What does “kopi kaki” mean?

Kopi kaki in the Singlish dictionary: what it means, where it comes from and how it’s said.

kopi kaki

nounMalay

A friend you regularly meet for coffee and chats.

“Every morning six o’clock, my dad and his kopi kakis.”

kesian Pitiful, poor thing (Malay).
ketupat Rice cake boiled in a woven coconut-leaf pouch, eaten at Hari Raya.
kilat Excellent, shiny, spotless (Malay for “lightning”); army slang.
kopi Coffee, the kopitiam way, strong with condensed milk.
kopitiam A traditional coffee shop with drinks and food stalls (kopi, Malay for coffee, and tiam…
kosong Zero, empty, nothing (Malay); “teh kosong” has no sugar.
koyak Torn, broken, spoilt (Malay).
lagi More, even more; still.

What does “kopi kaki” mean in Singlish?

A friend you regularly meet for coffee and chats. It’s a noun.

Where does “kopi kaki” come from?

From Malay. Other Singlish words from Malay include kesian, ketupat, kilat and kopi.

How do you use “kopi kaki” in a sentence?

“Every morning six o’clock, my dad and his kopi kakis.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see kaki.

Liddat’s own words, from the Singlish dictionary: 312 words and phrases, A to Z.