angpau

English

Noun

angpau (plural angpaus)

1. Alternative form of ang pow
   • 1990, Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography, page 24:

     The lorchu' s angpau contained two Malaysian dollars, those of the thauke, 40 cents.

   • 2003, Choo Ming Ding, Kee Beng Ooi, Chinese Studies of the Malay World: A Comparative Approach:

     It says the children receive angpau from the adults, while the old receive angpau from the young.

Indonesian

Red envelopes

Alternative forms

• angpao

Etymology

From Xiamen Hokkien 紅包／红包 (âng-pau, “red packet”). Compare Mandarin 紅包／红包 (hóngbāo, “red packet”). Doublet of hongbao.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aŋ.pau̯/
• Hyphenation: ang‧pau
• Rhymes: -pau̯, -au̯

Noun

angpau (plural angpau-angpau)

1. red envelope; ang pow: A red envelope which one fills with money and gives as a gift especially to children and unmarried people on Chinese New Year.

Synonyms

• hongbao

Malay

Etymology

From Hokkien 紅包／红包 (âng-pau, “red packet”).

Noun

angpau (Jawi spelling اڠڤاو, plural angpau-angpau, informal 1st possessive angpauku, 2nd possessive angpaumu, 3rd possessive angpaunya)

1. red envelope; ang pow: A red envelope which one fills with money and gives as a gift in many Asian countries, especially to children and unmarried people on Chinese New Year.

Further reading

• “angpau” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.