Welcome to our podcast, the Singlish Dictionary by Enter Singapore. In this series, we delve into the rich and colorful world of Singlish, a unique blend of English, Malay, Hokkien, and more that is spoken in Singapore.

How this podcast got started: https://entersingapore.com/singlish/

First, let’s kaypoh (be nosy) and trace back to the origins of Singlish, lah. You see, During Singapore olden times is a rojak (mixed) culture, with people from many different backgrounds, and Singlish is just like that rojak, sia.

It’s a blend of English, Malay, Tamil, Hokkien, Cantonese, and Teochew. Can say, it’s a testament to our multiracial kampung (village), lah. We are all sabo king (master of pranks), but also kaki nang (good friends), always on the ball and never say die, lah. Our Singlish is not cincai (sloppy), but power, can?

UNDERSTANDING SINGLISH

Understanding Singlish is not easy, leh. It’s more than just adding a ‘lah’ at the end of your sentences, hor. It’s about the rhythm, the tone, and the context, lor. You need to don’t play play (not underestimate) to get the full meaning. But once you get the hang of it, it’s shiok (satisfying), man! It can make you blur like sotong (confused), or even make you buay tahan (unable to withstand) if you not used to it, but smlj lah!

When you get it right, you’ll feel so song (pleased), can? You go steady (calm down) and soon you can talk cock sing song (talk nonsense) like a pro, lah. Don’t be so kancheong (nervous), just take it easy, lah!

SINGLISH IN EVERYDAY LIFE

In everyday life, Singlish is everywhere, sial. From the kopitiam (coffee shop) uncles and aunties who keep saying kopi-o (black coffee), to the taxi drivers who always tio (strike) traffic jam, from the hawker centres selling char kway teow (stir-fried noodle dish) to the office with all the wayang (acting or pretence),

Singlish is a part and parcel of our life, leh. It’s not just a language; it’s a reflection of our own shok (awesome) identity, our own swee (cool) culture, our own atas (high class) home. So don’t so garang (fierce), just go with the flow, lah! And if people say your English very rojak (mixed), just say they are kiasu kiasi (scared of losing, scared dying). We all in the same boat, lah. No need to paiseh (embarrassed), just continue to lepak (relax) and enjoy the ride, lah!