nasi lemak

noun

A fragrant rice dish cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaf, commonly found in Malaysia and neighbouring areas with significant Malay populations.

OriginMalay nasi lemak →
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Meanings

nounnasi lemak (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA fragrant rice dish cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaf, commonly found in Malaysia and neighbouring areas with significant Malay populations.

    The man across the aisle bought a packet of nasi lemak.

    2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 117

Origin

  1. Malaynasi lemak
  2. Englishnasi lemak

Borrowed from Malay nasi lemak (literally “rich rice”).

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 椰漿飯 /椰浆饭
  • 椰漿飯 /椰浆饭 (je⁴ zoeng¹ faan⁶)Translations
Chinese Mandarin 椰漿飯 /椰浆饭
  • 椰漿飯 /椰浆饭 (yējiāngfàn, yéjiāngfàn)Translations
Indonesian nasi lemak
  • nasi lemakTranslations
Japanese ナシレマッ
  • ナシレマッTranslations
Malay nasi lemak
  • nasi lemakTranslations
Polish nasi lemak
  • nasi lemakTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

nasi lemak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20lemak

MLA

“nasi lemak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20lemak. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nasi lemak,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20lemak.

Source: nasi lemak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.