Singapore gay terminology

The following list consists of formally accepted words, as well as slang, in Singapore's four official and other minority languages, used to refer to LGBTs.

English/Singlish

PLU- acronym for People Like Us, the main organisation involved in the struggle for gay equality. It is used as a slang word for LGBTs, especially amongst the younger internet-savvy generation. Only in fashion for less than a decade.

Ay-jay- Pig Latinised form of 'gay', with the guttural 'g' converted to a 'j' to further disguise its form. Coined by English-educated schoolboys from some of the better schools in the 1990s.

Muffadet- Singlish corruption of 'hermaphrodite', but used not with the proper meaning of a person with genitalia from both sexes, but as a synonym for an effeminate male. Formerly popular with especially Eurasians of the older generation.

Sister- slang for transvestite or transsexual.

A.Q. or A.K.- acronym for Ah Kua or Ah Qua, the Hokkien word for transvestite (see below).

'G'- abbreviation of 'gay'.

On- slang meaning gay. Example: 'Is he on?'

Malay

Pondan- an effeminate male

Bapok- derogatory word for an effeminate male

Kedik- derogatory word, derived from the Tamil 'kiddi' (see below), also meaning an effeminate male.

Liwat- used in Malay to mean homosexual; derived from the Arabic word for homosexual behaviour, a serious crime under Shari'a law.

Luti- Arabic for homosexual, literally the Biblical apostle Lot; not commonly used by the Malays.

Mak nyah- transvestite or transsexual, usually male-to-female.

Pak nyah- female-to-male pre- or post-operative transsexual, much rarer than mak nyahs.

Abang- literally 'older brother', but used as slang for female-to-male transsexuals.

Waria- a contraction of 'wanita pria' meaning transvestite or transsexual in Indonesian.

Chinese

Mandarin

Tong xing lian zhe- proper scientific word for 'homosexual'

Bo li- literally meaning 'glass', but used as slang for male homosexual. It draws an analogy between the opening of a glass bottle and the male anus.

Tong zhi- proper meaning 'comrade', but used by mainland Chinese, Hong Kongers and Taiwanese as slang for homosexual. Not commonly used by Singaporean Chinese.

Hokkien

Ah Kua, or Ah Qua- a transvestite, or more recently, with sex-change surgery becoming technologically feasible, also a transsexual. Used in the past to refer to male cross-dressers who perform in Chinese operas or 'wayangs' as they are locally called.

Or Ah- literally meaning 'black crow', it is used as a covert form of Ah Kua, referring to the cackle that crows make, which sounds like a contracted form of Ah Kua. Not widespread.

Cantonese

T'ong seng leen- Cantonese version of the Mandarin tong xing lian zhe.

Bor lei- Cantonese version of the Mandarin bo li.

Gkei- Cantonese version of the English word 'gay'.

Gkei lou- a gay person/fellow

Gkaau gkei- to indulge in homosexuality.

Indian

Tamil

Kiddi- an effeminate male.

Sutthadi- a male prositute.

Akkaal; colloquially pronounced as 'akkair'- literally meaning 'sister' but used as slang for transvesite or transsexual.

Maasti- sexual play between men who are not necessarily homosexual, mainly to relieve sexual tension.

Urdu

Samlaingik- scientific word for homosexual.