• The term “芭” originated from the Hokkien term “芭窑”. This was a transliteration of the Malay word paya, meaning “marsh”, “swamp” or “wetland”.
• In the early days, when parts of Singapore had yet to be developed, villages away from the city were referred to as “山芭”. At the time, Toa Payoh and Paya Lebar were swampland. The Mandarin name for Toa Payoh was originally written as “大芭窑” (“large swampland”), before it was changed to the present “大巴窑” in 1970 by the Committee on the Standardisation of Street Names in Chinese. Similarly, the name Paya Lebar also refers to “large swampland” in Malay.

Children living in forested areas found no greater joy than in being able to play with minimal restrictions. At times, parents would shout themselves hoarse and still not know where their children were. Even so, everything was fine as long as the children made their way home safely at sunset. (Lianhe Wanbao, 1/10/2019)

• The term “芭” also appears in terms used to describe methods of clearing land for cultivation, including “开芭” (clearing of forested areas), “砍芭” (chopping down of forested areas), and “烧芭” (burning of forested areas).
• “山芭” is also used to describe aspects of rural life, such as “山芭学校” (rural school), “山芭小孩” (rural children), “山芭榴梿” (wild-grown durians), and “山芭鸡” (free-range chicken).