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.

also can:

kao wei gao wei gau wei kauwei kaowei gaowei gauwei

kau wei

简 繁

→

Hokkien / teochew:

厚秽

poj:

kāu-oe̍h

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

adjective

  1. physically uncomfortable; irritated; sweltering; sweaty, especially due to itchiness, heat, dirtiness, etc.

    2. antonyms:

    song shiok
  2. (fig., mentally rather than physically) disgusted; uncomfortable; perturbed

    3. synonyms:

    buay song

    antonyms:

    song shiok
  3. (by extension) disgusting; uncomfortable; unsettling; appalling; unpleasant

    4. I mean, it just feels damn gao wei to see a singaporean speaking in such a heavy angmor accent.

    — 2010 December 5, Kuanhe. backtrack in time, \"Atas\". https://backtrackintime.livejournal.com/68242.html

    antonyms:

    song shiok

related:

not happy steam song kao Jurong kau lat

categories:

insults

references:

1. 

Writing in Hokkien - 厚穢 (厚秽) kāu-ue̍h

2. 

Douglas, C. (1873). Kāu. Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy (p. 200). London: Trübner & Co.

3. 

Ogawa, N. (1931). Kāu-e̍h. Tai-nichi Daijiten [Taiwanese-Japanese Dictionary] (Vol. 1, p. 193). Taihoku (Taipei): Taiwan Governor-General's Office.

4. 

Tsiu, T. (2006). Kāu-ue̍h. Bân-lâm Hong-giân Tāi-sîr-tián [Minnan Dialect Dictionary] (p. 286). Fuzhou: Fujian People's Publishing Hous