Dictionary

jiak kentang en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• [- ˈk˭an-] (Singapore)
• [ˌt͡ɕ˭j-] (Singapore)
• [ˌt͡s˭jaʔ˨˩ ˈk˭ən˧.t˭aŋ˦] (Singapore)

Etymology

From Malaysian and Singaporean Hokkien 食kentang or 食蕳砃 /食𫈉砃 (chia̍h kan-tang), from 食 (chia̍h, “to eat”) + Malay kentang (“potatoes”). Historically, the choice of potatoes over rice as a staple food, or its inclusion in one’s diet was seen as a shift towards a more Westernized lifestyle.

Meanings

1. (Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, not-comparable) Westernized; rejecting aspects of one's own culture or heritage in favor of Western ideologies and practices.

Forms

Coordinates

Pinkerton syndrome · banana · jook-sing · Macaulay's children

Relateds

jialat · ho kua bo ho jiak

jiak kentang en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [- ˈk˭an-] (Singapore)
• [ˌt͡ɕ˭j-] (Singapore)
• [ˌt͡s˭jaʔ˨˩ ˈk˭ən˧.t˭aŋ˦] (Singapore)

Etymology

From Malaysian and Singaporean Hokkien 食kentang or 食蕳砃 /食𫈉砃 (chia̍h kan-tang), from 食 (chia̍h, “to eat”) + Malay kentang (“potatoes”). Historically, the choice of potatoes over rice as a staple food, or its inclusion in one’s diet was seen as a shift towards a more Westernized lifestyle.

Meanings

1. (Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, invariable, stative) Of a person, to be westernized; to have abandoned one's own cultural traditions in favor of a westernized lifestyle.
2. (Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, invariable, stative) Of an ethnically Chinese person, to be mostly monolingual in English and unable to speak Chinese well.
3. (Manglish, Singlish, humorous, invariable, literally, rare) To eat potatoes.

Forms