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:
xiaomeimei xiao meimei
xiao mei mei
→
Mandarin:
小妹妹
pinyin:
xiǎo mèi mei
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a little girl
- a pretty, young, and very youthful-looking girl, especially one that acts naive, spoilt, and fragile to attract attention
- term of address or endearment for a girl who is much younger than the speaker
I thought I might cope with a flirty xiao mei mei shouting "hi, ham-sum" across a bak kut teh stall.
— 2015, Neil Humphreys. Saving A Sexier Island: Notes from an Old Singapore. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN: 9789814677523