What does “kopi” mean? Singlish meaning and example

kopi

Coffee, the kopitiam way, strong with condensed milk.

“Uncle, one kopi peng.”

More Singlish from Malay

kena Get hit by, suffer (Malay); marks a bad thing happening to you.

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 kaki A friend you regularly meet for coffee and chats.

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).

Words that use “kopi”

ang moh “The ang moh at the stall ordered his kopi in Hokkien.”

auntie “Auntie, one kopi-O kosong, thanks.”

kaki “He’s my kopi kaki every morning.”

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

kopi money “He slipped the guy some kopi money to rush the job.”

kopitiam “Meet at the kopitiam downstairs for breakfast.”

lim kopi “Free this afternoon? Come lim kopi.”

peng “One teh peng, less sweet.”

Questions

What does “kopi” mean in Singlish?

Coffee, the kopitiam way, strong with condensed milk. It’s a noun.

Where does “kopi” come from?

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

How do you use “kopi” in a sentence?

“Uncle, one kopi peng.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see ang moh, auntie and kaki.

Is “kopi” in the Singlish Wordle?

Yes: it’s one of the answers in the Singlish Wordle, one word a day, the same for everyone.

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