wah

Mild expletive of frustration, exasperation or amazed disbelief, derived from a softened Hokkien profanity (originally "wah lao eh", a euphemism for a stronger phrase referencing one's father). Sits somewhere between "oh my god" and "for crying out loud" in English — strong enough to convey real feeling but not actually rude. Common variants include "walao", "wah-lau" and "wah lao eh". Examples: "Wah lao, again ah?" "Wah lao, so jam today." Used by all ages and registers in Singapore and Malaysia.

(Singlish, Manglish) An exclamation of annoyance or exasperation.

The Singaporean and Malaysian English particle par excellence, derived from Hokkien and Malay. Tacked onto the end of a sentence to soften a statement, signal casual rapport, mark mild emphasis, or confirm what has just been said. Tone of voice changes its meaning: a falling "lah" is reassuring ("don't worry lah"), a flat "lah" is matter-of-fact ("cannot lah"), a rising "lah" can be impatient ("just do it lah"). Examples: "Eat already lah, don't wait for me." "Come lah, the show is starting." "I told you lah, it's in the kitchen." Considered the single most recognisable feature of Singlish.

Sentence-final particle of scepticism, disbelief, or genuine surprise, derived from Cantonese. Turns a statement into a question that says "really?", "are you sure?", or "you're kidding, right?". Used when the speaker finds the previous claim hard to believe or wants gentle confirmation. Examples: "Free one meh?" (it's really free?). "Cannot like that meh?" (is that really not allowed?). "He really said that meh?" Almost always rises in pitch on the "meh" itself. Different from English "meh" (indifference) — the Singlish one is interrogative.

(Singlish, Manglish) Tagged at the end of a sentence to express discontent, shock, surprise, exhaustion or exasperation.