DISCLAIMER: This is the best Singlish page in Batam; and some said in Singapore and JB :-). But, it is just for fun-lah! Words are taken from here, there, and everywhere. Use these words at your own risk!

A

• Again? Say Again? -- I beg your pardon.
• Agar-a-tion (agak-agak) -- an estimation.
• Ah Bak -- the generic butcher name.
• 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., Obiang, Ah Lian, my HomeBrewPage.
• Ah Chek -- The generic senior uncle/fellow.
• Ah Chye -- The generic vegetable seller. See also Chin-chye.
• Ah Kong -- Grandfather.
• Ah Kow -- Ah Beng's protege.
• Ah Lian -- Ah Beng's girl friend, most likely not an SPG.
• Ah Pia -- a nerd (from the 1970-s). Eg. Why is he so Ah Pia?
• Ai si ah?! -- Want to die, is it?!
• Air -- see Ayer.
• Aircon -- Air Conditioner, a verb and a noun. Eg. This is an airconed bus.
• 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?
• Alphabet -- letter. Eg. Ah Beng's alphabet is A, h, B, e, n, g.
• Ang Moh -- The literal meaning of this Chinese phrase is 'red hair'. It is used to refer any white foreigner.
• Angkat -- choose (from Malay). Eg. Why do you angkat him?
• 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.
• Auntie -- a generic call for a mature female. See also Uncle.
• AYE -- Ayer Rajah Expressway.
• Ayer -- Water.
• Ayio! -- exclamation sound.

  B

• Bahtaks -- Horas! This is not the ethnic who live around Lake Toba in North Sumatera, but buttocks :-).
• Baliking -- to go home. Eg. Let's Baliking!
• Bedek -- fooling around -- Malay.
• Becos -- because. Eg. Becos why?
• Be pai seh -- shameless.
• BGR -- Boy Girl Relationship.
• BKE -- BuKit Timah Expressway.
• Blarder -- Brother.
• Blank -- see blur.
• Blur -- confused. It is used as an adjective, not a verb.
• Bo Cheng Hu -- Lawlessness -- Hokkien.
• Boh Chup -- don't care anymore -- Hokkien.
• Bodoh -- stupid.
• Buaya -- related to chewing-up / swallowing the opposition, also sex maniac -- Malay.

  C

• Can try -- Eg(GCT/ST 30-04-2000). Can try your putter or not?
• Carry -- Sell. Eg. They don't carry good stuffs.
• CBD -- Central Beesneess District, a very clean and save area that includes Orchard Road.
• Chiack Chua -- Eat Snake -- Hokkien.
• Chia Lat -- Very Troublesome -- Hokkien.
• Chim -- Profound, Great -- Hokkien. Eg. This is Chim, lah!.
• Chin-chye -- do not worry about the details. Eg. Chin-chye lah!
• Cili Padi -- small sexy female.
• Chia lat -- in deep pooh.
• Chop -- official stamp, is also used for to reserve. Eg. Hurry, chop this table.
• Clothings -- plural of clothing.
• CMPB -- Central Manpower Base.
• Color -- (redundant). Eg. This is a red color car.
• Confirmed -- approved.
• Curi ayam -- cheating (from Malay). Eg. He must be curi ayam, lah!

  D

• Deir -- their.
• Dey -- they.
• Doongu -- stupid (from Malay). Eg. He is really doongu, lah!
• Dun -- do not. Eg. I dun noe

  E

• eh-skew-me -- excuse me!

  F

• Fetch -- bring. Eg. OK, I will fetch you home.
• Follow -- to go with. Eg. I will follow his car.
• Free Gift -- (redundant). Eg. This is a free gift.
• Friend -- can be used as a verb. Eg. I won't friend you any more.

  G

• GEB -- General Equipment Base
• Gelified -- feel queasy. Eg. Eeeek that rat makes me gelified!
• Goblock -- Stupid
• Gong Si Mi? -- So what? -- Hokkien.
• Got -- Eg. "You got a pen?" -- "Got, lah!" Eg(GCT/ST 30-04-2000). Got old balls give me can or not?

  H

• Handicap -- can mean a person who is handicapped, eg a cripple or blind person.
• Havoc -- uncontrollable.
• Hawker -- people who sell food at government built hawker centres.
• HDB -- (Hedg-De-Be) acronym of Housing and Devalopment Board, a place where most Singaporeans stay at night.
• Helicopter -- Chinese-educated (soldier).
• Horn -- verb. Eg. Let's horn that car.

  I

• IC -- In Charge or Identity Card
• Is it? -- a standard question tag. Eg. You have mail, is it? -- Money no enough, is it?

  J

• Jeero -- Zero

  K

• Kaypoh -- a busybody, a nosy parker.
• Kandang Kerbau -- most come from there, lah!
• Kayu -- stiff and stupid -- Malay.
• Keep -- put away. Eg. Please keep your books from this table.
• Kena -- catched into trouble.
• Keng -- Laziness -- Hokkien.
• Kiasu -- (pronounced Key-a-soo) -- Hokkien. Goes to sometimes extreme lengths to make sure that they do not miss our on something.
• KJE -- KranJi Expressway.
• Kopi Tiam -- Coffee Shop -- the layperson's cafe.

  L

• -lah -- a very common hang loose suffix. Eg. Easy lah! Chin-chye lah!
• Langgar -- collide -- Malay.
• Lelong -- Sale or auction.
• Lobang -- opportunity, opening, esspecially where jobs are concerned. The literal meaning is this Malay word is 'hole'.
• Lollex -- a very expensive Swiss made watch.
• Lost -- see blur.

  M

• Mai siau siau --> don't play-play!
• Makan -- Meal -- Malay.
• 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.

  N

• Nasi Padang -- Just a mixed Malay meal, not so related with Padang at all. Perhaps, because they do not sell "otak" (brain), "cincang" (mixed meat), and "paru" (lung). Ondeh, wa'ang!
• 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

  O

• Off Day -- Day Off. Eg. This is my off day.
• Oh Biang - a predecessor of Ah Beng, old fashioned, so kampong", from the 1980s.
• On/Off -- verb. Eg. Please on the radio.
• One-month-birthday -- first month. Eg. Ah Beng and Ah Lian have just celebrate their one-month-birthday.

  P

• Pai Seh -- Shy -- Hokkien.
• papan -- flat chested female -- Malay. Eg. She looks like a papan!
• 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 Singapore.
• Pooh -- sh*t.
• (don't) play-play -- be serious, do not fool around (also don't pray-pray).
• PIE -- Pan Island Expressway.
• PT -- Physical Training
• PTI -- Physical Training Instructure
• ppl -- people.

  Q

  R

• Repeat Again -- (redundant). Eg. Please repeat again!
• RPL -- Ramp Powered Launch

  S

• SAF -- Singapore Armed Force. Eg. Ah Beng send Ah Lian home.
• schooling -- education.
• shaq -- exhausted.
• shiok -- satisfied/ fantastic -- Peranakan. Eg. The Spy Who Shioked Me
• Semen -- Cement.
• Send -- take.
• SLE -- SeLatar Expressway
• Slippers -- Bathroom sandals
• slow-slow! -- be slow!
• Small Size -- (redundant) also Large and Medium Size. Eg. Ah Lian is very small size.
• Solid -- Great. Eg. This is solid, lah!
• Squat-toilet -- the real toilet :-)
• Sotong -- blur person.
• Stuffs -- plural of stuff.
• SPG -- Sarong Party Girl, somehow related to Mat Saleh

  T

• ta boh -- man -- Hokkien.
• Tahan -- Resist.
• Tau Tia -- Troublesome -- Hokkien.
• This -- Yet another this overused word. Eg. Starting this story with: "There was this Ah Beng ..."
• Terok -- Difficult -- Malay.
• TIBs -- Trans-Island Bus Services, Ltd.
• TPE -- TamPines Expessway

  U

• Ulu -- very remote. eg. Bukit Gombak is so ulu, lah!
• Uncle -- a generic call for a mature male. See also Auntie.

  V

• void deck - the first (ground) floor of an HDB is either a shop, an appartment, or just void

  W

• Wah Lau Eh? -- Wow!
• Where got? -- That is impossible. Eg. Where got meaning?
• Wo jiw jing-jing -- I will then be quite

  X

  Y

• ya ya -- proud, snobbish.

  Z

• Zar boh -- Woman.

  References:

• [LOWPAN99] Low, Christina, and Pan, Daphne. 1999. The Write Right Guide: an NUS writing guide. Singapore, pp. 83. [PE1408 Low CLMS MDMS SC Ref, ISBN -]
• [SHELL95] Shelley, Rex. 1995. Sounds and Sins of Singlish. Times Books International, - ed., pp. 182. [PL5149 She.So HMLGRS, ISBN 9-8120-4392-6]

  Links

• Ah Kow's Dicksonairy -- whether you are ang moh or tamil or china or melayu or whatever, there's something here fore everyone lah!

  Remarks

• Many thanks to Jason S.K. Lee and Ng Kock Man.