zha bo

Alternative forms

• zha bor, cha bo, cha bor

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 查某 (cha-bó͘, “woman, girl”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /t͡sabɔ/

Noun

zha bo (plural zha bo)

1. (Singapore, informal) Lady or woman.
   • 2010 May 29, The Straits Times, “Old Times, New Blood”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, page B18:

     They didn’t think my mum could take over, much less me, whom they referred to as Ang Yew Seng’s zha bor kia (Hokkien for daughter).

   • 2010 June 18, “Thai girls are boring after long time”, in SingThaiDisco‎:

     Bro, you see, the only thing common about the places you mentioned, all have Zha Bos, this is the entertainment sustaining the us today.

   • 2013 December 9, “Hawker Masters 2013: Secrets about famous ‘Bedok Camp’ Cheng Tng revealed”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎:

     And most of them call me "swee zha bo", pretty girl.

Usage notes

• Commonly infused in spoken English and in personal blogs and forums, though uncommon in printed books and newspaper unless found in direct quotations. Often take on the singular form even when used to refer to more than one lady or woman.