Ah Beng

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 阿明 (a-bêng), which is a common Chinese male name.

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˌɑː(˨) ˈbeŋ(˨˦)/

Noun

Ah Beng (plural Ah Bengs)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore, derogatory, ethnic slur) A young Chinese man in Singapore, associated with a stereotype of having little education or sophistication and operating within secret societies and street gangs.
   • 2012 April 15, Neil Humphreys, “From Cool Dude to Sad Old Man”, in The New Paper, page 34:

     Among the ah bengs and ah lians, the mats and the minahs, the young expats and the backpackers, he stood out like a dozen guys on a male-only dance floor singing Dancing Queen (I'll never forgive Blur for ruining my 21st birthday).

Related terms

• Ah Seng
• Ah Lian (female equivalent)
• Ah Huay (female equivalent)
• mat rempit (Malay equivalent, Malaysia)

Anagrams

• behang