buay tahan

Singapore/ˌbwe˨ ˈtahan/Singapore[ˌbwe˨ ˈta˨˦.han˨]

verb

Cannot endure or stand something any longer.

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Meanings

verb
  1. ManglishSinglishgenerally intransitiveCannot endure or stand something any longer.

    Cannot wait already, buay tahan already. I hope she doesn’t complain to anyone.

    2006, Elangovan, Smegma, →ISBN, page 39

Origin

From Hokkien 𣍐 / 袂 /𫧃 / 袂 (bōe, “cannot”) + Malay tahan (“to endure; to withstand; to bear”), which in Hokkien would be 袂打限 (bōe tá-hān). The equivalent expression in Malay is tak boleh tahan.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

buay tahan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buay%20tahan

MLA

“buay tahan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buay%20tahan. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buay tahan,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buay%20tahan.

Source: buay tahan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.