---
title: "Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here’s The Official BM Spelling According To DBP"
url: https://weirdkaya.com/thosai-tose-dbp-official-spelling/
date: 2022-10-18
modified: 2023-01-25
lang: en
author: "Sarah Yeoh"
description: "The never-ending debate of how a certain dish should be spelt correctly is always bound to lead to impassioned reactions, and it was no different for the iconic Indian dish..."
categories:
  - "Fun"
tags:
  - "DBP"
  - "dosa"
  - "official BM spelling"
  - "thosai"
  - "tose"
image: https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/link-preview-180-1-13.png
word_count: 211
---

# Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here’s The Official BM Spelling According To DBP

The never-ending debate of how a certain dish should be spelt correctly is always bound to lead to impassioned reactions, and it was no different for the iconic Indian dish thosai.

![thosai](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/image-2299.jpg)Photo via [r/Malaysia](https://www.reddit.com/r/malaysia/comments/nfvjh3/todays_food_spotlight_is_thosai_a_classic_south/)

## DBP spells 'thosai' as 'tose'

In a [Twitter post](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569) by Malaysia’s Institute of Language and Literature (DBP – Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka), it revealed what was the official spelling of the dish in the Malay dictionary.

Suffice to say, the result was rather surprising.

> Ejaan Bahasa Melayu: tose[#DekadBahasaKebangsaan](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DekadBahasaKebangsaan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)[#BahasaJiwaBangsa](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BahasaJiwaBangsa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/FxOLkOa6oA](https://t.co/FxOLkOa6oA)
>
> — Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (@DBPMalaysia) [October 17, 2022](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

For those who don't know, thosai/dosa is a thin crepe made from fermented rice and lentil, where it's often paired with three different gravies – chutney, curry and dhal.

According to DBP however, the dish originating from South India should be spelt as "tose" in Bahasa Malaysia.

![thosai](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/image-2300.jpg)Photo via [FoodAdvisor](https://www.foodadvisor.my/best-thosai-kl)

## Netizens strongly disagree

In the comment section, many from the Indian community weren't pleased with DBP's spelling of thosai and criticised them for it.

![Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/ladpgskshagabklm7s0c7g-750-238.jpg)Screenshot via [Twitter/@DBPMalaysia](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569)

![Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/ladpgsyfnezvuqzm7s0c7g-750-238.jpg)Screenshot via [Twitter/@DBPMalaysia](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569)

![Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/ladpgto6my-7efdm1c0c7a-748-213.jpg)Screenshot via [Twitter/@DBPMalaysia](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569)

![Thosai, Dosa Or Tose? Here](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/ladpgtrvltlyhqnm880c7g-750-243.jpg)Screenshot via [Twitter/@DBPMalaysia](https://twitter.com/DBPMalaysia/status/1581890446074093569)

*What do you think of DBP's spelling of "thosai" as "tose"? Let us know in the comments!*

**Read about how another iconic dish got a change in its spelling thanks to DBP [here](https://weirdkaya.com/its-official-your-favourite-kuey-teow-is-now-spelt-kuetiau/):**

https://weirdkaya.com/its-official-your-favourite-kuey-teow-is-now-spelt-kuetiau/

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