Kiasu
English
[edit | edit source]Etymology
[edit | edit source]Borrowed from Hokkien 驚輸 (kiaⁿ-su, “afraid to lose out”).
Pronunciation
[edit | edit source]- /ˈkjɑːsuː/ (Singapore English)
- Hyphenation: kia‧su
Adjective
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]Translations
[edit | edit source]- Chinese:
- Malay: takut kalah
Noun
[edit | edit source]kiasu (plural kiasus)
- A kiasu person; someone afraid to lose out.