The origin of the name is contested. Old survey maps relate the area as "Amokiah" or the "Mukim (region) of Ang Mo Kio". The name was formerly written with the characters 红毛 "ang moh", literally "red hair", and one possibility is that the name comes from red-haired tropical fruit rambutan, known as 红毛丹 "ang moh dan" in Hokkien. However, "ang moh" can also be used figuratively to mean "Western" or "Caucasian person". "Kio" in turn could be written either 桥 "bridge", in which case the name would mean "Caucasian's bridge", or 茄 "eggplant", in which case 红毛茄 "Western eggplant" refers to the tomato, which is not native to the region. However, since there are no reports of tomatoes being grown in Ang Mo Kio, the bridge theory is more likely.