English

Adjective

kiasi ‎(comparative more kiasi, superlative most kiasi)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, mildly derogatory) Unwilling to take a chance for fear that something bad or unfavourable will happen; cowardly.

   Why are you so kiasi? You won't die from getting a small cut on the finger.

   If everyone dares to bungee jump, why can't you do the same? Are you kiasi or what?

   • 1988 December 11, "Pro Bono Puntero" [pseudonym], “That $5 win minimum [letter]”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page 35:

     The kia-si/kia-su ("afraid to die/afraid to lose") attitude of the Totalisator Boards in Malaysia and Singapore is deplorable.

   • 1991 April 7, Sandi Tan, “Face-to-face with the kiasu customer”, in The Straits Times, page 8:

     When you are anxious to make the right travel arrangements, you sometimes cannot help but be inquisitive. For those in the travel business, these whines should be a common affair. But when does being "inquisitive" translate into "irritating", or "anxious" into "kiasi" […]

   • 1994 September 14, “Promotion blown out of all proportion”, in The Straits Times, page 22:

     Do not be alarmed if you have received this yellow cylinder which looks like a stick of dynamite and even had the word "explosive" on it. Last week, one "kiasi" fellow was so alarmed that he called the police […]

   • 2000, Leong Liew Geok, “Forever Singlish”, in Women without Men, Singapore: Times Books International, ISBN 978-981-204-050-3, page 130:

     No lubang, so teruk. Kiasu cannot lose, / Kiasi cannot die; machiam machiam words / We also try. Proper English? So lecheh, / So correct, so actsy for what? […]

   • 2001 February 20, Carolyn Chew, “A different take on the Singaporean syndrome”, in Today, page 6:

     Too often you hear about Singaporeans with the "K syndrome", meaning kiasu (afraid of losing out), kiasi (afraid of dying), kiabor (afraid of wife).

Synonyms

• See Wikisaurus:cowardly.

Noun

kiasi ‎(plural kiasi or kiasis)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, mildly derogatory) A kiasi person.
   • 2003 May 28, Frederick Lim, “Sars and the Singaporean: Crisis has brought out the best and the worst”, in Today, Singapore, page 22:

     Apart from the kiasis and kiasus, there are also Singaporeans at the other end of the scale – the healthcare workers who put their lives at risk.

   • 2006 July 5, Tan Chek Wee, “Debugging the kiasi, MC takers [letter]”, in Today, Singapore, page 18:

     The kiasi (those afraid to die) who insist on seeing a doctor for the most minor complaint such as "my baby sneezed this morning leh".

See also

• kiasu