towkay

T1O1W4K5A1Y4
/ˈt̪au̯.keɪ//ˈt̪ʰau̯.keɪ/

noun

A business owner; boss (especially a Chinese Malaysian or Chinese Singaporean boss).

Similar
taokebosssirma'am
OriginHokkien 頭家 /头家 →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nountowkay (plural towkays)

plural towkays

  1. MalaysiaSingaporeA business owner; boss (especially a Chinese Malaysian or Chinese Singaporean boss).

    My own experience would lead me to suggest that the Chinese immigrants should be placed under one Towkay, or head man, who would control those villages under his care.

    1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 352
  2. MalaysiaSingaporeTerm of address for a business owner boss.

    Synonyms: taoke, boss, sir, ma'am

Synonyms & antonyms

nounTerm of address for a business owner boss.

Similar
taokebosssirma'am
Also see
taoke

Origin

  1. Hokkien頭家 /头家“boss”
  2. Englishtowkay

From Hokkien 頭家 /头家 (thâu-ke, “boss”). Doublet of taoke.

More words from Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 老板
  • 老板 (lǎobǎn)business owner
Indonesian tauke
  • taukebusiness owner
Malay tokeh, tauke
  • tokehbusiness owner
  • taukebusiness owner
Tagalog taoke
  • taokebusiness owner
Thai เถ้าแก่
  • เถ้าแก่ (tâo-gɛ̀ɛ)business owner
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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