Kiasu () is a
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
word that denotes a "competitive”
attitude
Attitude may refer to:
Philosophy and psychology
* Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value
* Metaphysics of presence
* Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...
" that arises from
fear of missing out OR fear of being left out.
Etymology and usage
Kiasu comes from the
vernacular Chinese
Written vernacular Chinese, also known as Baihua () or Huawen (), is the forms of written Chinese based on the varieties of Chinese spoken throughout China, in contrast to Classical Chinese, the written standard used during imperial China up to ...
phrase , meaning 'fear of losing’. It is commonly used in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, where a survey in 2015 ranked being kiasu as one of the top 10
Singaporean cultural values, and the word has been introduced into the English language by speakers of
colloquial Singaporean English. It is often used to refer to anxious, competitive attitude arising from a fear of "missing out" or "losing out".
Kiasu is similar in etymology to ''
kiasi'' (literally, fear of death); both terms are used to describe similar attitudes. ''Kiasu'' or ''kiasuism'' means taking extreme measures to achieve success, whereas ''kiasi'' or ''kiasiism'' means to taking extreme, risk-avoidant measures.
See also
*
Abundance mentality (antonym)
*
Fear of missing out
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the feeling of apprehension that one is either not in the know or missing out on information, events, experiences, or life decisions that could make one's life better. FOMO is also associated with a fear of regret, ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
{{Wiktionary, kiasu
Definition of kiasu in the Oxford DictionaryDefinition of kiasu in The Coxford Singlish Dictionary at Talkingcock.com
Singaporean culture
Malaysian culture
Southern Min words and phrases
Singlish