100 Useful Sentences for Newcomers to Singapore
Welcome to Singapore! As you settle into this vibrant city-state, you'll quickly discover its unique blend of cultures and languages. While English is widely spoken, you'll often hear a fascinating local patois known as Singlish. To help you navigate daily life, connect with locals, and truly immerse yourself in the Singaporean experience, we've compiled a list of 100 useful Singlish terms and phrases with their English translations. Master these, and you'll be speaking like a local in no time!
Essential Singlish Phrases
| Singlish Term/Phrase | English Translation/Meaning |
|---|---|
| Jelak | Heavy and overwhelming taste |
| Q / QQ | Chewy and springy |
| Sedap | Delicious |
| Wok Hei | Pleasant, charred smokiness |
| Bao Jiak | Guaranteed delicious, for durians |
| Chao Ta | Burnt |
| Chao Cho / Qi | Foul-smelling Seafood |
| Hiam | Spicy |
| Da Bao | Takeaway your order |
| Shiok | Very enjoyable / Awesome |
| Bagus | Very good / Great |
| Makan | Eat |
| Teh | Tea |
| Kopi | Coffee |
| Kopi Peng | Iced coffee |
| Teh Peng | Iced tea |
| Milo Peng | Iced Milo |
| Kopi C | Coffee with evaporated milk and sugar |
| Teh C | Tea with evaporated milk and sugar |
| Kopi O | Coffee without milk, with sugar |
| Teh O | Tea without milk, with sugar |
| Milo O | Milo without milk, with sugar |
| Kopi O Kosong | Coffee without milk and sugar |
| Teh O Kosong | Tea without milk and sugar |
| Milo O Kosong | Milo without milk and sugar |
| Kopi Siew Dai | Coffee, less sweet |
| Teh Siew Dai | Tea, less sweet |
| Milo Siew Dai | Milo, less sweet |
| Kopi O Siew Dai | Coffee without milk, less sugar |
| Teh O Siew Dai | Tea without milk, less sugar |
| Kopi Gah Dai | Coffee, more sugar |
| Teh Gah Dai | Tea, more sugar |
| Milo Gah Dai | Milo, more sugar |
| Kopi Gao | Strong coffee |
| Milo Gao | Strong Milo |
| Kopi O Gao | Strong coffee with sugar but no milk |
| Milo O Gao | Strong Milo with sugar but no milk |
| Kopi Po | Less caffeine coffee |
| Kopi Di Lo | Extra strong caffeine coffee |
| Kopi Gu You | Coffee with butter |
| Kopi Ga Kweh Nrng | Coffee with egg |
| Kopi Pua Sio | Coffee with room temperature water |
| Kopi Tarik | Pulled coffee (with condensed milk and sugar) |
| Teh Tarik | Pulled tea (with condensed milk and sugar) |
| Kopi O Tarik | Pulled coffee with sugar |
| Teh O Tarik | Pulled tea with sugar |
| Milo Dinosaur | Iced Milo with condensed milk, sugar, and Milo powder on top |
| Milo Godzilla | Iced Milo with condensed milk, sugar, a scoop of ice cream, and lots of topping |
| Act blur | To play the innocent card or act ignorant |
| Agak agak | Rough estimate |
| Aiyoh | An expression of surprise, and/or annoyance |
| Alamak | Singlish equivalent of “oh my gosh” or “oh man” / What the hell? |
| Arrow | To dump a task on someone else, rather than complete it yourself |
| Atas | To be posh or of high social status |
| Bo liao | Feeling bored or idle like there’s nothing better to do |
| Boleh | A Malay word for ‘can’, or ‘possible’ |
| Can or not | A way of asking if something is possible or can be achieved |
| Catch no ball | To be absolutely clueless / Don't understand |
| Chiong | To rush, to hurry, or to give your all to complete something |
| Chope | To reserve a place or call dibs on something |
| Eye power | Someone who doesn’t extend help. Instead, they stand around and stare as if their eyes can offer assistance |
| Lepak | Chilling without a care in the world or loitering around aimlessly |
| Don’t spoil market | What you say when you want someone to maintain the status quo and not raise the bar, thus making it hard for you and others to compete |
| Confirm plus chop | Super sure |
| Lim Kopi | Grab a coffee and hang out |
| Got lobang? | Are there any opportunities |
| Die Die Must Try | Must Try no matter what |
| Talk Cock | Untrue stories |
| Don’t sabo me please | Don’t sabotage me |
| Blur like Sotong | Someone who is slow at catching on or just generally clueless |
| On the ball | Top at their job |
| Own time own target | Do things at your own pace |
| Boh jio | Why didn’t you invite me |
| Don’t kaypoh lah | Stop being such a busybody |
| Abuden | A sarcastic way of saying you don’t say |
| Bo chup | Used to describe someone who does not care |
| Chop chop | Singlish term used to hurry people |
| CMI | Short form for cannot make it. Can be used to turn down someone or to describe a person as less than satisfactory (derogatory) |
| Don’t play play | Used to tell someone not to fool around or to take a matter seriously |
| Hao lian | Describes someone who likes to show off. Hao lian bo la liang, is a longer form of this phrase. |
| Buay tahan | I can't take it. |
| Goondu | Dummy / Idiotic |
| Wah Lau | Exclamation of something. Surprise, shock, anger, etc. |
| Aiyah | Equivalent to a long deep sigh |
| Sia | Added to the end of a sentence to emphasize the point being made. |
| Uncle/Auntie | What you call an older man/woman as a sign of respect. |
| Bee See | Nurses |
| Calefare | Bit actors/Extras |
| Claypot | Total loss (in football punting) |
| Di Gu | NEA inspector |
| Eat Snake | Skiving |
| Go Stun | Reversing of any vehicles |
| Jia Lat | In trouble / Oh no! |
| Kaki | Buddy / Close friend |
| Kantang | Westernised Singaporeans |
| Karung Guni | Rag and bone man |
| Kayu | Blockhead / Buck up (in reference to referee) |
| Kelong | Match-fixing |
| Onz | Yes, I can confirm / Affirmation of agreement/consent |
| Ulu | Out of the way (remote, hard to find) |
| Tompang | Hitch a ride / Help pass an item |
| Gostan | To reverse or go backwards |
| Tabao | Takeaway (food) / To flunk a test |
| Lobang | Opportunities or hole (e.g., got lobang? = any leads/opportunities?) |
| Kancheong Spider | Jittery or nervous person |
| Sian | Bored or tired of something |
| Gahmen | The Singapore Government (colloquial) |
| Merlion | To vomit (colloquial, humorous) |
| Ang Moh | Caucasian of Western descent (colloquial, from Hokkien for 'red hair') |
We hope this list helps you feel more at home in Singapore. Don’t be afraid to try out these phrases – Singaporeans will appreciate your effort to learn their local lingo. Enjoy your time in this amazing city!