“How to tell if someone is Malaysian or Singaporean?” — Just pay attention to their accents and texting habits, netizens say
By Yoko Nicole
JUNE 23, 2024SINGAPORE: It’s often tricky to tell Singaporeans and Malaysians apart because they’re so culturally intertwined; however, netizens on Reddit revealed that there are simple ways to tell one from another: just pay attention to their accents and texting habits.
The discussion began after one user asked: “How do you tell a Malaysian and a Singaporean apart if you’re in neither of those two countries?
For example, if you’re travelling in Australia and you heard a Singlish / Manglish conversation, how would you tell definitively that the person is Singaporean and not Malaysian?”
In response to the query, most netizens said the accent is the number one sign they watch out for.
They pointed out that Singaporean Chinese have a distinct rhythm in their speech, with their pitch dropping at the end of sentences, while Malaysian Chinese tend to end with an upward pitch.
They also noted that Malaysian Chinese often have a Cantonese-based accent, which differs from the Hokkien influences in Singaporean Chinese.
They also provided specific examples of phrases that reveal someone’s origin. For instance, “xia mian,” “fu yoh,” or “gou li” are typically associated with Malaysians, whereas “Sia” or “Shag” are more commonly used by Singaporeans.
One netizen added that they should do the “Genting” test, where they would ask the person to pronounce the word ‘Genting.’ Malaysians typically go for the Malay pronunciation ‘Gen-ting’, whereas Singaporeans will go for the Gent-ing.
Another netizen commented that ‘Singlish is the biggest giveaway,’ since most Singaporeans pronounce “r” like a “v.” For example, their ‘really really,’ would be pronounced as “veally veally.” Or their “road” would often sound like “voad.”
The netizen added, “Singaporeans use “right” excessively. It’s added at the end of every sentence, right??
Singlish has a more sing-songy tone compared to Manglish, the Malaysian equivalent. If you hear someone exclaim, ‘yaaa, I also wanna go eat mala lehhhh’ that is a true blue Singaporean.”
Regarding their texting habits, some mentioned that Malaysians prefer using the voice recording function on WhatsApp instead of typing out messages.
One netizen confirmed this and said:
“I work with Malaysians and they all use the voice note function. I can never use search history and I have to listen back to the voice notes one by one. ‘I am too lazy to type’ I absolutely hate this function thanks to them.”
Another chimed in, saying, “Omg yes this is so annoying. Impossible to search the text history.”
Others came up with playful ways to tell Singaporeans and Malaysians apart, like asking about their thoughts on Singaporean food.
If they express a neutral or positive view, they’re likely Singaporeans. For example, if they say, ‘We have good food, but generally food in Malaysia is better,’ then there’s a big chance they’re Singaporeans.
One netizen added, “Say Singapore food is better than Malaysia. If the person bursts out laughing, it is Singaporean. If the person gets offended, it is Malaysian.”
