kongsi

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kongsi

/ˈkɔŋ.si/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Hokkien 公司 (kong-si, “company”). See also Hokkien 公班衙 (kong-pan-gêe / kong-pan-gê), English British East India Company, Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (“Dutch East India Company”, literally “United East India Company”).

noun kongsis · kongsi

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore A benevolent organization of popular origin found among overseas Chinese communities for individuals with the same surname. By 1970, for instance, the state authorities considered these kongsi to be unfit and unhygienic for living, and they were ordered to be dismantled.
Similar: association

Translations

Every language

noun benevolent organization

中文	公司 gōngsī, 會館 /会馆 huìguǎn

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MLA

"kongsi." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kongsi. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

kongsi. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kongsi

Chicago

"kongsi." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kongsi.

BibTeX

@misc{kongsi_2026,
  title = {kongsi},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kongsi},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}