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:

gong

kong 1

简 繁

→

Hokkien:

讲

poj:

kóng

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

verb

  1. to speak; to talk; to say

    2. Eh, kong simple English lah. Don't try to throw smoke at me by using all these cheemologies.


related:

talk cock wa ka li kong talk cock sing song kong jiao wei kong lan jiao wei kong wu kong bo not happy, talk outside

kong 2

→

Hokkien:

管

poj:

kóng

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. an empty tin can, such as one formerly used to hold condensed milk, which is reused as a drink container. Such a can normally has the lid still attached at one end with a hole poked through its centre, through which a raffia string is threaded to be used as a handle (to prevent having to hold the hot drink can directly).

    2. Once upon a time, empty tin cans of evaporated milk were used as takeaway cups – I’m told some of the older kopitiams still use the tee kong (tin can), but I’m yet to spot one in the wild.

    — 2020 November 19, Selina Altomonte. SBS Food, "How to order kopi like a Singaporean local". https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/how-to-order-kopi-like-a-singaporean-local/g3d3ehkpx

    synonyms:

    tee kong

adjective

  1. (drink ordering) packaged for takeaway in such a can

related:

bungkus dabao pau puay

categories:

drinks

entries starting with

'kong'