What is "kiasu"

a. (context Singapore English) afraid to lose out. n. (context Singapore English) A fear of losing, characteristic of a person who is overly competitive.

Kiasu is a Hokkien and Singlish word that means a grasping, selfish attitude.

The term can be translated into English as "afraid to lose out" from 'kia' "afraid" and 'su' "lose". Like many proverbial expressions it can have both positive and negative connotations, but is generally negative, used to refer to someone who thinks of themselves first and is always trying to get ahead in one way or another. The English equivalent would be "overcompetitiveness".