Kongsi

//ˈkɔŋ.si// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A benevolent organization of popular origin found among overseas Chinese communities for individuals with the same surname. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore

    "By 1970, for instance, the state authorities considered these kongsi to be unfit and unhygienic for living, and they were ordered to be dismantled."

Synonyms

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association

Example

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"By 1970, for instance, the state authorities considered these kongsi to be unfit and unhygienic for living, and they were ordered to be dismantled."

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 公司 (kong-si, “company”). See also Hokkien 公班衙 (kong-pan-gêe / kong-pan-gê), English British East India Company, Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (“Dutch East India Company”, literally “United East India Company”).

Related phrases

overseas chinese

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.