What does “lah” mean? Singlish meaning and example

lah

particleMalay and Hokkien

The best-known particle: at the end of a sentence it softens a request, makes a statement firmer, or makes it sound friendlier. The tone carries it.

“Come lah, the food getting cold.”

Also: la

More Singlish from Malay

kopitiam A traditional coffee shop with drinks and food stalls (kopi, Malay for coffee, and tiam…

kosong Zero, empty, nothing (Malay); “teh kosong” has no sugar.

koyak Torn, broken, spoilt (Malay).

lagi More, even more; still.

laksa Noodles in spicy coconut-curry soup.

lalang Tall, coarse wild grass.

lapis Layered (Malay); kueh lapis is a cake of many thin layers.

leceh Troublesome, a hassle (Malay).

Words that use “lah”

belanja “Got bonus? Then you belanja us lunch lah.”

cincai “Where to eat? Cincai lah, anything also can.”

obiang “That shirt very obiang, change lah.”

pattern “Just do the job lah, why so many pattern?”

relac “Relac lah, still got time.”

spoil market “You finish the report one week early, spoil market lah.”

Questions

What does “lah” mean in Singlish?

The best-known particle: at the end of a sentence it softens a request, makes a statement firmer, or makes it sound friendlier. The tone carries it. It’s a particle, said at the end of a sentence for its tone more than its meaning.

Where does “lah” come from?

From Malay and Hokkien. Other Singlish words from Malay include kopitiam, kosong, koyak and lagi.

How do you use “lah” in a sentence?

“Come lah, the food getting cold.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see belanja, cincai and obiang.

How else is “lah” spelt?

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

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