What does “sia” mean?

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

sia

particleMalay

Adds wonder or emphasis: wow, really. Said about good and bad things alike.

“This chicken rice damn nice sia.”

Also: siah

Search the dictionary · ← shiok · siam →

More Singlish from Malay

sedap Delicious (Malay).
selamat Safe; part of greetings like Selamat Hari Raya (Malay).
senang Easy; comfortable.
shiok Great, satisfying, delicious.
sikit A little (Malay).
sombong Arrogant, snobbish (Malay).
songkok Brimless velvet cap worn by Malay men.
soto Spicy, fragrant chicken soup.

Words that use “sia”

kebaya “The SIA girls’ uniform is a sarong kebaya.”
kum siah “Kum siah ah, uncle, you help me a lot.”
terror “Your drawing terror sia!”

Questions

What does “sia” mean in Singlish?

Adds wonder or emphasis: wow, really. Said about good and bad things alike. It’s a particle, said at the end of a sentence for its tone more than its meaning.

Where does “sia” come from?

From Malay. Other Singlish words from Malay include sedap, selamat, senang and shiok.

How do you use “sia” in a sentence?

“This chicken rice damn nice sia.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see kebaya, kum siah and terror.

How else is “sia” spelt?

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

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

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