Part 3 of Discovering Singlish: 67 Unique Words and Phrases from Singapore's Colorful Dialect

November 9, 2023

Singapore, a vibrant and multicultural city-state, is known for its diverse linguistic landscape. One of the most fascinating aspects of Singapore's linguistic tapestry is "Singlish." Singlish is a unique and colloquial variety of English spoken in Singapore, influenced by various languages and cultures, including Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and more. In this blog, we'll explore 100 Singlish words and phrases, each with its own distinctive meaning, adding a touch of humor, warmth, and local flavor to daily communication.

  1. Swee Bo - Attractive girl. "I met a swee bo at the party."
  2. Jialat - Terrible or awful. "The traffic jam is jialat today."
  3. Sabo King/Queen - Someone who enjoys sabotaging others. "He's a real sabo king."
  4. Shiok - Satisfying or enjoyable. "The massage was shiok."
  5. Alamak - An expression of surprise or frustration. "Alamak, it's raining again."
  6. Pagar Pow - Overworked or exhausted. "I'm pagar pow from the long hours."
  7. Boh Chap - Don't care or indifferent. "I boh chap about that issue."
  8. Buay Tahan - Unable to tolerate or stand something. "I buay tahan the heat."
  9. Kancheong Spider - Anxious or nervous person. "She's such a kancheong spider."
  10. Lao Jiao - Experienced or seasoned. "He's a lao jiao in the industry."
  11. Jialat - Terrible or disastrous. "That accident was jialat."
  12. Pek Chek - Annoyed or irritated. "I'm getting pek chek with this problem."
  13. Siao On - Crazy person. "He's a siao on, always doing crazy things."
  14. Chop Chop - Quickly or in a hurry. "Chop chop, we're late!"
  15. Angkat Bola - To flatter or suck up to someone. "He's always angkat bola to the boss."
  16. Jiak Kantang - To eat potatoes, used to describe someone lazy. "He's jiak kantang, always avoiding work."
  17. Act Blur - Pretend to be unaware or ignorant. "He's just acting blur, he knows what's going on."
  18. Kopi-O - Black coffee without sugar or milk. "I'll have a kopi-o, please."
  19. Lim Peh - Used to refer to oneself, similar to saying "I." "Lim peh wants to have some fun."
  20. Chope Seat - Reserve a seat using an object like a tissue packet. "I choped the seat for you with my tissue."
  21. Siam - To avoid or get out of a situation. "I had to siam that argument."
  22. Tok Kong - The best or top-notch. "This dish is tok kong, try it."
  23. Lepak - To relax or hang out. "Let's lepak at the park."
  24. Gostan - Reverse or move backward, often used in driving. "Gostan the car a bit."
  25. Hoot - To buy or purchase. "I hooted a new phone."
  26. Siam Buay - To avoid trouble. "Better si

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