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kopitiam

English

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kopitiam

  • /ˈkopitjam/ Malaysia, Singapore
  • /-ɪtjam/ Malaysia, Singapore
  • [ˈko˧.pi.˧.tjam˦] Malaysia, Singapore
  • [k˭o˦.p˭i˦.t˭jam˨˩] Malaysia, Singapore
  • [k˭o˨.p˭i˨.t˭jam˨˩] Malaysia, Singapore
  • /ˈkɒpɪˌtiːəm/ UK
  • /ˌkɒpɪˈtiːəm/ UK
  • /ˈkəʊ-/ UK

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Malay kopitiam, from Hokkien 咖啡店 (ko-pi-tiàm), in turn from Malay kopi (“coffee”).

noun kopitiams · kopi tiam

  1. Malaysia, Singapore A traditional style of eatery having public seating and multiple vendors selling Chinese, Indian, and Malay food. Bustling kopitiams sprouted around derelict whiskey bars like toadstools around rotting logs.

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Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{kopitiam_2026,
  title = {kopitiam},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kopitiam},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}