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:
haolian hau lian
hao lian
简
繁
→
Teochew / hokkien:
好脸
好臉
poj:
hàu-lián
Detailed etymology
definitions
verb
- to boast; to brag; to be arrogant
adjective
- arrogant; boastful; braggardly; conceited; narcissistic
"Maybe some people will say I'm hao lian (a show-off), I'm proud already, get award already ... Even last time, when I saw actors get international awards and choose their scripts, I would feel like they're hao lian."
— 2024 April 24, Drima Chakraborty (quoting Mark Lee). AsiaOne, "'Maybe they'll say I'm hao lian': Mark Lee on challenging himself after winning first international award for Wonderland". https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/theyll-say-im-hao-lian-mark-lee-challenging-himself-winning-first-international-award-wonderland-chai-yee-wei