Meaning
In Singapore colloquial usage, kaki can mean a friend, buddy, or companion, especially someone associated with a shared activity or regular social circle.
How it is used
Singapore's OneService explicitly explains its Kaki mascot as 'friend' in Malay and Singlish, while National Library Board memoir material records colloquial kaki for friends in earlier Singapore social life.
Examples
- “She's my makan kaki, so we try new food together.”
- “Find a running kaki if you want company for the route.”
Tone and register
Usually friendly and affiliative, often emphasizing companionship around an activity rather than a formal relationship label.
Visitor guidance
Kaki can combine with another activity word, but do not assume it means an inseparable best friend in every context. The shared-activity sense is often enough.
Cultural context
The word has Malay meanings outside this Singapore colloquial friend sense, and Singapore usage exists in a multilingual environment. Do not infer ethnicity or first language from a person's use of kaki.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.