So you know your Singlish words and can tell the difference between lah, leh and lor? Come, we clap for you.
A huge part of the Singaporean identity (besides our local food) is our colloquial language. We’re talking about Singlish! Bottom line: Singlish is a truly peculiar ‘language’. We use it when we order kopi at hawker centres and even at cafes when we mingle with our friends. Need a handy guide? We’ve decoded some of the essential Singlish words and phrases so you’ll know what it means when someone accuses you of being kaypoh…
Singlish dictionary: All the words and phrases you need to know
1. Act blur
What it means: To play the innocent card or act ignorant.
Example: “Don’t act blur, I know you pretended to like him for his money.”
2. Agak agak
What it means: The Malay phrase means to have a rough estimate.
Example: “How much sugar should I add to my tea? Just agak agak!”
3. Aiyoh
What it means: An expression of surprise, and/or annoyance.
Example: “Aiyoh, what happened to your clothes, why are they so dirty?”
4. Alamak
What it means: Singlish equivalent of “oh my gosh” or “oh man”.
Example: “Alamak, I didn’t know today was a public holiday!”
5. Arrow
What it means: To dump a task on someone else, rather than complete it yourself.
Example: “Ugh, my colleague arrowed me to organise the company event again.”
6. Atas
What it means: To be posh or of high social status.
Example: “Whoa, I’ve never seen a restaurant so atas.”
7. Bo chap
What it means: It translates to “don’t care” in Hokkien, referring to someone indifferent.
Example: “She’s so bo chap at work, she only does the bare minimum.”
8. Bo jio
What it means: Hokkien for not getting an invitation.
Example: “You went to Johor Bahru last weekend? Bo jio!”
9. Bo liao
What it means: Feeling bored or idle like there’s nothing better to do.
Example: “Why did you waste your time on that? Bo liao!”
10. Boleh
What it means: A Malay word for “can”, or “possible”.
Example: “You’ll check the flight timings and I’ll handle the bookings. Boleh?”
11. Can or not?
What it means: A way of asking if something is possible or can be achieved.
Example: “The project is due tomorrow. Can you finish it or not?”
12. Catch no ball
What it means: To be absolutely clueless.
Example: “Look at him, floundering all over the place. Catch no ball!”
13. Cheem
What it means: Something that has you dumbfounded, perplexed, bewildered or confused.
Example: “That exam was so cheem, I didn’t understand it at all.”
14. Chiong
What it means: To rush, to hurry, or to give your all to complete something.
Example: “We have to chiong to the finish line so we won’t be in last place!”
15. Chope
What it means: To reserve a place or call dibs on something.
Example: “Can you chope a seat at the hawker centre for me?”
16. CMI
What it means: The abbreviation for “cannot make it” refers to the inferior attributes of someone (or something).
Example: “This design looks so basic, really CMI.”
17. Come, I clap for you
What it means: A sarcastic way of praising someone.
Example: “You finally made good on your promise after years. Come, I clap for you.”
18. Diam
What it means: It’s used to tell someone to shut up, typically in an angry way.
Example: “Eh diam la. The bride and groom are giving their speech.”
19. Die die must try
What it means: To express something so good that you have to try it – no matter what.
Example: “I’m not kidding, this place has the best noodles. Die die must try.”
20. Eh
What it means: A way to address people or get their attention.
Example: “Eh, I’m going to check out that new cafe, wanna come?”
21. Eye power
What it means: Someone who doesn’t extend help. Instead, they just stand around and stare as if their eyes can offer assistance.
Example: “Don’t eye power leh, come over and help us move the furniture.”
22. Geh kiang
What it means: Someone who acts rashly and without thought.
Example: “If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t geh kiang.”
23. Huat
What it means: Hokkien for “to prosper”.
Example: “Huat ah, I got a huge increase in my salary this year!”
24. Jia lat
What it means: Basically, nothing’s going your way.
Example: “Jia lat, we’re running late for our flight!”
25. Kaypoh
What it means: To be a busybody.
Example: “Hey, don’t be kaypoh, just let the couple work out their own problems.”
26. Kena
What it means: A Malay word to describe being affected by or to receive something negative.
Example: “Help, my boss assigned me a rude client to work with. I always kena the worst clients!”
27. Kiasu
What it means: A fiercely competitive spirit.
Example: “She’s been in line since 7am to get that toy everything’s talking about – so kiasu!”
28. Lah
What it means: A suffix used to emphasise the sentence or word before.
Example: “You’ll do fine on the exam, don’t worry about it lah!”
29. Leh
What it means: Use ‘leh’ when you’re unsure about something – it’s more like a question.
Example: “I don’t know how to get to the place leh. Can you come pick me up?”
30. Lepak
What it means: Chilling without a care in the world or loitering around aimlessly.
Example: “I have no plans this weekend, just gonna lepak at home.”
31. Lobang
What it means: Tips, clues, opportunities or deals.
Example: “Hey, I got lobang for furniture on sale. You in?”
32. Lor
What it means: It holds a sense of resignation and finality. Think c’est la vie with a sense of ennui.
Example: “My boss doesn’t like me lor, that’s why my colleague is always the one getting the promotions.”
33. Makan
What it means: The Malay word for eat.
Example: “It’s lunchtime and I’m hungry. Wanna go makan?”
34. Nia
What it means: Used to substitute only, often used to belittle someone.
Example: “What do you mean it’s far? It’s just a 10-minute walk nia.”
35. Own time own target
What it means: To do things at your own pace.
Example: “Let’s split up into groups and meet back here later – own time own target.”
36. Paiseh
What it means: A Hokkien term for being embarrassed or shy.
Example: “Paiseh, I woke up late today. Sorry for making you wait.”
37. Pang seh
What it means: To stand someone up or to cop out.
Example: “He pang seh us to go on a date with his girlfriend again.”
38. Ponteng
What it means: It’s Malay for “playing truant”, but it can be used if you want to give anything a miss.
Example: “Do you want to ponteng school tomorrow?”
39. Sabo
What it means: A shortened version of the word sabotage, used when playing a practical joke on others or even causing deliberate harm.
Example: “You betrayed your friend just to win the competition? You’re the sabo king.”
40. Shag
What it means: To feel physically tired or exhausted. Not to be confused with the English use of the word (if you know what we mean).
Example: “I just ran a marathon yesterday. Shag!”
41. Shiok
What it means: Fantastic, or to convey feelings of satisfaction and pleasure.
Example: “This prata place has amazing food – so shiok.”
42. Sian
What it means: Experiencing boredom, a lack of enthusiasm or just being tired of life.
Example: “Time passes by so slowly when you have nothing to do at work. Sian.”
43. Siao
What it means: Hokkien for crazy.
Example: “Did you just challenge that bodybuilder to a weightlifting competition? Siao!”
44. Spoil market
What it means: A Singlish term for overachieving. This is someone who has raised the bar so high that no one can compete.
Example: “You gave your girlfriend a Chanel bag AND a trip to Paris for her birthday? Spoil market!”
45. Steady
What it means: It can take on different meanings, including agreeing with someone, giving them praise or being in a romantic relationship with a partner.
Example: “I asked her to go steady and she said yes!” or “Let’s catch the midnight premiere of this show. Okay, steady!”
46. Swee
What it means: A compliment to describe something as beautiful or perfect.
Example: “I saw your holiday photos in Japan. So swee!”
47. Tak boleh tahan / Buay tahan
What it means: When you can’t tolerate something.
Example: “Argh, he’s so annoying. Buay tahan!”
48. Tapao / Dabao
What it means: The Singlish equivalent of takeaway.
Example: “I’m going to tapao lunch from our favourite hawker stall. Want anything?”
49. Tolong
What it means: A cry for help.
Example: “Tolong la, please lend me a couple of bucks today.”
50. Ulu
What it means: Somewhere secluded and inaccessible.
Example: “Huh, you want to go to the Kranji farms? So ulu!”
51. Walao
What it means: An expression of shock, disbelief or dismay.
Example: “Walao, the opposing team won again. It’s so unfair!”
52. Wayang
What it means: The Malay word for acting in a performance or a show. In Singlish terms, it’s used to describe someone who’s being fake.
Example: “He always wayang in front of the bosses; I can’t stand it.”
53. White horse
What it means: The child of an influential or powerful person (usually used among men in National Service).
Example: “He’s a white horse; the sergeants don’t dare to mess with him.”
54. Yaya papaya
What it means: To describe someone who is arrogant or loves to show off.
Example: “Why are you always showing off your LV bag? So yaya payaya.”
55. Zhng
What it means: To modify, embellish, or redecorate.
Example: “You zhng your car again? It looks so cool!”
So, which Singlish word do you use most often?
