zai

Z10A1I1
Singapore[t͡sai̯]

adjective

extremely skilled; talented.

OriginHokkien 在 →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectivezai (not comparable)
  1. Singaporenot comparableextremely skilled; talented.

Origin

  1. Hokkien在穩 /在稳“experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”
  2. Hokkien在“steady”
  3. Englishzai

From Hokkien 在 (chāi, “steady”); likely a shortening of Hokkien 在穩 /在稳 (chāi-ún, “experienced and composed; safe; reliable; trustworthy”), in the sense of a person being solid, experienced, and collected under pressure.

More words from Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

ZiaIza
Cite this entry
APA

zai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zai

MLA

“zai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zai. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zai,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zai.

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