25 Everyday Singapore Hokkien Phrases You'll Actually Use
Not the phrases in a phrasebook nobody says out loud — these are the ones you'll actually hear at the kopitiam, the wet market and your Ah Ma's dinner table. Each one comes with the Chinese characters and a rough pronunciation. Read them, then say them out loud. That's the whole trick.
How to read the pronunciation: we've written the sounds the way they'd feel to an English speaker, not in strict romanisation. Hokkien is tonal, so treat each line as a melody to copy rather than letters to sound out. Say it right after you read it.
Greetings & being polite
| Hokkien | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Jia̍h pá bōe? | 吃饱未 | "Eaten yet?" — the classic Hokkien hello |
| Lí hó | 你好 | Hello / how are you |
| Kám-siā | 感谢 | Thank you |
| Bô iàu-kín | 无要紧 | It's okay / no worries |
| Pai-seh | 歹势 | Sorry / how embarrassing / excuse me |
At the kopitiam
If you learn one situation first, make it this one. You'll use it every single day.
| Hokkien | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kopi | 咖啡 | Coffee with condensed milk |
| Kopi-o | 咖啡乌 | Black coffee with sugar (o = black) |
| Kopi-peng | 咖啡冰 | Iced coffee (peng = ice) |
| Tsi̍t poe | 一杯 | One cup |
| Kúi lui? | 几镭 | How much (money)? |
The kopitiam order is a whole language of its own — o, peng, siew dai (less sweet), kosong (empty / no sugar, borrowed from Malay). It's the fastest, most rewarding thing a beginner can master.
Small talk & reactions
| Hokkien | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sian | 𤺤 | Bored, jaded, sian — the national mood |
| Ho tsia̍h | 好吃 | Delicious |
| Chin ho | 真好 | Very good / very nice |
| Bo pian | 无变 | No choice / nothing can be done |
| Steady lah | — | Nice one / respect (yes, half of Hokkien small talk is English now) |
Yes, no & can / cannot
Hokkien leans hard on "can" and "cannot." Get these and you can negotiate half of daily life.
| Hokkien | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Eh sai | 会使 | Can / it's allowed / okay to do |
| Buay sai | 𣍐使 | Cannot / not allowed |
| Eh hiau | 会晓 | Know how to (do something) |
| Buay hiau | 𣍐晓 | Don't know how to |
| Si | 是 | Yes / it is |
| M si | 毋是 | No / it isn't |
Family & people
| Hokkien | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ah Ma | 阿嬷 | Grandmother |
| Ah Kong | 阿公 | Grandfather |
| Kah kia | 脚数 | Buddy / one of the gang / a regular |
| Lang | 人 | Person / people |
That's 25 phrases — enough to greet someone, order your drink, react to the food, and say sorry when you inevitably mangle a tone. The list isn't the goal, though. Reading Hokkien and speaking Hokkien are two different skills, and only one of them makes an auntie understand you.
If you want the bigger picture — the sounds, the tones, and a month-long plan to string these into conversation — start with our beginner's guide to Singapore Hokkien. And if you've ever wondered why half these words already sound familiar, that's because they've been hiding in your Singlish all along — see Singlish vs Hokkien.
Now say them out loud — to someone who'll answer back
AnnieKong is a voice AI Hokkien teacher. She reads the phrase, you say it back, and she tells you if the auntie would've understood. No pai-seh.
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