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In Singaporean English, what does the phrase 'Ok, Ken' mean?

English Language & Usage Asked on February 6, 2021

I was in a training session today with a Singaporean trainer (lah!) and he kept using the phrase:

"Ok, Ken"

I checked the meeting attendees for a ‘Ken’ – but there was definitely no ‘Ken’ in the room.

He kept repeating it, also using the phrase:

"Alright, Ken".

Eventually I inferred that he must be using a contracted version of:

"Ok, I am confident that you can do this."

But I wasn’t sure.

I didn’t know whether this was a Singaporean English expression (lah!) or if he was just taking a Mandarin phrase in his head, and translating it directly into English.

My question is: In Singaporean English, what does the phrase ‘Ok, Ken’ mean?


The context was an IT Training course. For example:

Trainer: Here is how to install Azure Migration assistant and perform a Cloud Migration.

[Performs 25 steps]

Trainer: So that is how you use Azure Migration assistant. Ok can.

Or another example

Attendee: [Complicated question]

Trainer: It’s easy!

[Talks through 15 steps]

Trainer: So that is how you do it. Alright can.

One Answer

According to Miel's An Essential Guide to Singaporean English - there are many phrases that use can as a verb in a distinctly Singaporean phrasing.

In this context - "ok Ken" is actually "Ok can" ie "ok can do".

And "also Ken" is "Yes I can too".

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Answered by hawkeye on February 6, 2021

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