Ah Beng's Guide to Singlish
I am not a Singaporean.
This Singlish collection is just for fun-lah!
Words are taken from here, there, and everywhere.
Use it at your own risk!
- Again? Say Again? -- I beg your pardon.
- Ah Beng -- a no-nonsense simpleton stereotype that usually wears
anything with bright-neon-colors like hand-phone, hair, car, etc.
Available only in Singapore.
See also Phua Chu Kang Pte. Ltd.,
You may also want to browse
Ah Beng's Guide to Ah Beng.
- Ah Kow -- Ah Beng's protege.
- Ah Lian -- Ah Beng's girl friend, most likely not an SPG.
- Air -- see Ayer.
- Airflown -- has been imported quickly and is therefore fresh.
This word is very common in Singaporean Restaurant and Supermarket.
- Alamak -- Surprised. Eg. Alamak! What are you doing here-lah?
- Ang Moh -- The literal meaning of this Chinese phrase is
'red hair'. It is used to refer any white foreigner.
- Also -- tends to occur in one of two positions.
It may occur to qualify the subject.
Eg. I also don't know.
It may occur at the end of the sentence to
qualify some other element in the sentence.
Eg. He sells cars also.
- Ayer -- Water.
- Ayio! -- exclamation sound.
- Bahtaks -- Horas! This is not the ethnic who live
around Lake Toba in North Sumatera, but buttocks :-).
- BGR -- Boy Girl Relationship.
- Blarder -- Brother.
- Blank -- see blur.
- Blur -- confused. It is used as an adjective, not a verb.
- Bodoh -- stupid.
- Buaya -- related to chewing-up / swallowing the opposition.
- CBD -- Central Beesneess District,
a very clean and save area that includes Orchard Road.
- Chin-chye -- do not worry about the details.
Eg. Chin-chye lah!
- Chop -- official stamp.
- CMPB -- Central Manpower Base.
- Confirmed -- approved.
- Deir -- their.
- Dey -- they.
- Dun -- do not.
Eg. I dun noe
- Friend -- can be used as a verb.
Eg. I won't friend you any more.
- GEB -- General Equipment Base
- Goblock -- Stupid
- Got -- Eg. "Have you got a pen?" -- "Got, lah!"
- Handicap -- can mean a person who is handicapped,
eg a cripple or blind person.
- Hawker -- people who sell food at government built hawker
- HDB -- (Hedg-De-Be) acronym of
Housing and Devalopment Board,
a place where most Singaporeans stay at night.
- Helicopter -- Chinese-educated (soldier).
- IC -- In Charge
- Jeero -- Zero
- Kaypoh -- a busybody, a nosy parker.
- Kena -- catched into trouble.
- Kiasu -- (pronounced Key-a-soo).
Goes to sometimes extreme lengths to make sure
that they do not miss our on something.
- -lah -- a very common hang loose suffix.
Eg. Easy lah! Chin-Chye lah!
- Lelong -- Sale or auction.
- Lobang -- opportunity, opening, esspecially where jobs
The literal meaning is this Malay word is 'hole'.
- Lost -- see blur.
- Mat Saleh -- It is used to refer any white foreigner.
- Mata -- Police.
- Mee Bandung -- Just a type of noodle dish, not related
with Bandung at all. Well, like in Bandung itself,
there is a noodle dish called Bakso Malang.
- Nasi Padang -- Just a mixed Malay meal, not related
with Padang at all.
- Nett -- final price (no bargain!).
- noe -- know. Eg. I noe this guy.
- NS -- National Service.
- NUS -- ("en new es", or "news", or "noose") --
acronym of National Unierrrrsity of Singapore
- Obiang - a predecessor of Ah Beng (from the 1980-s).
- Phua Chu Kang Pte. Ltd. -- an Ah Beng's TV sitcom at
channel 5 TCS. Not so easy to understand, if you do not know
- (don't) play-play -- be serious, do not fool around
(also don't pray-pray).
- PT -- Physical Training
- PTI -- Physical Training Instructure
- ppl -- people.
- RPL -- Ramp Powered Launch
- SAF -- Singapore Armed Force
- schooling -- education
- Slippers -- Bathroom sandals
- slow-slow! -- be slow!
- Squat-toilet -- the real toilet :-)
- Sotong -- blur person.
- SPG -- Sarong Party Girl, somehow related to Mat Saleh
- This -- Yet another this overused word.
Eg. Starting this story with: "There was this Ah Beng ..."
- Ulu -- very remote.
eg. Bukit Gombak is so ulu, lah!
- void deck - the first (ground) floor of an HDB
is either a shop, an appartment, or just void
- Where got? -- That is impossible.
Eg. Where got meaning?
- Wo jiw jing-jing -- I will then be quite
- Zar boh -- Woman.
Sounds and Sins of Singlish.
Times Books International, - ed., pp. 182.
[PL5149 She.So HMLGRS, ISBN 9-8120-4392-6]
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© 1999 Ricardo Cheung