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:
gek sim kek xim gek xim
kek sim
→
Hokkien / teochew:
激心
poj:
kek-sim
Detailed etymology
definitions
adjective
- worried; anxious
- sad; distressed; heartbroken
"I don't need these, Por Por."
"Aiyah, I kek sim only. Worry for you. You see shark, then how? Call me ah?"
— 2018, Ng Yi-Sheng. Lion City. Epigram Books. ISBN: 9789811700750.
There was a pause.
'She tell me many things. kek sim. Very sad lah.'
— 2012, Sally Heinrich. Hungry Ghosts. Hachette Australia. ISBN: 9780734413581
For example, depressed persons may not admit to feeling kek sim ... They tend to equate sadness with a particular stressor. And if there is none, they say they are not kek sim.
— 2007, Leslie Lim and Douglas Koh. Mental Illness Or Demonisation?: Similarities and Differences. Armour Publishing Pte Ltd. ISBN: 9789814138987. p.52