Toa Payoh

UK/ˌtɔː ˈpɑːjəʊ/UK/- ˈpaɪ.əʊ/Singapore[ˌt(w)ɔː ˈpaː˧.jo(ː)˦]Singapore[ˌto(ː)-]

proper noun

A planning area and new town in the Central Region of Singapore.

OriginHokkien 大巴窯 /大巴窑 ← Malay paya →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A planning area and new town in the Central Region of Singapore.

Origin

  1. Malaypaya“swamp”
  2. Hokkien大巴窯 /大巴窑“large swamp”
  3. EnglishToa Payoh

From Hokkien 大巴窯 /大巴窑 (Tōa Pa-iô, “large swamp”). 巴窯 /巴窑 (Pa-iô) is itself a phonetic approximation of Malay paya (“swamp”).

More words from Hokkien, Malay

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 大巴窯 /大巴窑
  • 大巴窯 /大巴窑 (Dàbāyáo)town in Singapore
Malay Toa Payoh
  • Toa Payohtown in Singapore
Tamil தோ பாயோ
  • தோ பாயோ (tō pāyō)town in Singapore
Cite this entry
APA

Toa Payoh. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Toa%20Payoh

MLA

“Toa Payoh.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Toa%20Payoh. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Toa Payoh,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Toa%20Payoh.

Source: Toa Payoh on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.