What does “belacan” mean?

Belacan in the Singlish dictionary: what it means, where it comes from and how it’s said.

belacan

Fermented shrimp paste, pounded into sambal belacan.

“The whole house smells of belacan when Mum cooks.”

Also: belachan

What does “belacan” mean in Singlish?

Fermented shrimp paste, pounded into sambal belacan. It’s a noun.

Where does “belacan” come from?

From Malay. Other Singlish words from Malay include baju, bandung, banyak and barang.

How do you use “belacan” in a sentence?

“The whole house smells of belacan when Mum cooks.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see sambal.

How else is “belacan” spelt?

Singlish has no fixed spelling: people also write “belachan”.

Is “belacan” in the Singlish Wordle?

Yes: it’s one of the answers in the Singlish Wordle, one word a day, the same for everyone.

Liddat’s own words, from the Singlish dictionary: 312 words and phrases, A to Z.