kopitiam

See also: kopi tiam

English

Alternative forms

• kopi tiam

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay kopitiam, from Hokkien 咖啡店 (ko-pi-tiàm).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈkopitjam/, [ˈko˧.pi.˧.tjam˦], [ko˨.pi˨.tjam˩]
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒpɪˌtiːəm/, /ˌkɒpɪˈtiːəm/, /ˈkəʊ-/

Noun

kopitiam (plural kopitiams)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore) A traditional style of eatery having public seating and multiple vendors selling Chinese, Indian, and Malay food. [from 20th c.]
   • 2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 23:

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

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay kopitiam, from Hokkien 咖啡店 (ko-pi-tiàm).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kopitiam/
• Rhymes: -iam, -am
• Hyphenation: ko‧pi‧tiam

Noun

kopitiam (first-person possessive kopitiamku, second-person possessive kopitiammu, third-person possessive kopitiamnya)

1. coffee shop

   Synonym: kedai kopi

Alternative forms

• kopi tiam

Further reading

• “kopitiam” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

kopitiam

Alternative forms

• kopi tiam

Etymology

From Hokkien 咖啡店 (ko-pi-tiàm).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kopitiam/
• Rhymes: -iam, -am
• Hyphenation: ko‧pi‧tiam

Noun

kopitiam (Jawi spelling کوڤيتيام, plural kopitiam-kopitiam, informal 1st possessive kopitiamku, 2nd possessive kopitiammu, 3rd possessive kopitiamnya)

1. coffee shop

   Synonym: kedai kopi

Descendants

• Indonesian: kopitiam
• → English: kopitiam

Further reading

• "kopitiam" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.
• “kopitiam” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.