kikiam

K5I1K5I1A1M3
/ˈkxikjɐm/

noun

steamed and pan-fried elongated beancurd rolls over meatloaves of meat (usually ground pork) and vegetables, served as streetfood snack or dish topping

OriginTagalog kikiam ← Spanish que-quian →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

noun

alternative quekiam · alternative que kiam · alternative que-kiam · alternative Qui Quiam · alternative quikiam

  1. Philippinessteamed and pan-fried elongated beancurd rolls over meatloaves of meat (usually ground pork) and vegetables, served as streetfood snack or dish topping

    Add shrimp, liver, and kikiam; cook until half-done. Set aside.

    2014, Yummy: Filipino Favorites 2, Summit Publishing Company Inc., page 18

Origin

  1. Spanishque-quian
  2. Tagalogkikiam
  3. Englishkikiam

From Tagalog kikiam or Spanish que-quian, from Hokkien, possibly 雞 /鸡 (ke, “chicken”) + 繭 /茧 (kián, “cocoon”) or 鹹 /咸 (kiâm, “viand; rice topping”). See also kiampong, tawkiam, Hokkien 鹹飯 /咸饭 (kiâm-pn̄g) and Taiwanese Hokkien 雞卷 /鸡卷 (koe-kńg), 肉繭 /肉茧, 肉繭仔 /肉茧仔, 繭仔 /茧仔, Cebuano ngohiong, Cebuano tempura, Singaporean and Malaysian English ngoh hiang. Manuel (1948) also notes that the first syllable implies "chicken", but the chief ingredient more often used these days is now pork.

More words from Tagalog, Spanish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

kikiam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kikiam

MLA

“kikiam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kikiam. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kikiam,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kikiam.

Source: kikiam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.