Commonly found variants; note these may range from acceptable alternatives to
non-standard forms or incorrect spellings*.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
also can:
agak agak
agak-agak
→
Malay:
agak-agak
Detailed etymology
definitions
verb
- to guess; to estimate
When cooking, for example, if asked how much sugar you put in, you could reply 'I just agak-agak.'
— 1999, Adam Brown, Singapore English in a Nutshell. Singapore: Federal Publications, p.3
synonyms:
adjective
- estimated; through guesswork
Kelly always said,'We Baba follow the agak-agak principle.'
— 2007, Sidney Cheung, Chee-Beng Tan, editors. Food and Foodways in Asia: Resource, Tradition and Cooking, Abingdon: Routledge.
adverb
- approximately; roughly
synonyms: