Shiok
/sh-ee-ok/
Delicious, satisfying, feels amazing — one word for all of the above
"Wah, the laksa damn shiok lah."
The Language
Singlish is not broken English. It is a complete creole language built from Hokkien, Malay, Cantonese, Tamil, and English. These are the terms you will hear at every hawker centre.
/sh-ee-ok/
Delicious, satisfying, feels amazing — one word for all of the above
"Wah, the laksa damn shiok lah."
/mah-kan/
Eat (Malay). Used by all communities.
"Come, makan time already."
/jee-ak/
Eat (Hokkien). Slightly more casual than makan.
"Jiak liao boh? Have you eaten yet?"
/lim/
Drink (Hokkien).
"Lim kopi first, talk later."
/dah-bao/
Takeaway. Pack it up to go.
"Dabao for me — I eating at office."
/chop/
Reserve a seat using tissue or personal item.
"I chope the table already, go order first."
Absolutely must eat this — no excuses, no exceptions
"The char kway teow here die die must try."
Literally 'drink coffee' — but really means let's hang out and chat
"Free or not? Go lim kopi later."
/gow/
Thick, strong, intense. Used for drinks and food.
"Kopi gao — I need strength today."
/see-you-die/
Less sweet. Used when ordering drinks.
"Teh C siu dai please, auntie."
/koo-rang mah-nis/
Less sweet (Malay). Same as siu dai but used at Malay/Indian stalls.
"Teh tarik kurang manis."
/koh-song/
Empty — means no sugar, no milk when ordering drinks.
"Kopi O kosong — trying to be healthy."
/kay-poh/
Nosy, busybody. Usually affectionate.
"Eh don't so kaypoh lah, not your business."
/kee-ah-soo/
Fear of losing out. The driving force behind every queue in Singapore.
"Queue so long for what? So kiasu."
/see-en/
Bored, tired, fed up. A single word that covers a wide range of mild despair.
"Sian lah, queue until like that."
/jee-ah-lat/
In trouble, serious problem, this is bad.
"Wah jialat — they sold out already."
Cannot understand what is being said. From Hokkien 'liak bo kiu'.
"Eh speak slower lah, I catch no ball."
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