Singlish - Understanding the locals

Source: https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/singlish-101/

note

This list of words and phrases is not exhaustive :)

Eh What it means: Eh is basically how you address people or get their attention. Example: You would ask a colleague “Eh, wanna have lunch?” or call a friend to ask “Eh, would you like to gym later?” or even text your brother “Eh, I’m not coming home for dinner tonight.”

Lah What it means: A suffix used to place emphasis on the sentence or word before. Example: “Don’t worry about it lah!” Or, get used to hearing “Out of stock lah.”

Leh and Lor Lah is easy enough to master, but leh and lor? Not so much. What it means: Use leh when you’re not sure about something – it’s more like a question.

Example: A: What time does the concert start? B: I don’t know leh. Aren’t you the one that booked the tickets?

What it means: Lor holds a sense of resignation and finality when used at the end of a sentence. Like there’s nothing to do about it, let’s move on. Think c’est la vie with a sense of ennui. Why are you so sad? Because life happens, lor.

Example: “Like that, lor”

Chope What it means: To reserve a place or call dibs on something. Example: “Can you chope a seat for me?”

Tapao What it means: The Singlish equivalent of takeaway. Example: “I’m going to tapao lunch from the hawker centre.”

Cheem What it means: If something has got you dumbfounded, perplexed, bewildered, confused or any synonym related to these words, that thing is cheem. Example: “This exam question is cheem” or “She writes in a really cheem way.”

Shiok What it means: Fantastic, or to convey feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. Example: “This plate of chicken rice is damn shiok.”

Paiseh What it means: A Hokkien term for embarrassing and shy. If you’re out for a big meal and there’s a little left on a sharing plate that nobody wants to take, it’s also known as the ‘paiseh piece’. Example: “Paiseh – can you lend me some cash?”

Sian What it means: As long as you’re experiencing boredom, a lack of enthusiasm or just tired of life. Basically this word can be used in a multitude of contexts. Example: “Time is passing so slowly, sian” or “I hardly slept today, sian.”

Atas What it means: This word was recently added to take Oxford dictionary (yay Singlish). It means to be posh or of high social status. Example: “The meal we had at that fine dining restaurant was so atas”, or “Wow, look at the way that girl dresses, it’s so atas!”

Kiasu What it means: A fiercely competitive spirit. Example: “She queued for four hours to get the latest iPhone – so kiasu!”

Can or not? What it means: A way of asking if something is possible/can be achieved. Example: “Dinner at 7? Can or not?”