kopitiam

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Malaysia, Singapore/ˈkopitjam/Malaysia, Singapore/-ɪtjam/Malaysia, Singapore[ˈko˧.pi.˧.tjam˦]Malaysia, Singapore[k˭o˦.p˭i˦.t˭jam˨˩]

noun

A traditional style of eatery having public seating and multiple vendors selling Chinese, Indian, and Malay food.

OriginMalay kopitiam ← Hokkien 咖啡店 →
RareFirst used 20th c.Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounkopitiam (plural kopitiams)

plural kopitiams · alternative kopi tiam

  1. MalaysiaSingaporeA traditional style of eatery having public seating and multiple vendors selling Chinese, Indian, and Malay food.First known use 20th c.

    Bustling kopitiams sprouted around derelict whiskey bars like toadstools around rotting logs.

    2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 23

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
coffee shop

Origin

  1. Malaykopi“coffee”
  2. Hokkien咖啡店
  3. Malaykopitiam
  4. Englishkopitiam

Borrowed from Malay kopitiam, from Hokkien 咖啡店 (ko-pi-tiàm), in turn from Malay kopi (“coffee”).

More words from Malay, Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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