sotong

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay sotong (“squid”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔtɔŋ/, /ˈsotɔŋ/

Noun

sotong (plural sotong)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia) Squid.
2. (Singlish, Manglish) Used in similes to describe someone who is confused and clueless, i.e., blur.

   Blur like sotong

   • 2002 July 22, Hwee Hwee Tan, “A War of Words Over ‘Singlish’”, in Time‎^[1]:

     If a Singaporean gets frustrated at your stupidity, he can scold you for being blur as sotong (clueless as a squid).

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay sotong.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsotɔŋ]
• Hyphenation: so‧tong

Noun

sotong (uncountable)

1. cuttlefish

   Synonyms: sotong, balakutak

2. octopus

   Synonym: gurita

Further reading

• “sotong” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Brunei Malay sutung, Pattani Malay سوتوْڠ / ซูตง.

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /sotoŋ/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /sotʊŋ/
• Rhymes: -otoŋ, -toŋ, -oŋ

Noun

sotong (Jawi spelling سوتوڠ, plural sotong-sotong, informal 1st possessive sotongku, 2nd possessive sotongmu, 3rd possessive sotongnya)

1. squid (sea animal)

Derived terms

• sotong gurita
• sotong katak
• sotong kurita

Descendants

• Indonesian: sotong
• → Chinese: 蘇東／苏东
• → English: sotong

Further reading

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