Singlish

thumb|Exaggerated Singlish on an advertising board outside a cafe in Pulau Ubin

Hokkien racial slur for white people

Kiasu () is a term derived from the Hokkien “kia” meaning afraid and “su” meaning to lose. It is commonly defined as “the fear of losing,” and is directed at a person who behaves competitively to either attain their goal or to get ahead of others. The term has been part of the Singlish (formally known as Colloquial Singaporean English) lexicon spoken in Singapore since the 1980s.

derogatory term