What does “one” mean?

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

one

particleChinese

At the end of a sentence, says that’s how something or someone always is.

“He very particular one, cannot simply buy for him.”

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More Singlish from Chinese

ah Marks the topic before you say something about it, or turns a sentence into a question.
longan Small round fruit with a thin brown shell and sweet, translucent flesh.
mahjong Four-player tile game, especially at Chinese New Year.

Words that use “one”

abang “Abang, this one how much ah?”
ah “This one ah, very expensive. You going ah?”
arrow “The boss arrowed me to do the year-end report.”
auntie “Auntie, one kopi-O kosong, thanks.”
bandung “One iced bandung to cool down, please.”
bo hua “Queue two hours for one bowl noodles, bo hua.”
chendol “Hot day, one bowl of chendol perfect.”
don’t play play “Don’t play play, he trained for the marathon one year.”

Questions

What does “one” mean in Singlish?

At the end of a sentence, says that’s how something or someone always is. It’s a particle, said at the end of a sentence for its tone more than its meaning.

Where does “one” come from?

From Chinese. Other Singlish words from Chinese include ah, longan and mahjong.

How do you use “one” in a sentence?

“He very particular one, cannot simply buy for him.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see abang, ah and arrow.

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

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