Language, people and the region
- English – 英语 (Yīngyǔ) – bahasa Inggeris: the working language of government, courts, business and finance in Singapore (Chapter J.I).
- Mandarin – 华语 (Huáyǔ) – bahasa Mandarin: the standard Chinese language, called Huayu in Singapore, taught as the mother tongue of Chinese Singaporeans (Chapter J.II).
- Malay – 马来语 (Mǎláiyǔ) – bahasa Melayu: the national language of Singapore and one of its four official languages.
- official language – 官方语言 (guānfāng yǔyán) – bahasa rasmi: one of the four languages recognised by the Constitution, namely Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.
- national language – 国语 (guóyǔ) – bahasa kebangsaan: Malay, the language of the national anthem Majulah Singapura and of military commands.
- mother tongue – 母语 (mǔyǔ) – bahasa ibunda: the second language learnt in school besides English, assigned by ethnic group (Chapter J.II).
- bilingual policy – 双语政策 (shuāngyǔ zhèngcè) – dasar dwibahasa: the education policy under which pupils learn English and a mother tongue (Chapter J.II).
- Speak Mandarin Campaign – 讲华语运动 (Jiǎng Huáyǔ Yùndòng) – Kempen Bertutur Bahasa Mandarin: the government campaign to replace Chinese dialects with Mandarin (Chapter J.II).
- dialect – 方言 (fāngyán) – dialek: a regional Chinese language such as Hokkien, Teochew or Cantonese, spoken by earlier generations of immigrants (Chapter A.V).
- Employment Pass – 就业准证 (jiùyè zhǔnzhèng) – Pas Pekerjaan: the work pass for foreign professionals, managers and executives (Chapter J.IV).
- ASEAN – 东南亚国家联盟 (Dōngnányà Guójiā Liánméng) – Persatuan Negara-Negara Asia Tenggara: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Singapore is a founding member (Chapter F.IV).
- Belt and Road Initiative – 一带一路 (Yídài Yílù) – Inisiatif Jalur dan Jalan: China’s programme of infrastructure investment and connectivity across Asia and beyond (Chapter I.II).
- Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone – 柔佛—新加坡经济特区 (Róufó–Xīnjiāpō Jīngjì Tèqū) – Zon Ekonomi Khas Johor-Singapura: the cross-border economic zone agreed by Malaysia and Singapore (Chapter I.IV).
- safe haven – 避风港 (bìfēnggǎng) – tempat perlindungan selamat: a jurisdiction to which capital and people move for security in times of political or economic uncertainty (Chapter I.V).
For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.