(5 Super Useful Words You’ll Actually Use!)**

Hey everyone, it’s Masa from SCAL – Singapore Chinese AI Lab, your local AI-loving expat who teaches Chinese in the most unserious but surprisingly effective way.

Today we’re diving into five words that you will absolutely use in daily Singapore life — at hawker centres, in supermarkets, or while desperately searching for air-con like a dehydrated penguin.

Let’s go!

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1. “Hot” → 热 (rè)

Singapore’s national keyword.
The weather is 热, the food is 热, even your emotions are 热 when the MRT is crowded at 6pm.

Chinese: 热
Pinyin: rè

Useful phrases:

• 好热！(hǎo rè!) — So hot!

• 不热了 (bú rè le) — Not hot anymore (When you finally step into an air-conditioned mall. Bliss.)

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2. “Delicious” → 好吃 (hǎo chī)

Use this at any hawker centre and you’ll instantly earn respect points.

Chinese: 好吃
Pinyin: hǎo chī

Try saying it after eating chicken rice, laksa, or roti prata.
Bonus: You might even get a slightly bigger portion next time. 😉

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3. “Water” → 水 (shuǐ)

The survival word.

Chinese: 水
Pinyin: shuǐ

You can combine it with:

• 矿泉水 (kuàngquán shuǐ) – mineral water

• 冰水 (bīng shuǐ) – iced water
  Mandatory phrase when it’s 33°C but feels like 40°C.

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4. “Plastic bag” → 塑料袋 (sùliàodài)

Very important in Singapore because…
plastic bags are not free.

Yes, you’ll often be asked:
“Do you need a bag? 5 cents.”

Chinese: 塑料袋
Pinyin: sùliàodài

Useful for supermarket trips, FairPrice runs, or when you accidentally buy more snacks than planned.

Try saying:

• 我要一个塑料袋 (wǒ yào yí gè sùliàodài)
  I want one plastic bag.

• 不要塑料袋 (bú yào sùliàodài)
  No plastic bag, thanks. (Save the 5 cents!)

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5. Ordering coffee: “Kopi C” & “Kopi O”

Singapore’s legendary kopi system — complicated, chaotic, and beautiful.

Here’s the magic:

• Kopi O → black coffee with sugar

• Kopi C → coffee with evaporated milk + sugar

Now in Chinese:

Kopi O → 咖啡乌 (kāfēi wū)

• 乌 (wū) means “black”

Kopi C → 咖啡西 (kāfēi xī)

• 西 (xī) refers to “evaporated milk”

Useful phrases:

• 我要一杯Kopi O (wǒ yào yì bēi kopi O)
  I want a Kopi O.

• 我要Kopi C少糖 (wǒ yào kopi C shǎo táng)
  Kopi C, less sugar please. (A life-saving request in Singapore.)

Pro tip:
If you can order kopi confidently, congratulations — you’re basically half Singaporean.

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Final Message

These five words aren’t just vocabulary — they’re tools for surviving (and enjoying!) everyday life in Singapore.

Try using just one today:

• Say 好吃 at lunch,

• Ask for 水,

• Or order your breakfast like a pro with Kopi C or Kopi O.

And remember:
You don’t need perfect Chinese.
You just need the courage to say something.

See you in Episode 5 — where we’ll explore even more fun, real Singapore Chinese words!