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:
wa lao eh walao eh wahlao eh wah lau eh wa lau eh walau eh
wah lao eh
简
繁
→
Hokkien:
我老欸/个
我老欸/個
poj:
óa lāu--eh/--ê
Detailed etymology
definitions
interjection
- oh my God, man; oh my goodness; for goodness' sake; exclamation of frustration, incredulity, disbelief, shock, anger, distress, surprise, etc.
Low laughed loudly. "Wah lao eh, that really is your bloody catchphrase eh?"
— 2023, Neil Humphreys. Lost Women. Muswell Press. ISBN: 9781739123819
A bit malu (embarrassing) lah. The next thing I knew, I heard them laughing and saying things like: 'Wah lau eh, they dare to show this...'
— 1998 June 30, Chan Seet Fun (quoting Lisa Ang). The New Paper, "HEY! SINGAPORE I'M BACK". p.23
synonyms: