ah beng

Singapore/ˌɑː(˨)ˈbeŋ(˨˦)/

noun

A young Chinese man in Singapore, associated with a stereotype of having little education or sophistication and operating within secret societies and street gangs.

OriginHokkien 阿明 →
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Meanings

ah beng1

noun
  1. alternativeAlternative form of Ah Beng.

Ah Beng2

nounAh Beng (plural Ah Bengs)

plural Ah Bengs

  1. MalaysiaSingaporederogatoryA young Chinese man in Singapore, associated with a stereotype of having little education or sophistication and operating within secret societies and street gangs.

    Among the ah bengs and ah lians, the mats and the minahs, the young expats and the backpackers, he stood out like a dozen guys on a male-only dance floor singing Dancing Queen (I'll never forgive Blur for ruining my 21st birthday).

    2012 April 15, Neil Humphreys, “From Cool Dude to Sad Old Man”, in The New Paper, page 34

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
ah sengeshaygopnik

Origin

  1. Hokkien阿明
  2. EnglishAh Beng

Borrowed from Hokkien 阿明 (a-bêng), which is a common Chinese male name.

More words from Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: ah beng on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.