K-pop singer and dancer, So Young, made her debut with girl group Fly With Me in 2019 .

But recently, she has been the subject of ridicule in Malaysia because of her stage name: Babi.

"Babi" means pig in Malay.

Malaysians made fun of her name

Malaysians were quick to flock to her Instagram posts, leaving a bunch of sarcastic comments.

Translation: "I've never seen a babi this pretty before. The babi I'm used to seeing has an ugly nose...but this babi has a pretty nose..wow."

Translation: "This babi is prettier than me hmmm."

Translation: "Why is this babi so pretty?"

Translation: "I can't imagine what her fanchant will be like."

Some also tried to get her to change her name, explaining that it is a "curse" word in Malaysia.

Not the only language in the world

On the other hand, a number of Malaysians saw nothing wrong with her name.

In fact, they called out those who were "embarrassing" their country, stating that Malay isn't the only language in the world.

https://twitter.com/maikonglo/status/1268411435932987392

memalukan je jadi rakyat malaysia yang sibuk nak hentam nama orang disebabkan nama dia babi. macam kat dunia ni ada bahasa melayu je ek. https://t.co/3zdlkVZSLV

— syiqa; (@syiqahali) June 4, 2020

Translation: "These Malaysian citizens are so embarrassing. Why are you mocking someone's name? Malay isn't the only language in the world."

can you guys stop telling babi_fly what babi means? She so upset after what those immature Malaysians did to her.Make fun of her name by telling her name's meaning in Malaysia,do you guys think she want to know that? No! Please keep the good name of our country.Say sorry to her.

— fizis_ok! (@FizisOk) June 3, 2020

"sis can u change ur stage name coz it's a curse here" no sis babi is not a curse. Babi is literally binatang. That u people make it sounds like a curse. Also, she's not from "here" so why bodoh sangat fikir dekat dunia ni ada negara malaysia satu je ke bodo? https://t.co/PPCSGZAKxa

— 𝓂𝒾𝒶 🪐 (@coldmcdsfries) June 3, 2020

Translation: "Babi is not a curse. Babi is literally an animal. You guys made it sound like a curse word. Also, she's not from "here" so why are you stupid enough to think that Malaysia is the only country in the world?"

"Why are you doing this to me"

In response to the comments, So Young has disabled the comments on her latest Instagram posts.

She also uploaded a post on Jun. 4 to address the issue: Malaysians who came here to mock my name have to see this post. Why are you doing this to me? Just because my name is your laughing stock?

She added that she's not interested in Malay, and "it doesn't matter" what her name means in the language.

"I didn't know your country, but I don't want to know it anymore.

If the same thing happens after you see my post, I will report everyone and block the account.

So stop now.

Lastly, thank you guys for helping me."

Here's the full post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA8hRBrHl2E/

Previously mocked Dua Lipa

In 2018, Malaysians had the same reaction to British pop star Dua Lipa for her usage of the same word.

Lipa posted a birthday message to her father on her Instagram with the caption: "Happy Birthday babi, I wish I was home to give you a big hug and kiss."

The word "babi" means father in Albanian, where her parents are from.

In a 2018 interview with fashion magazine L’Officiel, Lipa expressed disappointment regarding this issue.

She said:

"It was actually quite mean on their behalf because obviously I’m not talking in Malay.

I speak another language as well, and the language that I speak with my parents is my heritage. I would like that to be respected."

Top image collage from babi_fly/Instagram.