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Created page with "==English== ===Etymology=== Borrowed from Hokkien [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%A9%9A%E8%BC%B8 驚輸] (kiaⁿ-su, “afraid to lose out”). ===Pronunciation=== * /ˈkjɑːsuː/ (Singapore English) * Hyphenation: kia‧su ===Adjective=== '''kiasu''' # Afraid to [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lose_out lose out], especially due to being overly [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/competitive competitive]. #* 1985, Irene Hoe, ''The Straits Times'', 22 December, p. 20..."
 
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'''kiasu'''
'''kiasu'''


# Afraid to [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lose_out lose out], especially due to being overly [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/competitive competitive].
# Afraid to [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lose_out lose out], especially due to being overly competitive.
#* 1985, Irene Hoe, ''The Straits Times'', 22 December, p. 20:
#*: “No wonder the parents acted that way, she said. They were just being ''kia-su'' (afraid to lose out).”
#* 1988, “Pro Bono Puntero”, ''The Straits Times'', 11 December, p. 35:
#*: “The kia-si/kia-su (‘afraid to die/afraid to lose’) attitude of the Totalisator Boards in Malaysia and Singapore is deplorable.”
#* 1989, ''The Straits Times'', 26 April, p. 2:
#*: “The ''kia-su'' attitude is the reason for this, says the reader.”
#* 1999, ''The Business Times'' (Singapore), 13 October, p. 2:
#*: “For the uninitiated, ''kiasu'' means ‘afraid to lose’ in the Hokkien dialect.”
#* 2000, Leong Liew Geok, ''Women without Men'', p. 130:
#*: “Kiasu cannot lose, / Kiasi cannot die...”
#* 2001, Carolyn Chew, ''Today'', 20 February, p. 6:
#*: “Too often you hear about Singaporeans with the ‘K syndrome’, meaning ''kiasu'' (afraid of losing out)...”
#* 2009, Lionel de Souza, ''Today'', 27 October, p. 28:
#*: “Singaporeans’ ''kiasu'' spirit came to the fore.”
# Someone who makes a selfish decision out of fear that they might miss out on something important.
# Someone who makes a selfish decision out of fear that they might miss out on something important.
====Derived terms====
====Derived terms====

Revision as of 01:03, 27 March 2026

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 驚輸 (kiaⁿ-su, “afraid to lose out”).

Pronunciation

  • /ˈkjɑːsuː/ (Singapore English)
  • Hyphenation: kia‧su

Adjective

kiasu

  1. Afraid to lose out, especially due to being overly competitive.
  2. Someone who makes a selfish decision out of fear that they might miss out on something important.

Derived terms

Translations

  • Chinese:
    • Hokkien: 驚輸 (kiaⁿ-su)
    • Mandarin: 怕輸 (pàshū)
  • Malay: takut kalah

Noun

kiasu (plural kiasus)

  1. A kiasu person; someone afraid to lose out.
    • 2003, Frederick Lim, Today, 28 May, p. 22:
      “Apart from the kiasis and kiasus, there are also Singaporeans at the other end of the scale...”

See also

Retrieved from "https://mordictionary.org/index.php?title=Kiasu&oldid=335"