Tag: Singapore

I file stuff about Singapore here. It is my home, my country, warts and all.

I am a true-blue Singaporean, born and bred in Singapore. It seems superfluous to say this but there are so many foreigners in Singapore now because Singapore welcomes them.

Many foreigners are Chinese from China. And because I am ethnically Chinese, some people do not believe me when I tell them that I’m a Singaporean. The main reason they think I am from China is because I can speak Mandarin fairly well.

It is true that many younger Singaporean Chinese cannot speak Mandarin well, but most of them understand it perfectly. So, do not use Mandarin to scold them unless you want them to know.

So how do you tell whether someone is a local? By their perfect Singlish.

Do you know that…

Can + lah = Yes
Can + leh = Yes. Of course.
Can + lor = Yes. I think so.
Can + hah? = Are you sure?
Can + hor = Are you sure then?
Can + meh? = Are you certain?
Can + can = Confirm
Can + gua = Should be okay
Can + liao = Already done
Can + wor = Yea
Can + liao lah! = Ok, enough