yan dao
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Hokkien 緣投 / 缘投 (iân-tâu, “handsome”); spelling influenced by Mandarin's Hanyu Pinyin romanization. Compare Tagalog yantaw.
Pronunciation
- (Singapore) IPA(key): [ˌjɛn˨ ˈt˭aʊ˨˦]
Noun
yan dao
Adjective
yan dao (not comparable)
- (Singapore, Singlish, of a man) Handsome, stylish.
- 2015 September 5, Ong Sor Fern, “GE2015: 7 Things Spotted On The Campaign Trail, Sept 5 edition”, in The Straits Times, Singapore:
- And WP candidate Bernard Chen, who was making the rounds with Mr Low, won himself an auntie fan who declared: “Yan dao (handsome in Hokkien) leh”.