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khoa si mi
* 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:
kua simi khua simi kua si mi khoa si mi khoa simi
* The diacritic ◌̃ represents a nasalized vowel.
[ SSS:
khuã si mi ]
khua si mi
→
Hokkien:
看什物
poj:
khoàⁿ sím-mi̍h
definitions
expression
- (rude) what [the hell] are you looking at; what are you staring for
- (rarer) what are you looking at; what is it that is so interesting
Le kua si mi? My car more swee.
— 2009 July 16, mrbrown. Youtube, "NDP 2009: the mrbrown show: lekuasimi (the music video)". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTnvqQFFc1c
synonyms:
usage notes
Can be used out of genuine curiosity or in a threatening and rude manner.
Often preceded by Hokkien 汝, lí/lú ("you"), to mean 'what are you looking at'.
* The nasal vowel is almost always unmarked by speakers, though it is very important to the pronunciation of the term. In a dipthong or tripthong, the recommended convention is to mark the final vowel, unless it is spelled using a repeated letter, in which case the first-occurring repeated letter is marked.