ah kua

Singapore/ˌɑː˨ ˈk˭wɑː˦/Singapore/ˌɑː˧ -/Singapore[- k˭wãː˦]

noun

An effeminate man; a male cross-dresser.

Meanings

nounah kua (plural ah kuas)

plural ah kuas · alternative ah gua · alternative ah qua · alternative ah kwa · alternative AQ · alternative AK

  1. An effeminate man; a male cross-dresser.

    I did not tell him that this ah qua had three years at the London School of Economics […] Although I never did finish my degree.

    2001 [1992], Russell Heng, Lest the Demons Get to Me, revised version January 2001, via National Library Board Singapore, Act 1, page 6
  2. A transgender woman.
  3. A male prostitute.
adjectiveah kua (not comparable)

alternative ah gua · alternative ah qua · alternative ah kwa · alternative AQ · alternative AK

  1. SingaporeSinglishderogatorynot comparableSissy, effeminate.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Hokkien阿倌
  2. Englishah kua

From Hokkien 阿倌 (a-koaⁿ).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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