high class", well-to-do or sophisticated person. ayam – Used to describe someone who is easily intimidated. ay / aye / ayy – To express a bit of ‘yeah’ feeling.
B
balik kampong / balek kampung – Pack up one's things and go home. The term also refers to returning to one's hometown. bakkwa / bak kwa – a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky. bao toh – The act of backstabbing someone, usually in an office or political context. barang barang – Personal belongings. basket - Replacement for the word "Bastard". Used to appear being less vulgar. berak – To defecate. See pang sai. belanja – To treat or pay for someone. bird bird - Penis. See kuku jiao / kuku bird. bo cheng sa - shirtless / half-naked blur - Someone who is forgetful, clumsy, or oblivious. bodoh – Idiot, ignorant. bo(h) be(h) zao – From horse racing jargon. Used to describe something that is of unrivalled excellence See also "no horse run". bo(h) bian / bo(h) pien – No choice. bo(h) chup – Hokkien for to not care/ disregard something. bo(h) eng – To have little or no time on one's hands. bo(h) gay / bo(h) ge(h) – Usually used to describe someone with a missing tooth. bo(h) jio / bojio – You didn't invite me. bo(h) liao – A slang expression to describe being in a situation of idleness. Also used to describe an act of doing something silly. bo(h) ta bo lan pa – Usually used in drinking for "bottoms up". bo(h) tao bo(h) be(h) – A story that has no linkage. bo(h) tuah bo(h) suay – Ignorant or unaware of who is the 'senior' or 'junior'. bo(h) zheng hu – Used to describe a lack of governance or authority. boleh – Can; possible. Sometimes used sarcastically to refer to one's inability to do something. botak – Used to describe someone bald. This term inspired the famous Botak Jones in Singapore.Brown, Adam (1999) Singapore English in a Nutshell, Singapore: Federal, p. 35. buay – Means 'cannot'.