Lesson 2: All About Singlish

Hmm...as promise, another lesson for u...as my blog is always on Singlish and Hokkien (Cos I Ah Lian mah) so, got to teach u how to become like me......kekeke....no lar.....joking de....just let u understand what i am trying to say and u will find it more enjoyable cos I receive feedback that my blog is abit hard to understand.

Ok..before I start, let me tell u what i know, ok...

From what i understand, Singlish is mostly used widely by Ah bengs and Ah Lians and also use among some common Singaporeans.

English is widely spoken in Singapore ... or it is? Many first-time visitors have been confounded by the colloquialisms that pepper Singaporeans' speech. This is because we speak very quickly (or so it's been said) and with a distinct Singaporean accent. Through the years, Singaporeans have developed their own brand of English fondly referred to as 'Singlish'.

Ok...then i found out something and I think i am only 1/2 ah lian....but i think i am a more educated and more IT Ah Lian....

Example of An Ah Lian/Huay....



Ah Lian
If u think u are sexy and cool as hell, wait; read this: U may be an AH LIAN
10 reasons why u could be an Ah Lian....

1. SDU rejects your application because they cannot classify you;
2. Your job at Macdonalds is the only chance you get to speak bad English AKA Singlish;
3. Your skirt is below your boobs and you wear a size 42 short sleeve shirt when u are a size 32;
4. You find cheap thrills by pinching your friend every time you see someone with a turban, hoping she would scream the correct color; (Harban Singh doesn't count--His turban is detachable; like many of them, only wears it during NS to escape HELMET; detached with the latest hairstyle in disco)
5. Your boyfriend insist that he live in: Blk lie-tee-fi lumber tree-too-egg Ang Suah load;
6. You felt extremely privileged to take the M-ah-le-tee to work;
7. U wear a pony tail on the top of your head, with luminous green band/shirt to match;
8. You love to hang out in places like Mar-lee-na and See-tee hall stations;
9. You think green day is the American National Day and the Beatles is some kind of tropical bug.
10. YOUR NAME IS SOO-SEE TAN HUAY LIAN!!!!!!!!!!!

I think i might even be an ah beng......

Ah Beng
You might want to consider yourself a Chow Ah Beng if...

1. Havelock Rd you don't know but Or Kyou Tao is your
favourite hangouts;
2. You address every person in the army has with an extra
"chow", like chow private, chow officer, chow coporal...;
3. Corporal say turn the click clockwise but you keep
saying "Wa eh cock bo why leh corporal!";
4. You carry a comb in your back pocket;
5. You only go to Canto Pop even though you speak Hokien;
6. You call discotheque, "LIS-CO";
7. All your female freinds has "Lian" or "Hua" in their
names;
8. Or your female friends like Mary, or Suzy as their
English name;
9. Your 4-letter words are seldom 4-letters becos you
prefer the colourful Chow Ch** B**! L** J***!;
10. You address every body as Ah something...

Singlish Dictionary

Alamak!
Meaning: Can be "Oh shit" "FUCK!"
Eg. Commentator: "He's going for the goal..past one..past two, only him and the goalkeeper left..he shoots! ALAMAK!! He missed! idiot!"

Blur
Meaning: Adjective usually describing a person who always does not know what is going on.
Eg. Ah Beng has been going out with Ah Lian for 3 days and everyone knows about it except Ah Kow so you say, "Ah Kow, why you so blur one?"
Also see Sotong.

Bo Chup / Boh Chup (Same lar...agar can pronouce the noise out can le..)
Meaning: Don't give a rats ass
Eg. Today got Accounting class? Ahh..Bo Chup lah, don't go!

Boh Liao
Meaning: Meaningless
Eg. "I'm so sick of Ah Beng, he's always making a fool of himself, so Bo Liao!

Buay Song
Meaning: Not happy, normally used to describe not happy with something or with someone.
Eg: He buay song you is it? or You buay song things are to be done like that har?

Buay Ta Han
Meaning: State of intolerance
Eg. "See his face only buay tah han, so arrogant."

Buaya
Meaning: Crocodile (literally), womanizer
Eg. "See, see, Ah Seng down there "buayaing" Ah Lian, see a-lady buay ta han, alway like that one."

Char Boh
Meaning - Members of the Female Human species.
Variations : Xiao Char Boh - That crazy dame !
Eg. Char Boh See Peh Swee - Man, check out that cool dudette !!

Cheena
Meaning:Used to describe person or object that is very "Chinese", usually derogatory. If a person's behaviour, dressing, attitude seems to be very decidedly old-fashioned, belonging to one's grandparents' or even parents' era, then the word cheena is used.
Eg. A samfoo blouse with big flower prints in gaudy colours that are definitely not-in-season (something you would expect the average Ah Soh to wear) can be considered to be cheena.

Chim
Meaning: (adjective) means something that is difficult to understand because of its complexity. It may also be used to describe a word that is long and not used frequently. It may be ununderstandable or simply more complex than usual (remember that the average S'porean is really a simpleton at heart and mind...:)) Usually when confronted with something that appears to be more complex than 1+1, the S'porean would exclaim, "Why so CHIM one?" even before s/he begins to read or think about the "something". So in effect, the word "chim" can be used to describe words that are used in a difficult context too. Oh...this is just too chim for me to explain...;)
there is another word derived from "chim" which is chimiology (not sure about the spelling, not even sure if it should be chimology)...anyway, chimiology sounds more "chim"...:) Example: "Why he always use chimiology?" meaning why are his usage of words always so chim?
E.g. "eh! You very chim you know! Let's talk about that hot hot girl from MGS instead!"

Chin Chai
Meaning: No special preference
Eg. Question: Do you want to eat Kentucky or MacDonald?
Answer: Chin Chai lar

Chope
Meaning: reserve. For the KS S'poreans, this word is very useful.
Eg. In the school, you tell your friends to "go chope the 3rd row seats for me, ok?". When you go to concerts with free seating, you see some people coming very early choping seats for their relatives and friends.

Gostun
Meaning: to reverse; frequently used by automobile drivers
Eg. Ahhh, you gostun first, then you can park over there lor...

Heng
Meaning: Hokkien for good luck or good fortune.
Eg. That day I very HENG you know; the mata never see me speed the red light.

Jia Lak
Literal: Eat Strength
Meaning: Problematic. Strength draining. Stress. Also refers to heavy work load.
Eg: "Eh,Ah Beng, your work how?", "Wah lau, jia lak man, no time to lelax!"
Variations: "Zin" Jia Lak meaning "Very" problematic. Often used before "Die,die"
Eg: "So how, he doe wan to lend?" "Zhi Jia Lak man, die, die, sure die one!"

kah Na Sai / KNS
Meaning :Like shit; to be hard done by or have bad luck happening to one.
Eg. Wah lao, today I went to school and met this Headmaster, KNS man!

Koon
Meaning: sleep (pp kooning)
Eg. I am so sian, I need to koon. Don't disturb me when I'm kooning

Mai Tu Liao!
Meaning : Don't waste time.
Eg. At a buffet lunch, a group of soldiers who had just booked out of camp were shown to a table.
One of them say, Mai Tu Liao, attack the food!

Nah Beh / NB
Meaning: A word use to scold when irritated (widely use by me)
Eg. "NB lor...sibei pek chek..do this cannot...do that cannot"

Obiang (pronounced AWE- BIANG)
Meaning: Exquisite example of a Singlish word. No known English equivalent
Root word unknown. Approximate meaning is "outlandishly inappropriate";out of place.
Eg. Aiyoh! Ah Beng you go party wear clothes so Obaing, where got girls come and tackle you.Must waer like me so stylo mylo lah! Beh heow aye!

Pai sey
Meaning : Shy, embarassing
Eg. "Wah the teacher always pick me in front of the whole class, damn pai sey lah."

Sacally
Meaning: Short form for 'Suddenly'
Eg. "I was about to make a right turn. Sacally this car appears from nowhere and nearly langah me!"

Siao Eh
Meaning: Term used to address any close friend or platoon mate in NS
Literal meaning : crazy one
Eg. "Seow eh, ho seh bo?" (How's it going?)
"Like dat lah, damn sian"

Shack
Meaning : Tired
Eg. "Wah low, after the midnight show last night, this morning wake up damn shack man!"

Shiok
Meaning: Feeling good
Eg. "After exam realli shiok, don have to study anymore."

Sian
Meaning: When you say, "I am very sian", it means that you are very bored. For extra emphasis, the phrase "you got nothing better to do is it" could be used together too.
Eg. "Why you very sian, got nothing better to do izzit, read this kind of trash?"

Siong
Meaning: difficult, tough-going, hard
Eg. The Financial Management paper is very siong.

Stylo Milo
Meaning: Stylish
Eg: Wah, you wear like that, very stylo milo maann.
Also refers to an action, the way something is done or a problem is solved.
Eg: Wah, Ah Beng, you do ly dat very stylo milo one man.

Sua Ku
Meaning : Mountain turtle Country bumpkin
Eg. "Wah lau, Ah Seng, you are from Bukit Timah Hill one har, so sua ku, Marina Square also don't know where?"

Suan
Meaning: Insult, Mock, Scoff, Sneer (& more)
Eg. Everytime I say something, they always Suan me! Why they so ly dat?

Suay
Meaning: Down on one's luck
Eg, "Zin suay leh, how come the teacher has to pick me."

Tahan
Meaning: Endure
Eg. One of these days, I cannot tahan dat buggers face, I'll whack him up man!

Tekan
Meaning: "to hit" in Malay. Can be used in Singlish to denote being attacked unfairly or being used as a scapegoat
Eg. Wah! My koplal very siong man!Never pun-chan me. Always like to TEKAN me for small-small thing one. wait one day I sure sabotage him back.

Tok Kong
Meaning : Special, Unique
Eg. "Ah Seng very the Tok Kong, he can swim and smoke at the same time one."