MRT Station Names — What do they mean? (EW Line)
By Shashvat Shukla and Arturo Martin Espinosa
There are wondrous stories behind the names of places in Singapore. These stories strengthen our connection to our history and to each other. In this post, we provide the meanings of the names of MRT stations on the East-West line. We hope that the meanings of place names will leave the reader dreaming about Singapore’s past. We also hope to raise questions around the possibilities of reclaiming these names to add character to our neighbourhoods.
MRT Station Names and Meaning
Changi Airport
Changi Airport is perhaps Singapore’s most prized possession — and it is named after the planning area that it is in — but what does “Changi” mean?
Legend has it that a really prominent tree — the “Changi Tree” — that was used as a navigational marker gave this area its name.
There were also other trees in the area that could have named the area, and even the Changi Tree itself by mistaken association.Changi might derive from the general word “Chengal” for a type of heavy hardwood which is really useful for making good quality furniture — but also possibly for that reason endangered.
Or a more speculative history links it to the alleged Javanese word “Chanchangi” which means to moor.
Expo
Expo is short for exposition which means — a large public exhibition of art or trade goods. The MRT station is named after the event space: Singapore EXPO.
“Pasir” means sand in Malay. It is not known for sure what “Ris” means. The oldest recorded mention of Pasir Ris as a toponym in Singapore goes back to the mid 1800s, when it was spelt “Passier Reis” by land surveyor John Turnbull Thomson.
It has been suggested that “Ris” came from the Malay word “Iris”, which means “to shred” in Malay. It evades me what sense this makes.
This area and the river that flows through it was named after the Tempinis tree which must have once been abundant in the area. Today you have to go looking to find one, and two grand ones are even listed as heritage trees.
It will tickle some readers to know that the scientific name of the Tempinis tree is Streblus elongatus — crooked and elongated.
Simei
Based on the Pinyin romanisation of 四美 (Chinese characters for “Four” and “Beautiful”). Related to the legendary Four Great Beauties (四大美女) from Chinese history. That’s a whole story in itself — Four Beauties (Wikipedia).
The name of this area, rendered as “Tanamera”, was Portuguese maps as early as the beginning of the 1600s!
“Merah” means red in Malay. “Tanah” literally means soil/ground/land. This area was by the coast (before land reclamation) and had red cliffs that could be seen from a distance. The seafaring people known as the Orang Laut are thought to have named this area as they used these red cliffs as a navigational marker.
In the 1950s, you could still go up these cliffs and enjoy a beautiful ocean view. Remnants of these cliffs remain in Singapore but my estimation is that they have been obscured by covering them up with vegetation and pushing the coastline further away.
The name Bedok also goes back to the 1600s, as the name of a river (Sungei Bedok in Malay). The Bedok (or Bedug in Bahasa Indonesia) is one of the drums in Gamelan — and is important because it is also used to signal prayer time by Muslims.
Kembangan
This is a tricky one.
A prominent source has translated this as “expansion” [3], but as far as we can tell Kembangan itself is not a Malay word. There are very similar words: “mengembangkan” — to develop or expand something, and “perkembangkan” — development.
The word Kembangan as a whole is used in Silat to refer to certain types of freestyle movements, which get called “Flower Dance” in English.
So putting it all together we are inclined to agree with Google Translate’s translation of Kembangan as “bloom”.
We weren’t able to find any story about why this place has this name. My guess is that its one of those optimistic names that doesn’t need too much justification.
Eunos
Eunos gets its name from Muhammad Eunos bin Abdullah (1876–1933) — the “Father of Malay journalism”. He was also a politician who championed the Malay identity and strove to uplift the socio-economic position of Malays in British occupied Singapore.
Eunos Abdullah led the effort to establish an exclusively Malay community in Singapore — initially named Kampong Melayu, but later Kampong Eunos. This was a self-sufficient Malay settlement around the site where Eunos MRT station stands today. It was de-gazetted in 1981.
Modern Singapore is very uncomfortable with the idea of neighbourhoods segregated on racial lines. In its time however, it might have been really beneficial to Singaporean Malays. This contrast and the discussions it raises makes the history of Eunos worth remembering.
In Malay, “Paya” means swamp, and “Lebar” means wide. This area had a large swamp connected to the Kallang River. Many people squatted here, cultivated produce, and reared pigs and poultry.
Aljunied
Aljunied is named after Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied (1792–1852), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist. He moved from Yemen to Palembang, Indonesia and then to Singapore once Stamford Raffles established the trading post. Syed Omar contributed to the early development of Singapore, notably the establishment of mosques. Some of the mosques opened by Syed Omar and his family stand to this day. His descendants also opened Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah in 1927, the premier Islamic Institution in Singapore. The Madrasah has many notable alumni who serve as religious leaders in South East Asia.
Syed Omar owned a lot of land near this area, which led to the naming on Aljunied Road after him and his family members. The MRT station got its name from the road and nearby area.
When Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore in 1819, the population of the island was about 1000. Half of these people were the Orang Kallang. They had been living in the swamps at the mouth of the Kallang River for centuries, where they subsisted on fishing and gathering from nearby forests. The river is thought to get its name from the Orang Kallang.
Kallang river is the longest river in Singapore at 10 km in length. The MRT station gets its name from the river which flows near it.
Lavender
In the late 1850s, this area contained Chinese vegetable gardens that used human excreta as fertiliser. The area thus had a foul smell. It is believed that the area got the ironic name Lavender — as the flower has a sweet pleasant scent. This name was eventually formalised by the municipality.
The area has many other names in local vernaculars that remember its past. From Ref. [3]:
The Tamil name for Lavender Street is kosa theruvu (potter’s street), while the Chinese name for this street, chai hng lai, meaning “inside vegetable gardens”, endorses its past land use. Another Chinese name, go cho tua kong si, meaning “big brother Rochor kongsi,” refers to the Thien Thi Hoi meeting house that was located here. This area is also known to the Chinese as nangka kar, meaning “under the jackfruit tree”, or sometimes pronounced as mangkar kar, meaning “mosquitoes biting human legs” in the vernacular. The last two names probably reflect the rustic, undeveloped nature of this area in the past.
Bugis
Did you know Leonard Cohen wrote a song about Bugis? The song is titled Boogie Street as the street was commonly called by some until about the mid 1980s for being a “scene of intense and alarming sexual exchange” [5].
O Crown of Light, O Darkened One,
I never thought we’d meet.
You kiss my lips, and then it’s done:
I’m back on Boogie Street.Boogie Street, Leonard Cohen.
There are a couple of films that capture what Boogie Street was like — Saint Jack (1975) and Bugis Street (1995).
However, turning to etymology, Bugis is the name of an ethnicity of people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia who came to Singapore for trade. Some even settled in Singapore as the 1824 census of Singapore recorded 1,951 Bugis people were among 10,683 total inhabitants of the island.
The building named City Hall (or more accurately, former City Hall), is today used as part of the National Gallery museum.
It was completed in 1929, then under the name “Municipal Building”. Over its history it has served as a site for some the most important political affairs in Singapore. Most notably, the swearing in of leaders such as Yusof bin Ishak and Goh Chok Tong, the announcement of Singapore’s independence in 1963, the first revelation of Singapore’s flag and national anthem, the first national day parade and the surrender of the Japanese — all happened at City Hall.
Raffles Place had the name “Commercial Square” between its founding in the 1820s and 1858, after which it was renamed in honour of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.
Commercial Square was an important centre in the 1822 Town Plan of Singapore that Raffles prepared.
Tanjong means cape — i.e. an extension of land into water like a peninsula.
There are two accounts of what the rest of the name means.
One theory is that it relates to its literal meaning Pagar — stake in Malay, as in the wooden stakes of a fence — referring to the palisade fishing traps that were present in this area.
The other theory draws reference to a nearby road in an 1836 map which was marked “Tanjong Passar”. Pasar means market and given the fishing activity here, it is imaginable that there was also a market for fresh catch of fish among other things.
A key moment in India’s freedom struggle was the 1857 revolt — a major uprising by soldiers and civilians against the British colonists across many regions in India.
Sir James Outram was a British General who was a hero for the British for his impressive battles against the Indians, winning even when outnumbered. In 1858, shortly after his impressive battles, he earned many honours and had many things named after him — the Outram planning area in Singapore is one such example.
Outram was certainly a hero from a British lens — but its worth raising the question whether he should be honoured in post-colonial Singapore today.
The name Tiong Bahru mixes Hokkien (“Tiong” means end but here connotes cemetery) and Malay (“Bahru” means new). It was new in the late 1850s relative to the nearby Heng San Teng Burial Ground. By 1928 the area was acquired and cleared to build Singapore’s first public housing estate.
Redhill, also known as Bukit Merah in Malay, gets its name from the red-coloured lateritic soil (which is rich in iron and aluminium) found in the area.
There is however a very interesting legend that some have claimed to explain Redhill’s name origin. The Sejerah Melayu (literary work on the history of the Malacca Sultanate, written in the 15th/16th century) tells that Singapore was once plagued with swordfish, which would attack locals near the coast. These attacks continued until a young boy named Hang Nadim came up with the innovative idea of building a fort with banana stems along the coast.
The boy subsequently gained great popularity and respect from the people, but also great envy and suspicion from the Sultan’s advisors — who were worried the boy could eventually become a threat to the throne. The Sultan finally ordered the execution of Hang Nadim, and “the guilt of his blood laid upon the country”.
While the original text makes no mention of Redhill, some versions of the story tell that Hang Nadim was killed on his hilltop home, turning the hill red with his blood.
Could this legend explain Redhill’s origin? We’ll leave that for the reader to decide.
Named in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queenstown was Singapore’s first satellite town.
The area of present day Queenstown was previously known as “Boh Beh Kang” (无尾涧) meaning “tailless stream”, or “stream with no source” in Hokkien. This village stood between two hills — Hong Lim and Hong Hin — through which a stream of water flowed. Sources suggest that locals at the time were unable to identify the stream’s source, hence the name “Boh Beh Kang”. This stream now flows through the Alexandra canal.
Commonwealth
Commonwealth MRT was named after the nearby Commonwealth Avenue. The road was officially named in 1955 to commemorate the British Commonwealth of Nations [3].
Buona Vista
In Italian, “buona vista” means good view/sight. It is said that this area got its name because of the good views it offered. Thanks to the area’s hilly geography, South Buona Vista Road used to provide a clear view of the sea [3].
Fun fact: Because of its bends and twisting turns, South Buona Vista Road — popularly known as “The Gap” in the 1950s-1970s — was once the scene of illegal car and motorcycle races!
Dover
Several roads in the Dover area are named after English places. More specifically, they are named after places in Kent, a county in South England. Dover Road in particular was formerly a British military and residential area, and was named after Dover in Kent, England. Other Kentish names that have been reused for roads near Dover are: Maidstone, Sandwich, Folkestone, Deal and St Margaret’s (Bay).
“Dover” is derived from the Proto-Celtic word dubras meaning “the waters”. The town in England is said to have taken its name from the Roman Portus Dubris, an important port in Roman Britain located in present-day Dover.
Clementi
Clementi is named after Clementi Road. Until 1947, Clementi Road was known as Reformatory Road. In 1947, it was renamed Clementi Road after Sir Cecil Clementi (1875–1947), a former Governor of the Straits Settlements who died that year.
Some sources suggest that it was named after a different person — Sir Cecil Clementi Smith (1840–1916), however based on the frequency of newspaper mentions from the 1940s, it seems that Sir Cecil Clementi Smith was not as prominent as Sir Cecil Clementi, and the death of the latter only made him more prominent.
Jurong
The Jurong area is named after the Jurong River. This name “Jurong” goes back to before the British — and there are several theories for what it might mean — “Jerung” as in shark, “Jurang” as in gorge, or “Penjuru” as in corner.
Chinese Garden
The Chinese garden is a tourist attraction constructed on one of the islands in Jurong Lake. It was built in 1975. It draws inspiration from Chinese architectural and landscaping traditions that present flora and infrastructure as a coherent whole. It is currently being redeveloped.
Lakeside
Lakeside MRT is on the bank of Jurong Lake. Jurong Lake is a man-made reservoir that was created by damming the Jurong River in 1962.
Boon Lay
Boon Lay MRT was named after Chew Boon Lay, a notable businessman (who came to Singapore in the 1870s from Zhangzhou, China) best known for the large plots of land he owned in Jurong.
Chew Boon Lay began to make a name for himself in the early 1900s, after setting up a biscuit factory — the Ho Ho Biscuit Factory.
Owning plots of land in Jurong where he would cultivate gambier and pepper, Chew also ventured into rubber (H. Brasiliensis) in the early 1900s.
After most of Chew’s land was bought by the colonial government in the 1940s and 1950s, it is said that one of Chew’s sons requested to preserve his father’s name. Several roads, schools, a housing estate, and of course, the MRT station, were named after him.
Fun fact: Chew’s family no longer owns any of his former estate.
Pioneer
Standing on an area that was once a freshwater swamp forest, Pioneer MRT was named after the nearby Pioneer Road North, which is an extension of Pioneer Road.
Jalan Besi, meaning iron road in Malay, was renamed to Pioneer Road in 1972, reflecting the Pioneer Industries tax incentive scheme that attracted investments into the Jurong Industrial Estate in the 1960s.
Fun fact: The National Iron and Steel Mills group opened Jurong Industrial Estate’s first factory in 1964. The group was awarded a Pioneer Certificate in 1962, which gave the group a tax free status for five years.
Joo Koon
Joo Koon (裕群) Village was once a nearby rural Chinese settlement that survived until the 1960s, before the whole area was turned into the industrial estate it is today. Joo Koon MRT Station was named after the village.
Joo (裕) means abundant (as in wealthy) and Koon (群) means group or crowd.
Gul Circle
Gul Circle MRT is named after the nearby Gul Circle Road. In Franklin and Jackson’s 1828 map of Singapore, this area is referenced as Tanjong Gull.
While “tanjong” means cape in Malay, it is not very clear what “gull” means. It seems unlikely that “gull” here refers to seagulls, given the rarity of this seabird in Singapore!
Tuas Crescent / Tuas West Road / Tuas Link
It is said that the name Tuas is derived from the Malay word menuas, which refers to the action of hauling up.
It is also said that the name is derived from an old coastal fishing method used by Malay fishermen in the past which involved laying out and suspending a wide net. This net was covered with floating coconut fronts and leafy branches — creating shade and in turn attracting fish. The fishermen would then haul up the hanging net and trap the fish.
Tuas Link, Tuas West Road and Tuas Crescent MRT stations all get their name from nearby roads.
Further reading:
[1] Lim, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco Perono Cacciafoco. “Then and now: A comparative historical toponomastics analysis of station names in 2 of Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines.” Urban Science 4.3 (2020): 37.
[2] Ng, Yew Peng. What’s in the Name? How the Streets and Villages in Singapore Got Their Names. 2018.
[3] Savage, Victor R., and Saw Ai Brenda Yeoh. “Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names.” (2003).
[4] Yom, Samantha JingYi, and Francesco Cavallaro. “Colonialism and Toponyms in Singapore.” Urban Science 4.4 (2020): 64.
[5] Johansson, Anna. “Conceptual Metaphors in Lyrics by Leonard Cohen.” (2016).
