 In the old days, the local Chinese referred to the road by several names according to the buildings that may be found on the road.These included "Lau kha-ku-keng khau" (老脚拘間口, "Old Gaol Mouth") in Hokkien and "Kau ka-ku hau" (舊架古口) in Cantonese, a reference to an old gaol that was once located between Stamford Road and Bras Basah Road.The term "kha ku" means "fetters" in Hokkien, and the name in Cantonese is an adaptation of the Hokkien term.