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:
bak chew
bak chiu
→
Hokkien:
目睭
poj:
ba̍k-chiu
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- eyes
看什物看？看你的目睭 (khòaⁿ sím-mi̍h khòaⁿ?
khòaⁿ lí ê ba̍k-chiu)
我的目睭死爸细, so I can't even see you! (óa-ê ba̍k-chiu sí-pē sòe)
(tr.: See what see? See your eyes;
My eyes are so damn small, so I can't even see you!)
— 2014, ShiGGa Shay - "LimPeh". LimPeh - EP, Ginette Chittick.