What does “kopitiam” mean?

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

kopitiam

nounMalay and Hokkien

A traditional coffee shop with drinks and food stalls (kopi, Malay for coffee, and tiam, Hokkien for shop).

“Meet at the kopitiam downstairs for breakfast.”

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.
kopi kaki A friend you regularly meet for coffee and chats.
kosong Zero, empty, nothing (Malay); “teh kosong” has no sugar.
koyak Torn, broken, spoilt (Malay).
lagi More, even more; still.
lah The best-known particle: at the end of a sentence it softens a request, makes a statement…

What does “kopitiam” mean in Singlish?

A traditional coffee shop with drinks and food stalls (kopi, Malay for coffee, and tiam, Hokkien for shop). It’s a noun.

Where does “kopitiam” come from?

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

How do you use “kopitiam” in a sentence?

“Meet at the kopitiam downstairs for breakfast.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see ah gong, kopi and teh.

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