karung guni

/ˈkɑːɹəŋ ˌɡuːni//-ɹɒŋ -/Singapore[ˈka˧.ɹaŋ˧ ˌɡu˧.ni˦]Singapore[-ɾaŋ -]

noun

A traditional scrap dealer or rag-and-bone man who visits residential zones to collect unwanted items.

OriginMalay karung guni ← Sanskrit गोणी →
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Meanings

nounkarung guni (plural karung guni or karung gunis)

plural karung gunis · alternative karang guni

  1. MalaysiaSingaporeattributivemetonymicallyA traditional scrap dealer or rag-and-bone man who visits residential zones to collect unwanted items.

    karungguni，報紙，舊衫褲，歹黎撩，電視機

    karung guni, newspapers, old clothes, broken radios, TV sets — Shout of a karung guni announcing their arrival

    3 more examples

    karungguni，报纸，旧衫裤，歹黎撩，电视机

    karung guni, newspapers, old clothes, broken radios, TV sets — Shout of a karung guni announcing their arrival

    […] Madam Wong Ah Hua, 76, said the karung guni man stopped making his rounds in her estate a few months ago.

    1994 January 12, Jennifer Tan, The New Paper, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 6

    The karung guni uncle below my block has been asked to move … By the very people he was making life easy for.

    2004 November 8, Andrew Wood, Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 16

Origin

  1. Sanskritगोणी
  2. Malaykarung guni“gunny sack”
  3. Englishkarung guni

From Malay karung guni (“gunny sack”); guni is derived from Sanskrit गोणी (goṇī). Doublet of gunny.

More words from Malay, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: karung guni on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.