Netizen complains about S’poreans being bad at Chinese, some blame education system

Man complains about Singaporeans claiming to be bad at Chinese

A TikTok user recently aired his complaints online, questioning why many Singaporeans often joke about being bad at speaking Chinese.

He also wondered how it became so widely accepted.

In a video posted on Monday (9 Feb), the netizen said that the recurring “my Chinese is bad” remark is overused.

Says Singaporeans are too accepting of poor Chinese proficiency

In the video, the Original Poster (OP) noted that he finds it puzzling how many people seem “okay with not being able to speak good Chinese”.

“The whole… my Chinese is kind of bad joke is getting kind of old,” he added, explaining that such poor proficiency is becoming normalised in Singapore.

The OP also claimed that some people now even struggle to order food.

“We can’t even order cai fan [mixed rice] with the proper names,” he said.

Despite his criticism, the OP acknowledged that his Chinese is not strong either.

However, he said he has never used it as a “flex” or a joke.

Netizens blame education system and stigma around Chinese language

The video sparked discussion online, with some netizens pointing to Singapore’s education system as a contributing factor.

Some said that as most subjects in mainstream schools are taught in English, there are limited opportunities to practise mother tongue languages.

One commenter also noted the reality that classrooms are made up of students from different ethnic backgrounds.

Others highlighted how students are streamed based on their proficiency, which may limit their learning. 

“I blame our education system,” wrote a netizen. “If your chinese is bad, they put you in the chinese language basic class.”

One TikTok user also suggested that there is a stigma attached to speaking Chinese or any mother tongue language.

They claim that it is sometimes associated with people who come from a “lower socioeconomic status”.

Another simply said some students perceive speaking their mother tongue as “uncool”.

Also Read: S’pore JC cut-off points drop for 2026, tutor says Higher Mother Tongue becomes vital for top schools

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Featured image by MS News.