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

1. (Singapore, Singlish) Handsome, pretty boy.

Adjective

yan dao (not comparable)

1. (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”.

See also

• leng zai