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:

yaya-king

yaya king

Singlish:

yaya

+

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. a constant show-off; someone who is always being arrogant, boastful, and conceited
  2. You know a Singaporean is worth his or her salt when they hear, "eh that guy so stylo milo (trying too hard to be stylish)" and replies, "yeah he think he some yaya papaya (someone who thinks he or she is very important)"

    — 2015 August 6, Tessa Wong (quoting Rebecca). BBC News, "The rise of Singlish". https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33809914


usage notes

Rare, usually in favour of the far more common yaya papaya.


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