otak-otak

Singapore[ˈotaʔ ˌotaʔ]

noun

Grilled fish cake wrapped inside a banana leaf; a popular snack food in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.

OriginMalay otak-otak →
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Meanings

nounotak-otak (countable and uncountable, plural otak-otaks)

plural otak-otaks · alternative otah-otah

  1. IndonesiaMalaysiaSingaporecountableuncountableGrilled fish cake wrapped inside a banana leaf; a popular snack food in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.

Origin

  1. Malayotak-otak
  2. Englishotak-otak

Borrowed from Malay otak-otak, plural of otak (“brain”), from the resemblance in appearance.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 窩咑 /窝咑
  • 窩咑 /窝咑 (wōdā)snack
Cite this entry
APA

otak-otak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/otak-otak

MLA

“otak-otak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/otak-otak. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “otak-otak,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/otak-otak.

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