Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

娘惹
niáng rě
nyonya / nonya
牛车水
niú chē shuĭ
Chinatown
牛车水原貌馆
niú chē shuǐ yuán mào guǎn
Chinatown Heritage Centre
女皇镇
nǚ huáng zhèn
Queenstown
欧亚裔
ōu yà yì
Eurasian
怕输
pà shū
afraid of losing to others (colloquially known as kiasu)
派对
pài duì
party
拍拖
pāi tuō
To date somebody (colloquially known as paktor)
排屋
pái wū
terrace house
判词
pàn cí
verdict
碰饼
pèng bǐng
pong piah
骗话
piàn huà
lies
品格与公民教育
pǐn gé yǔ gōng mín jiào yù
Character and Citizenship Education (CCE)
拼图
pīn tú
photofit / identikit
屏门
píng mén
platform screen door
平行入口
píng xíng rù kǒu
parallel import
坡底
pō dǐ
downtown
葡萄桑
pú táo sāng
pulasan
普通级
pǔ tōng jí
Films granted a “general” rating
普通课程
pǔ tōng kè chéng
Normal course