What does “leh” mean?

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

leh

particleHokkien and Cantonese

Makes a request gentler or a complaint sound a bit hurt; also “what about…?”.

“Help me carry this bag leh, very heavy.”

Search the dictionary · ← leceh · lemak →

More Singlish from Hokkien

kpkb To complain loudly and on and on; whining.
kueh Bite-sized cakes, often colourful and made with rice flour, coconut or pandan.
kum siah Thank you.
lansi Arrogant, cocky (Hokkien).
liao Already, as in finished or done for (Hokkien).
lim kopi To have coffee, and usually a chat with it.
limpeh Your father: a cocky way to say “me”.
ngiao Fussy, nitpicking about small things.

Words that use “leh”

chio bu “The chio bu at the counter smiled at you leh.”

Questions

What does “leh” mean in Singlish?

Makes a request gentler or a complaint sound a bit hurt; also “what about…?”. It’s a particle, said at the end of a sentence for its tone more than its meaning.

Where does “leh” come from?

From Hokkien and Cantonese. Other Singlish words from Hokkien include kpkb, kueh, kum siah and lansi.

How do you use “leh” in a sentence?

“Help me carry this bag leh, very heavy.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see chio bu.

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

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