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In Singapore employment, AWS means Annual Wage Supplement, a single yearly payment often called the 13th-month payment.

Cai png, also called economy rice, is rice served with a customer’s choice of prepared dishes displayed at a food stall.

Can or not is an informal Singapore way to ask whether something is possible, allowed, acceptable or agreed.

In a neighbourhood context, CC means Community Club: a People’s Association space for activities, services, facilities and community connections.

CDC vouchers are government-funded household vouchers for spending at participating Singapore hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets during a specified validity period.

In Singapore, to chope means to reserve a seat or place, often by leaving a small personal item on a hawker-centre table.

A COE is the Certificate of Entitlement required to register and use a vehicle in Singapore for a fixed entitlement period.

CPF is Singapore’s Central Provident Fund, a social security savings system supporting retirement, housing and healthcare for citizens and permanent residents.

Dabao means ordering food or a drink to be packed for takeaway instead of eating or drinking it at the stall.

ERP is Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing system, which charges vehicles using selected congested roads during operating times to manage traffic.

A feeder bus connects an MRT station or bus interchange with nearby homes, workplaces and places within the same Singapore neighbourhood.

GIRO is a Singapore bank-payment arrangement commonly used to debit recurring bills automatically from a customer’s account after authorisation.

A hawker centre is a shared Singapore dining space where many independent stalls sell a wide range of prepared food and drinks.

HDB is Singapore’s Housing & Development Board, the public agency that plans towns, builds flats and supports public housing.

In Singapore, the heartlands are residential neighbourhoods beyond the city centre, especially self-contained public-housing towns with everyday amenities.

A kopitiam is a local coffee shop where drink and food stalls share a casual dining space serving a neighbourhood or nearby workers.

Lah is a common Singlish sentence-ending particle that adds tone such as emphasis, reassurance, insistence or friendly familiarity depending on delivery.

In Singapore work and school contexts, an MC is a medical certificate stating that a patient is medically unfit for work or attendance.

MRT means Mass Rapid Transit, Singapore’s main urban rail system connecting neighbourhoods, business areas and major destinations across multiple lines.

NRIC commonly means Singapore’s National Registration Identity Card and number, used to identify citizens and permanent residents in official contexts.

In Singapore, NS means National Service, compulsory service for liable male citizens and permanent residents in the SAF, SCDF or SPF.

ORD is the Operationally Ready Date when a full-time national serviceman completes full-time NS and moves into the operationally ready phase.

Paiseh expresses embarrassment, shyness, awkwardness or apologetic reluctance in casual Singapore conversation.

PayNow lets users send Singapore-dollar funds instantly between participating bank or e-wallet accounts using an identifier or supported QR code.

Polytechnic centres on practice-based diploma study, while junior college is a shorter academic route preparing mainly for A-Level or IB examinations.

PSLE is Singapore’s Primary School Leaving Examination, taken at the end of Primary 6 as a checkpoint before secondary school.

A resale flat is an existing HDB flat bought from its current owner instead of directly from HDB in a new-flat sales exercise.

Sian describes feeling bored, weary, fed up or unenthusiastic about a situation in casual Singapore speech.

Singpass is Singapore’s national digital identity service for securely accessing and authorising transactions with government and participating private services.

A town council manages and maintains common property in the HDB estates within its town, funded partly through Service and Conservancy Charges.

A void deck is the open, sheltered ground-floor space beneath many HDB blocks, used for passage, community activities and social functions.

A practical orientation to the local identity, payments, transport, neighbourhood and food terms that commonly appear during a first week in Singapore.

This guide explains how Singapore kopi terms combine coffee, milk, sugar, strength and temperature into a compact drink order.

BTO means Build-To-Order: an HDB sales exercise where eligible buyers apply for new public housing flats in selected projects.