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:
hiao heow
hiau
简
繁
→
Hokkien:
娆
嬈
poj:
hiâu
Detailed etymology
definitions
adjective
- (of a woman) sexy; attractive; beautiful
- (of a woman) lewd; promiscuous; slutty; indecent
- vain
Her mother would say "Aiyah. Girls, these days. So hiau ... Men don't even have to touch them. One look at them and they are already behaving like prostitutes ..."
— 2013, Julian Ng. Pearl, of the Orient. Lulu.com. ISBN: 9781291969399. p.38
Why is it, I wonder, that girls are called hiau and cheap but if guys fool around, they're considered, "wow, playboy, conquer so many ..." and never hiau. You know we used to call PFS (Penang Free School) "Panties For Sale"?
— 2011, Ee Lin See. My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore. Monsoon Books Pte. Limited. ISBN: 9789814358606
synonyms: