Singapore,
explained like I’m five.
From CPF and housing to hawker habits and Singlish. Understand everyday Singapore, whether you’re new here or just new to the topic.
Start with these
- ComCare
- EMA — Energy Market Authority
- Special Pass
- Transboundary Haze Pollution Act — THPA
- Employment Claims Tribunals — ECT
- Employment Pass — EP
- Foreign worker quota
- Personal Mobility Aid — PMA
- Tripartism in Singapore
- AWS — Annual Wage Supplement
- BCRS — Beverage Container Return Scheme
- BTO
- Can or not
- CASE — Consumers Association of Singapore
- CaseTrust
- CC — Community Club
- CHAS — Community Health Assist Scheme
- What does “chope” actually mean?
- What’s a COE, anyway?
- CPF
- Dabao
- ERP — Electronic Road Pricing
- Feeder bus
- GIRO
- GRC — Group Representation Constituency
- GST — Goods and Services Tax
- Hawker centre
- What does HDB actually do?
- Heartland
- IRAS — Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
- Kopitiam
- Lah
- LTA — Land Transport Authority
- MAS — Monetary Authority of Singapore
- MC — Medical Certificate
- MDW — Migrant domestic worker
- Meet-the-People Session — MPS
- MOM — Ministry of Manpower
- Money mule
- Monsoon in Singapore
- MOP — Minimum Occupation Period
- MRT
- MUIS — Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
- NEA — National Environment Agency
- North–South Corridor — NSC
- NRIC
- NS — National Service
- ORD
- Paiseh
- PayNow
- PDL — Provisional Driving Licence
- PM2.5
- Poly vs JC
- Prepayment protection
- PSI — Pollutant Standards Index
- PSLE
- Retrenchment
- RTS Link
- SCDF — Singapore Civil Defence Force
- Sian
- Singpass
- Tenancy agreement
- Town council
- Void deck
- HFE letter
- Reverse vending machine — RVM
- Cai png
- CDC voucher
- Resale flat
Everyday essentials
Start with a guide
- foodOrder kopiUpdated
This guide explains how Singapore kopi terms combine coffee, milk, sugar, strength and temperature into a compact drink order.
- moneyFirst week in SingaporeUpdated
A practical orientation to the local identity, payments, transport, neighbourhood and food terms that commonly appear during a first week in Singapore.