hentak kaki

Singapore[ˈhənt˭aʔ ˌk˭ak˭i]

verb

To march on the spot (a drill command sometimes used as form of punishment).

OriginMalay hentak kaki →
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Meanings

verbhentak kaki (invariable)
  1. SingaporeinvariablegovernmentTo march on the spot (a drill command sometimes used as form of punishment).
  2. SingaporeSinglishfigurativelyinvariableTo be stuck in the same role or career with very little prospects of advancement.

    Are you sure they’re gonna give you someting more kilat? I think ah, they put you here to hentak kaki, know!

    2011, James Khoo, directed by James Khoo, Hentak Kaki (short film), spoken by SSG (NS) Rajendran (P. Muruganandan / Richard Muru)

Origin

  1. Malayhentak kaki
  2. Englishhentak kaki

Unadapted borrowing from Malay hentak kaki (literally “stomp one’s feet”), referring to a punitive military drill command in the Singapore Armed Forces requiring soldiers to march on the spot. The full drill command is hentak kaki, cepat hentak.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hentak kaki. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hentak%20kaki

MLA

“hentak kaki.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hentak%20kaki. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hentak kaki,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hentak%20kaki.

Source: hentak kaki on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.