ada maksud with an intention; with an agenda
■ ada mata to be alive; to be in existence; to have respect
■ ada mata tengok, ada kuping dengair, ada mulot tutop to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
■ ada naseb tua having good fortune at old age
■ ada perot sensitive to other's feelings; to act responsibly
■ ada rupa ada harga worth its value
■ ada ta'ah only that; except
■ ada tengkat having the correct etiquette
adat / hadat (adat) custom; protocol
■ adat dulukala ancient custom
■ adat dunia that's the way of the world
■ tak adat rude; ill mannered
■ tak tau adat rude; ill mannered; lacking in protocol
adek (adik) younger brother; younger sister; any young close relatives
■ adek angkat adopted younger brother or sister
■ adek beradek siblings
■ adek tiri younger stepbrother; younger stepsister
adoey / adoh (aduh) an exclamation of pain (akin to ‘ouch')
adohai see ayohai
adu (adu) to pit one against the other
■ adukan pitting one against the other
■ adu chredek a calculative attitude
■ beradu to compete
■ mengadu to seek solace
agair (agas)
■ agair-agair sandfly
agair / agar (agar)
■ agair-agair agar-agar; agar-agar jelly
agak (agak) to guess; to estimate; to conjecture
■ agak-agak to guess; to hazard a guess
■ agak jugak guessed so
agar see agair
ah (ah) cry of realisation
ah ee [阿姨] mother's sister
ah kong [阿公] children addressing their grandfathers
ahn yes, there, there it is
ahn [館] bun-filling (usually green bean paste)
ah niok a Hainanese lad employed in the Baba household as a general helper
ah pek [阿伯] term of address for an elderly Chinese gentleman
ah teng [阿廚] general term for a Hainanese male cook employed in the Baba household
ajair / ajar / hajair / hajar (ajar) to teach; to instruct
■ ajairan what is taught
■ belajair to study; to learn
ajar SEE ajair
ajat / ajait/ ajak (ajak) to bring along (a person)
ajok (ajuk) to ridicule by mimicry
■ merajok to take childish offence
akair /akar (akar) root
akal / akair (akal) wit; intelligence
■ akal dia tajam he is sharp-witted
■ tak akal devoid of common sense
akar SEE akair
akherat (akhirat) the next world
aksi (aksi) a put-on action
■ aksi borak to show off
akim / hakim (hakim) judge; magistrate
aku to vouch for; to guarantee
■ mengaku to admit
■ mengaku kalah to admit defeat
ala expression of shock or regret
■ ala sayang sair what a waste, what a great pity
alabangka (alabangka) crowbar
alagoju sidekick
alair / alas (alas) to lay on
■ alair perot to eat just sufficient to quell hunger pangs
alamak (alamak) exclamation of surprise; what the...!
alamat SEE ilamat
alang-alangan / alang kepalang (alang-alangan, alang kepalang) half-heartedly; lacking in completeness and thoroughness
alas SEE alair
aleh (alih) to shift position
■ alehkan to move; to shift to another position; to transfer to another container
alek SEE ulang alek
alem (alim) pious
alia (halia) ginger
alipan (halipan) centipede
aloji (arloji) a clock or any timepiece
alus (halus) fine; delicate [of a person or product]
am [飲] boiled rice-water
am suk i SEE kerosi am suk i
amah (amah)[阿嬷] female hospital attendant; female Chinese servant
amboey (amboi) exclamation of surprise; astonishment; well, I never!; well well
ambon SEE kueh
ambong (ambung) a straw-basket pack of shrimp paste
amcham / apacham (apa macam) how is it?
amek (ambil) to take possession
■ amek ati to win over someone; to please
■ amek berat to take seriously
■ amek gambair to take photographs
■ amek jahat to be suspicious; to think of the worst
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