Kiasu

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

• kiasuism
• kiasuness

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

• kiasi