part of the body containing the brain and several sensory organs
↻
cantonese
(jyutping)
你个头
你個頭
nei5 go3 tau4
'my ass'; 'my foot'; 'as if'
←
cantonese
(jyutping)
你
你
nei5
you; 2p. sing. pronoun
+
cantonese
(jyutping)
个
個
go3
(dial.) possessive particle
+
cantonese
(jyutping)
头
頭
tau4
head
&
malay
kepala otak kau
'my ass'; 'my foot'; 'as if'
←
malay
kepala otak
(derog.) head; brain
←
malay
kepala
head
←
sanskrit
कपाल
kapā́la
skull; cranium
+
malay
otak
brain
+
malay
kau
(familiar) 2p. sing. pron.
etymology notes
The Chinese phrase, (lit.) 'your head', appears to be originally from Cantonese, but has spread to many other Chinese languages. The Malay phrase, used in the same sense, also literally means 'your head'. The Singlish term is a calque of the Malay and Chinese phrases; the latter is likely directly from Cantonese, though it may also have come indirectly via another Chinese language such as Hokkien or Mandarin.
expand for detailsDetailed etymology
definitions
interjection
(rude) 'my ass'; 'my foot'; 'as if'; expression of disbelief, disagreement, disdain, disapproval, doubt, etc., used as a retort to something one thinks is highly exaggerated, unlikely, or untrue