Kiasu: Difference between revisions
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====Translations==== | ====Translations==== | ||
* Chinese: | * Chinese: | ||
** Hokkien: 驚輸 (kiaⁿ-su) | ** Hokkien: [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%A9%9A%E8%BC%B8 驚輸] (kiaⁿ-su) | ||
** Mandarin: 怕輸 (pàshū) | ** Mandarin: [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%80%95%E8%BC%B8 怕輸] (pàshū) | ||
* Malay: takut kalah | * Malay: [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/takut_kalah takut kalah] | ||
===Noun=== | ===Noun=== | ||
Revision as of 01:05, 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
- Afraid to lose out, especially due to being overly competitive.
- Someone who makes a selfish decision out of fear that they might miss out on something important.
Derived terms
Translations
- Chinese:
- Malay: takut kalah
Noun
kiasu (plural kiasus)
- 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...”
- 2003, Frederick Lim, Today, 28 May, p. 22: