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:
tau sa pau
tau sar pau
→
Cantonese / min nan:
豆沙包
poj:
dau6 saa1 baau1
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a steamed bun (pau1) with a thick, fluffy, white skin filled with sweetened red bean (Vigna angularis) paste
- (rarer) any bun or pastry filled with sweetened red bean (Vigna angularis) paste in general, including baked or fried versions, Japanese anpan, Korean hoppang, etc.
In describing my teacher's face as a tau sar pau … I was trying to tell her just how beautiful she seemed to me, because, like the bun, her face was smooth and round and sweet. But sadly for me, my teacher misunderstood my good intentions …
— 2012, Dominique Hecq. The Creativity Market: Creative Writing in the 21st Century. Channel View Publications. ISBN: 9781847697103. p.212
Today, everybody's eating kong bak pau and the Caucasians know tau sar pau because of our inventions.
— 2017, Loretta Chen. Madonnas and Mavericks: Power Women in Singapore. Marshall Cavendish Editions. ISBN: 9789814779937